Jubilee Walks in the Hilltop Villages The Vale and Hawridge Mountain

Before and after the next stile notice Follow the path beside post and 8on the right the ramparts of Hawridge 10 rail fencing to a stile, leading into a Court (see overleaf). A little further on take large field called Pinnocks Leath with the spur to the right of the main path hedge and then barbed-wire fence on which leads to a stile. Beyond the stile your right. Continue straight on to a stile Hawridge continue for a short distance between a which leads onto Hawridge Lane (see Lane St. Mary’s brick building and a hedge, through which Walk No. 2). Turn left down this track, Church N the moat of Hawridge Court can be seen. which can be muddy. At the bottom a path 11 Emerge onto a tarmac driveway with St crosses. Turn left here over the stile. 9 Mary’s Church ahead (see overleaf) and 10 Follow the path which is along the Hawridge Court with its lych gate to the Hawridge parish boundary with Chartridge, right. 11 passing on the left a fenced thicket called The walk starts Court In the graveyard of St Mary’s are a ‘spring’ to reach the left corner of a strip from the car park 1 several graves of the Baldwin family, of trees. Keep these on your right as you of the Black Horse Inn. 9 important landowners in past centuries. pass through the narrow gap to the next Cross over the road from Retrace your steps past Hawridge field. This field and the next two, with the car park and take the 8 Court. After the stile turn right stiles between, are recorded on the tithe bridleway directly ahead. The along the main path. Take care map as White Malm, Long and Little Lince bridleway climbs gently passing a 5 as fields ahead may respectively. Management under a row of garages as it curves slightly 4 Cross over the stile and follow the contain highland cattle. Countryside Stewardship grant has round to the right before again path straight ahead up the left 6 resulted in a wide variety of spring and 14 straightening. At this point the walk edge of the paddock. Note the examples early summer wild flowers, which have passes over the parish boundary into Nut Hazel of medieval field terracing on your left as benefited from the grazing by highland Ashley Green. the path heads steeply uphill (see Cross cattle. The strip of woodland to the right, overleaf). On reaching the stile climb over Continue along this track until, at a known as Bottom Spring, is over a it and then up eleven steep steps leading sharp right-hand bend, turn left and kilometre long and is full of bluebells, 2 into a field beyond. This was one of take the footpath to the left of the gate and badgers, rabbits and squirrels. several open or common fields until the enter a field known as Long Malm. The 7 Enter a further field, Great Lince, early part of the 19th century. path runs up the edge of the field and over a stile by a decaying stump, alongside the wood known as Butchers 12 Turn right at the top of the steps and follow the path which heads towards Grove. There are views of Little Pressmore and follow the field edge to the the wood edge diagonally to the right. 15 Farm below in Hawridge Vale and over to corner. Cross a stile into a narrow field Butchers Continue along the edge of the wood, Chesham with Fullers Hill in the distance. known as the Slipes, with power lines known as Peppers Hill Plantation, until a 12 Grove overhead. Continue down this field Walk uphill and at the signpost turn signpost indicates the path enters the looking out for the stile in the right bottom right into the wood up a well-defined wood at a stile. Beyond the stile the path 3 primroses flourish here in the corner. Beyond the stile the path is path. Shortly, a track joins from the right. 3 almost immediately meets a well-defined spring. Arriving at a stile note the bounded by post and rail fence and hedge. Continue on, emerging at the corner of a track joining from the right. This is remains of an ancient hedge to the At the end of this field a stile beside a gate large field. Follow along the left hand edge Ramscote Lane, one of several old tracks left defining the woodland edge. leads to Vale Road. Turn left, and taking of this field bounded by the wood. The 2 in the parish. Follow it to the left. It soon Beyond the stile the path descends Ramscote care of traffic on this narrow and path continues straight on where the turns right and then immediately left. sometimes busy road, walk along about wood ends passing beneath a large steeply between paddocks and there Lane In the paddocks on the left, known 100m to return to the Black Horse Inn and isolated oak tree between two large fields. are views across Hawridge Vale. Re- enter Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards parish 13as White Hawridge Bottom, look car park. A short distance further on meet a by climbing over the stile at Nut Hazel Terraces out for ostriches. Here, if the lane 4hedge end-on, where a farm track Cross (see Beating the Bounds overleaf). 13 becomes very muddy, you may wish to crosses. Turn left along this track which deviate slightly off the lane into the woods To the right is the pumping station Black START cuts across the field towards woods. On 15 on the right. If you do this follow along (see overleaf). Go over the road Horse Inn reaching the wood, the path turns right 6 1 close to the edge of the wood, keeping the junction and take the path opposite which following the wood edge until, at a lane below you to the left, rejoining where heads up between a weatherworn brick signpost, it turns left into woodland the lane becomes passable. If it remains wall and hedge. A stile gives access to a comprising mainly cherry and beech 14 impassable, continue straight on, leaving field. The path continues more steeply trees. the wood onto a downhill path coming uphill following the hedge on the right. A Turn right where the path from the right. Turning left brings you The path continues slightly downhill. further field is reached from the next stile. running along the ridge crosses, 7 back to the bottom of Ramscote Lane. Violets, followed by bluebells and The path continues to the top of the hill, and continue through a large gap in the 5 Either route brings you to a stile by a gate. known in the past by locals as Hawridge hedge on a well defined track along the Mountain! Here skylarks can be heard crest of the hill. On the 19th century tithe map this field is called Broad Baulk. The overhead and swallows are often seen Note: Numbered sections refer to numbers on the map. Parts of this walk may be swooping in summer. path was an alternative route to Chesham before Vale Road was built in the 19th muddy at certain times of the year. Apart from one steep climb this walk is century (see overleaf). At the next hedge across undulating countryside but there are a number of stiles to be cross the stile into a smaller field and negotiated. Please leave all gates as you find them. Please keep dogs on a continue straight on. lead near cattle and sheep.