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Home , Amersham, Chalfont St Giles, Chalfont St Peter, Chesham Bois, Great Missenden, Holmer Green

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Rescuing the river the Rescuing

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Chilterns Chalk Streams Project M1 The The Chilterns Area The River Misbourne rises above Great Missenden in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Dunstable Natural Beauty. It flows for 17 miles (27km) through , Amersham and the The were designated an AONB in 1965, Walks in the Misbourne Valley Chalfonts to Denham, where it meets the River Colne. recognising that the Chilterns countryside is among the finest in . The AONB covers Ver to 833 sq. km and stretches from Aylesbury Three circular walks A Chiltern A413 Goring on Thames in Oxfordshire, Gade The Misbourne is a chalk stream - an internationally rare Hemel across and Hempstead celebrating the return of the River Misbourne wildlife habitat. Its water is pure and clear, having been Princes Bulbourne St Albans Walk 1 Bedfordshire to Risborough Misbourne Great Missenden filtered through the underlying chalk, making it Hitchin in . ideal for drinking. M40 Amersham Hughenden River Misbourne We take our water from the Stream Chess same source that feeds chalk High Wye Hambleden Wycombe Little Missenden Amersham streams. Wallingford Brook Chalfont & Unfortunately Walk 2 Latimer Marlow AMERSHAM this has caused To A404 Little (Marylebone) problems for the M25 Chalfont Henley-on-Thames N Misbourne, which Goring River Thames has always flowed The Chilterns intermittently. Countryside Code A413 A355 Enjoy, care for and learn about the Chilterns Why do chalk streams Chalfont Respect countryside activities, such as farming and forestry St Giles flow intermittently? Keep to public rights of way Leave all gates as you find them Chalk streams are mostly fed from Walk 3 Please keep the route tidy and take your litter home groundwater rather than surface runoff. The To A412 Show respect to other users of the countryside underlying chalk soaks up water like a sponge. M25 Gerrards Canal Try and visit the Chilterns without using your car This water bearing rock is called an ‘aquifer’. Cross River Colne Please do not pick wildflowers Groundwater emerges from it as springs to feed the A40 Denham Support the local economy and buy local products and services stream. Since groundwater levels in the aquifer Golf Club To London fluctuate according to rainfall and season, chalk streams (Marylebone) You can download this, and other walk leaflets from our website www.chilternsaonb.org are naturally intermittent in their flow. Denham For further information contact the Chilterns AONB Office, M40 During the winter months when rainfall is able to percolate The Lodge, 90 Station Road, Chinnor, Oxon, OX39 4HA Tel: 01844 355500 Fax: 01844 355501 E-mail: [email protected] through the chalk, the aquifer will be well topped up. The head Walk 1 (3 miles/5km) of the stream moves up the valley as the water table rises. In summer, rainfall does not percolate into the chalk as it is taken up by Walk 2 (4¾ miles/7½ km) plants and lost through evaporation. The water table drops and the head of the stream CONSERVATION BOARD moves down the valley, leaving the top section of the stream dry. This top section is called a Walk 3 (10 miles/15km or 6 miles/10km) 'winterbourne', because it only flows after the winter rains.

Produced by the Chilterns Conservation Board Illustrations by Richard Allen

www.chilternsaonb.org An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Walk 2: Traditional Chiltern industries A 4¾-mile (7½ km) circular walk through Little Missenden Allow about 2 ½ hours walking time

The start Either start at Shardeloes (Start 1) or in Little Missenden (Start 2)

By car: For Shardeloes come off the A413 at the roundabout north west of Amersham Old Town, and take the exit signposted to Shardeloes. Go down the hill and park in the lay-by on the right. You will see the South Bucks Way signpost next to the post box. Walk into the Amersham Club and follow the map.

Manor House & For Start 2 in Little Missenden, park near the Church of St John the Church of St John Baptist. Turn left out of the church and then right up the lane the Baptist Mill House opposite the Manor House. After the last house, take Shardeloes Lake, showing some of the many birds you can see PH the footpath into the field on the left and walk 3 P PH up the hill past the lone tree. Interest points 2 3 LITTLE Numbered anti-clockwise from Shardeloes Little Missenden remains a true English village with a church, manor house, pubs, farms Start 2 and cottages. Before reaching the church, you will pass a Jacobean Manor House on the right. MISSENDEN A 413 th South 1 You are in Shardeloes parkland, which was laid out by Humphrey Repton in 1793. The The Church of St is famous for its 13 century wall paintings that were only Bucks lake is the home of many types of water fowl and a good place to do some bird watching. uncovered in 1931. Little Missenden may once have supported cottage industries such as Way straw plaiting and lace making. Shardeloes House was designed by Stiff Leadbetter and finished Todd’s AMERSHAM Wood OLD TOWN in1766. The house and stable block were converted to multiple 4 The Chilterns was home to traditional woodland industries in the 19th and early 20th Shardeloes residences in the 1960s. Lake century. Woodlands like this one were once used by bodgers, highly skilled Chiltern craftsmen Shardeloes turning chair legs, tent pegs and wheel-spokes on pole-lathes. The legs they “mead from split High Wood House P Start 1 1 2 On reaching the road at Little Missenden, turn right to ‘ood” were best, because those made from the sound wood “ull break as soon as look at ye.” s Lane Top of take a look at Little Missenden Mill House a little way up on oby’ the Hill T the left. There is evidence that the Misbourne used to have Bodgers had an almost nomadic existence moving between plantations and managing the trees about 11 water mills, though none remain in working order. to ensure a continuous supply. The furniture industry in High Wycombe took off at that time. 5 This mill house was called Sibley's Mill and its chimney However, with mechanisation, the bodgers' skills became redundant and dwindled after World still remains although it is a private house. War I. Farm

N In addition to milling, there was a productive watercress 5 Farming is one industry that still remains; though increased mechanisation means that it 4 and fish industry along the Misbourne. With the coming of now employs fewer people. With about three quarters of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding El. Sub Stn 1km 1mile the railway in 1892, fresh produce could be taken to Natural Beauty in agriculture, farming has a huge influence on our landscape and wildlife. Refreshments London. Both industries no longer exist. The Red Lion & The Crown Walk route (please note that this route is not waymarked) Mill House, Little Missenden pubs at Little Missenden Other public rights of way

Interest points 4 There are two parts to Amersham; the Old Town in the Misbourne Valley and newer Walk 3: 'Paradise Regained' Numbered anti-clockwise from Chalfont St Peter Amersham-on-the-Hill. The Old Town's High Street is one of the most delightful streets in the Chilterns with many fine frontages and a number of old coaching inns such as the King's A 10 mile (15km) circular walk visiting Milton's Cottage, with a 1 This section of the Misbourne sits above the water Arms. Dominating the old town is the Parish Church of St Mary's and the charming Market shorter 6 mile (10km) option table and is called a ‘perched’ section. This makes it more Hall built for the town by the Drake family in 1682. prone to drying up. 5 The route now climbs over the rolling Chiltern Allow about 5 hours walking time for the long route and 3½ hours for the short route Hills, through woods and farmland. Follow the map 2 sheltered and his carefully between Upper Bottom House Farm and Start from either Chalfont St Peter (Start 1) or Amersham Old Town (Start 2) family from the Plague in 1665. Milton’s Cottage is now Chalfont St Peter as there are several footpath The shorter route starts in Old Amersham (Start 2) and goes anti-clockwise. a museum and it is where he finished Paradise Lost and junctions. started Paradise Regained. The house is open between

The start March and October, call 01494 872313 for more information. Milton’s Cottage 6 The infamous Judge Jeffreys, nicknamed the (Start 1) Chalfont St Peter. By car: Turn off the A413 into the Chalfont St Peter Community 3 Chalk streams are indeed paradise regained for much wildlife. Stop at Chalfont Mill Hanging Judge, is reputed to have held court at the Centre and Football Club. Parking is available in the Community Centre car park or by the (disused) to look at the river. The clean gravelly bed is home to brown trout and many Greyhound Inn at Chalfont St Peter during the 1680s. playing fields behind the centre. Walk along the lane past the tennis club. invertebrates. The surrounding meadows attract marshland bird species such as snipe and teal. Plants such as mint, sedge, water crowfoot and water forget-me-not are returning to the river. (Start 2) Amersham Old Town. By train: Take the of Market Hall, Amersham

or Chiltern Railway to Amersham. You will need to walk down from Amersham-on-the-Hill to the Old Town adding about 2 miles Amersham-on-the-Hill to the total distance. Station A 413 By car: You can park in the Pay and Display Car Park Misbourne River N at the end of the High Street or on the High Street. ay Bucks W South Chalfont 1km 1mile Mill 3 Refreshments Tesco Chalfont St Peter, Chalfont St Giles and Amersham 5 St Mary’s Ch 4 P 1 River Misbourne Start 1 Market Hall Milton’s 2 South Cottage Bucks Way OLD Rodger’s Wood CHALFONT Start 2 LITTLE Upper Bottom CHALFONT AMERSHAM Fox’s House Farm ST. PETER Outdoor MISSENDEN ST. GILES

Tennis 6 Turn left here Windmill Club Walk route Farm for shorter loop P Community (please note that this route Centre is not waymarked) Course Other public rights of way Water vole Golf