Weekend Walks - 1 July 2012

There are plenty of options for country walks from our front door. Today we set out across the Common, to a small town called Sarratt on the far side of the Chess Valley.

This proved to be a delightful town built around a long village green, complete with village pond. After an excellent, leisurely lunch at The Cricketers, facing the green, we stopped at the Holy Cross Church Sarratt (in Church End), to admire their excellent Jubilee Flower Festival.

Weekend Walks - 30 June 2012

We were without transport for the weekend - no cars and no trains into London. On Saturday we walked to Rickmansworth and along the Grand Junction Canal to Watford.

The canal was authorised in 1793, and fully opened in 1805, the same year as the Battle of Trafalgar. It reduced the transport route to London for goods from 100 to 40 miles, a huge savings in transport costs.

We were planning to return by train from Watford, that part of the line was supposedly working, but when we arrived at the station, there was a problem with the line and we were returned to Rickmansworth by taxi. A very relaxed end to our walk!

Local attraction – 10 June 2012

Although we live in the Chilterns, which is brilliant for walking, there are few entry-fee type tourist attractions . Today we decided that, as one of these attractions was walking distance from home, we would have to visit.

 We have seen the sign to the Chiltern Open Air Museum many times over the years, but didn't feel compelled to visit. Somehow that feels different when it is “walking distance”. It was about 3k each way along countryside footpaths over open fields.

 The Museum started in 1976 to preserve buildings, that would otherwise disappear. Buildings of various styles, reflecting a disappearing heritage from the past, have been dismantled and reassembled here. On their 45 acre site, there is plenty of room for future expansion, so far they have accumulated a village of over thirty buildings.

Weekend walks – 19 & 20 May

Despite the dull, cold weekend, we made the most of the days and walked to points of interest in the Chilterns.

 Saturday was spent walking around Great & Little Hampden, enjoying the woods, wildlife and wild flowers.

 On Sunday we went further west to the area around Hambledon. This is one of the small gems scattered across the Chilterns. With a beautiful church (surprisingly large for the size of the village), and an appealing collection of houses.

 Nearby is Greys Court, which we visited to see their 120 year old wisteria vines in flower. Sadly, due to the cold, heavy rain and hail, the plants are looking their age, and very few flowers have survived. 

After discovering the remote woodland reserve at the end of a narrow road, the Warburg manned Visitor centre comes as rather a surprise. Here too the bluebells, were rather a poor showing, I think all the flowers are suffering.

 A mile away from here in a very remote feeling valley, is Stonor House. This house, less than an hour from central London, seems very peaceful, and a complete escape from modern life.

Local beauties - 7 May 2012

When we first arrived in the UK, one of our trips into the unknown countryside around London, took us to Chenies. It seemed like a world away from NZ, with the lovely homes, flint church full of wonderful marble monuments, a village well and very handsome manor house.

This memory has always stayed with us, and today, Chenies is just a couple of miles away from us, and the manor house had an open day.

Despite the misty weather, we braved the muddy carpark and muddy lane to visit the house and garden. The garden has won an award, and despite the dismal conditions, it looked vibrant with an array of different brightly coloured tulips.

The house is very old, visited by Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. Today was cold, and the house seemed no warmer than the outside temperature, it gave a glimpse into times before the heating we expect today.

The afternoon started to improve, with the sun trying to come out, so we took the bank holiday opportunity to visit another nearby house from a slightly more modern era, the 18th century West Wycombe House features regularly in TV dramas, probably a mixture of it's proximity to London, wonderful sweeping views, garden follies overlooking a lake (currently dry due to the drought) and luxurious interiors.

The village of West Wycombe is protected by the National Trust, and probably another reason for the attraction to film crews, a stately home beside a truly period village is a winning combination.

From the village we did a four mile walk to another NT village – Bradenham. There were some bluebells in the woods, it was a pleasure to be outside after all the rain recently, a relaxing end to the long weekend.

Windsor – 22 April 2012

Following on the stunning bluebell walk yesterday, we drove to Bisham Woods for another bluebell treat. The 'Exploring Woodlands' guide had a tempting photo of bluebells in Bisham Woods, but how, was a mystery to us, as we couldn't find any bluebells. But we did enjoy the views over Marlow, as well as the history of the woods – they were the inspiration for the Wild Woods in Kenneth Graham's 'Wind in the Willows'.

 As this is our last spring here, a final visit to Valley Gardens during azalea flowering was a must. The 'Punch Bowl' azalea garden is stunning, and a really tranquil spot on a sunny morning.

 Around the corner is Windsor, so we made another visit to the castle on our annual pass, after first taking another look around Eton, just over the Thames. Both towns are a snap-shot of historic England.

The Castle had a photo exhibition of 60 years of the Queens reign in 60 photos. Once again, we enjoyed the sumptous Semi-State Rooms, but even more the exquisite dolls' house owed by Queen Mary

Visiting the Neighbours Part II – 21 April 2012

Living in the Chilterns, means we are surrounded by beautiful, picturesque old towns. On the way to check out a new neighbouring town, we called by Denham. When we lived in London, it was a bit out of the way to call in to see how the wisteria was looking!

We discovered Gerrards Cross was probably our nearest movie theatre. As we've never had occasion to visit before, we were pleasantly surprised by the excellent shops there. Once in the theatre, it was an exclusive viewing of 'Salmon Farming in the Yemen'! Never before have we been the only patrons in a theatre!

 By the time we retuned home, the mid-day showers were over, and we enjoyed a walk through Philipshill Woods – bluebell woods on the edge of Chorleywood.

Visiting the Neighbours Part I – 6 April 2012

For the first time in the eleven years in the UK, we had no plans for the Easter Bank Holiday, but planned to take a 'staycation' anywhere sunny in the UK.

Unfortunately, apart from Friday morning, there was no sun forecast for the Easter break, instead it was to be cold, showery with heavy rain on Monday. So we refined the 'staycation' to actually staying at home.

Now that we live in the countryside, this was actually a pleasant option, and Friday morning saw us out starting a circular walk from nearby Old Beaconsfield, making the most of the sunshine.

The drive to Beaconsfield took us through Old Amersham, so we took a few photos on a better day than our last visit, and on to explore Old Beaconsfield. West of Chorleywood are many lovely market towns, which were busy

coaching inn stops on the days of horse and carriages. The towns are full of old coach entrance-ways, into the courtyards of the old inns. Although many entrance ways survive, only a few of these buildings are still inns today.