Eight Poly Ramblers assembled at Chorleywood railway station on the morning of a Saturday for which heavy rain was forecast.  And all too soon we would be only seven because Sunita had to withdraw with her slow-healing leg injury.  After descending through the common we climbed back up to the noisy M25 and a footbridge across, only to cross back a mile or so later. At this time it was still sunny and we were enjoying the southern view of the motorway when we noticed the northbound traffic being slowed up by some vehicles, not police cars but Lamborghinis! as spotted by the eagle-eyed Stuart (see photo), only the first of his visual acuity feats that day.  Later a lambo driver was reported to be assisting the police with their enquiries. Round about then the leader received a no-reply email supposedly conveying a picture message from another member but couldn’t get it to display. Later, in the evening, it eventually transpired to have been from Mike who had made his way to Chorleywood, having missed the group,  and must needs embarked on a circular walk of his own.  Sorry, Mike! Continue reading CHORLEYWOOD CIRCULAR – 2 OCTOBER →

Fifteen walkers and Teddy (the dog) gathered in the Chiltern market town of Princes Risborough on a grey but warm and humid Saturday.  Princes Risborough has medieval origins and my guidebook told me that the under the car park we were standing in was the foundations of the 14th century manor house of Edward the Black Prince.  Disappointingly the group didn’t seem that impressed by this fact.  The first park of the walk took us south through meadows to the hamlets of Horsenden and Saunderton. We diverted to look at the 15th century churchyard in Horsenden. Continue reading PRINCES RISBOROUGH CIRCULAR – 25 SEPTEMBER →

Eighteen Poly Ramblers met at Maidenhead station and made their way to the River Thames by Brunel’s famous rail bridge. It is the widest brick arch ever built and features in Turner’s 1844 painting ‘Rail, Steam and Speed’ viewed by Mick and Dolly just a few days earlier in the National Gallery.

We then followed the Thames Path to Cookham passing Boulter’s Lock described in Jerome K. Jerome’s 1889 novel Three Men in a Boat and the Cliveden Estate centre of the notorious Profumo scandal of 1963.

Six members ended their walk in Cookham whilst the rest of us, after a picnic lunch and a swift drink in the Crown pub’, rejoined the riverbank before heading inland and up a short but steep and narrow path onto an escarpment. We were rewarded with fine views of the Thames Valley as we followed the contour of the hill to its peak at Winter Hill before descending into the pretty eighteenth century town of Marlow.

Missing the hourly train, known as the Marlow Donkey, back to Maidenhead, necessitated us enjoying a drink in the sunny garden of the Marlow Donkey pub’ before heading home.

Jennifer and Sunita with photos by Stuart

Danny having been incapacitated by a leg injury, I volunteered to stand in for him to lead this walk. I went on a walkover the Sunday before. Just as well. There were places on the walk description (printed in 1994) that were rather elliptical not to say misleading, starting with inclusion of the word “stroll”! It all went fairly smoothly at the beginning. I stopped in the village of Abridge for a lime and soda and chat to a customer about local history, discovering that the spirit of Dick Turpin is alive and kicking! The description matched the reality, despite the occasional lack of waymarkers or other signposts, or overgrown brambles, until I was misdirected through a very overgrown series of field margins in search of a footbridge over the so-called River Roding (which at that point was more like a wide watery ditch). The worst was a field of waist-high thistles, nettles and brambles which I got out of with difficulty. It was all so undesirable that I couldn’t put my prospective group through the same sequence of obstacles, so I did a second walkover with Harriet. We found the intended footbridge over the River Roding and pruned brambles with our secateurs where necessary. We were impressed by the distant spotlit view of the City of London from the brow of Theydon Bois Wood (Theydon Wood Wood?). Continue reading Debden Lambourne Theydon Bois – 19 September →

Thirteen Poly Ramblers took an early train from Paddington to reach Henley on Thames. The earlier time meant that we avoided a thronging high street whilst crossing busy roads to reach the start of our walk on the Oxfordshire way. We enjoyed stunning views in sunshine as we walked through Henley Park part of the Culdon Faw Estate. After walking up a narrow lane we entered a large field with a narrow path leading eventually to an access road. Sadly, we did not spy the very tame White Peacock that I came across during  my walk over. On reaching Dobson’s Lane we wended our way around several bends before stopping for our elevenses at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Fawley. We continued our meander along the small country lane passing the village green where there was a well which Andrew initially thought was the Maharajas well, alas this was not to be! We continued our walk along a narrow bridle path before we entered the Great Wood following a bridleway track gently downhill as it meandered through the woods through bends and some sharp turns. We descended Reservoir Hill and went through further woodland with new plantations before finally reaching the picturesque village of Hambleden. We had a picnic lunch in the churchyard and some of us also had very tasty home-made cake at the local post office before making our way to the Stag and Huntsman joining a number of people having a barbeque. We were about to set off on the afternoon walk when Chris announced that he had lost his Freedom Pass, after re- tracing his steps it was handed to him at the pub where he had dropped it, a big thank you to the pub staff for their vigilance. We continued our walk across the meadows heading towards Hambleden locks where we saw the electrically operated locks opened to allow some very expensive boats through. We enjoyed a very pleasant further meander in lovely sunshine back to Henley passing the Henley festival with some very expensive Champagne on route. We were disappointed not to have time for the Chocolate Cafe to complete our walk however several of us did manage an ice cream on the walk back to the station.

Hilary