Saturday 12th February started off cold and windy, but the sun broke through and the sixteen of us soon warmed up as we got walking. Ruth led us from outside the Norman church of the Holy Trinity in the village of Nuffield through the Huntercombe golf course on Nuffield Common, following The Ridgeway long-distance path.
Crossing the main road at Gangsdown Hill, we continued on The Ridgeway, passing through woodland and fields as we made our way to Swyncombe.
Here we stopped at the church of Saint Botolph to admire the architecture of the early Norman church that had been heavily restored in 1850 in the Gothic Revival style. On Ruth's advice, we had elevenses as the lunch stop would not be until much later. It was a pleasant place to stop, with a carpet of snowdrops blooming in the church grounds.
Continuing north, we soon left The Ridgeway to join the Chiltern Way, crossing the Swyncombe Downs. Now very high up, we could see great views and feel the force of the wind.
The Chiltern Way gradually descended to the village of Ewelme, close to RAF Benson. Passing through the picturesque lanes, we stopped by the watercress beds where there was a useful amount of outdoor seating to have our picnic lunch.
After lunch we doubled back through the village and departed on a track called Potter's Lane, following the course of the Chiltern Way. This changed from track to footpath at Potter's Farm and continued, gradually increasing in elevation, until it crossed The Ridgeway at a point we'd passed on our outward journey.
Our return to Nuffield along the outward route included a detour to the Maker Space Café, where we enjoyed tea, coffee and some delicious cake! An excellent way to recharge after a 17km (10½ mile) walk that involved 595m (1,950 ft) of ascent in total. See our route on Google Maps.
Thank you to Ruth for leading this walk.
Return to volume index