Commons Country Walk 3 Dots Print .Cdr
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Natural Outstanding of Area an Weir below Latimer House House Latimer below Weir © Photographs kindly provided by Colin Drake Colin by provided kindly Photographs from volunteers. from funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund and help help and Fund Lottery Heritage the by funding Commons Project. The Project benefits from from benefits Project The Project. Commons Conservation Board as part of the Chilterns Chilterns the of part as Board Conservation This leaflet has been produced by the Chilterns Chilterns the by produced been has leaflet This www.chilternsaonb.org/commons Learn more about Chilterns commons at at commons Chilterns about more Learn obtain Chiltern Society footpath maps or to join the Society. Society. the join to or maps footpath Society Chiltern obtain information on the Chiltern Society's walk programme, to to programme, walk Society's Chiltern the on information www.chilternsociety.org.uk or call 01494 771250 for for 771250 01494 call or Visit • • Chilterns Country walks. Country Chilterns www.chilternsaonb.org or call 01844 355500 for other other for 355500 01844 call or Visit • • There are many other wonderful walks in the Chilterns: the in walks wonderful other many are There into this walk this into By car: car: By There is a car park at Chalfont & Latimer station Latimer & Chalfont at park car a is There A section of The Chess Valley Walk has been integrated integrated been has Walk Valley Chess The of section A www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk 0871 200 2233 or visit visit or 2233 200 0871 Green veined white butterfly white veined Green dogs into the river the into dogs Little Chalfont, Chesham, Amersham, and Latimer. Call Call Latimer. and Amersham, Chesham, Chalfont, Little livestock and do not allow not do and livestock By bus: bus: By Bus 71, operated by Carousel Buses, runs between between runs Buses, Carousel by operated 71, Bus • • Keep dogs on leads near leads on dogs Keep www.tfl.gov.uk/tube www.tfl.gov.uk/tube find them find www.chilternrailways.co.uk www.chilternrailways.co.uk 600 5165 or visit visit or 5165 600 or or and leave farm gates as you as gates farm leave and National Rail Enquiries 0845 0845 Enquiries Rail National Common blue butterfly blue Common Keep to public rights of way, of rights public to Keep • • from Chalfont & Latimer railway station railway Latimer & Chalfont from Metropolitan line. Call Call line. Metropolitan 10 and 16 mile circular walks circular mile 16 and 10 countryside and London Underground Underground London and Please be considerate in the the in considerate be Please served by Chiltern Railway Railway Chiltern by served By train: train: By The station is is station The walkers and non-mechanically propelled vehicles). propelled non-mechanically and walkers while enjoying extensive and varied views varied and extensive enjoying while ‘purple arrow’ Restricted Byway (horseriders, cyclists, cyclists, (horseriders, Byway Restricted arrow’ ‘purple www.traveline.info Discover Chiltern commons in these circular walks walks circular these in commons Chiltern Discover ‘red arrow' Byways (open to all traffic) all to (open Byways arrow' ‘red 200 2233 or visit visit or 2233 200 Chesham and Chipperfield and Chesham the starting point, call 0871 0871 call point, starting the walkers) Walks on commons between between commons on Walks anywhere in the country to to country the in anywhere 'blue arrow' Bridleways (horseriders, cyclists and and cyclists (horseriders, Bridleways arrow' 'blue public transport from from transport public 'yellow arrow' Footpaths (walkers only) (walkers Footpaths arrow' 'yellow station. To plan a journey by by journey a plan To station. Chalfont & Latimer railway railway Latimer & Chalfont These 10 and 16 mile circular walks start and finish at at finish and start walks circular mile 16 and 10 These way most of which are waymarked as follows: as waymarked are which of most way of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It mainly follows rights of of rights follows mainly It Beauty. Natural Outstanding of Chilterns Country Chilterns How to get to the start the to get to How This is one of a series of walks through the Chilterns Area Area Chilterns the through walks of series a of one is This Visitor information Points of interest J Pond at Commonwood. This small common with its B Take a break with a picnic on the commons and/or The River Chess The River Chess pond is a reminder that refreshments at a pub along the route. springs from Chesham and continues as water was an essential the River Colne to its confluence with common resource. Little Chalfont has many places to eat including Chinese, the Thames. The River Chess is reflected in Chesham's traditional pronunciation Indian and Italian restaurants. The 'Sugar Loaf' pub and the K Commonwood of 'Chess-um'. Pomeroy Inn both serve food. Common. An attractive wood crossed by well- C Weirhouse Mill. This is the most There are numerous pubs on the second half of the walk (ie trodden paths. The complete and well preserved mill on the the Eastern circular walk). Pub names have been common is in three river. Besides corn milling, it was also in the Route Description. sections separated by highlighted used for the manufacture of paper. country lanes and River Chess provides a natural For details of places to stay, visitor attractions and other D Canons' Mill. The site of a Saxon habitat for a variety of plants and wildlife. Commonwood walks, contact the Tourist Information Office in Chesham corn mill referred to in the Domesday Book. It was last worked Town Hall (01494 774842) or see www.visitchilterns.co.uk House, built in 1932 in a mock Tudor style, faces the common. in 1937 and was demolished around 1960. Parts of the exterior are redbrick and timber framed with other parts having a rendered textured finish. The roof has E Chesham Moor. The Moor (an old English name for several peaks which are likened to that of a Gambrel shape. marsh) is actually a large island. It was created in the 10th Points of interest century by Lady Elgiva who diverted the River Chess. L Sarratt. The village of Sarratt is surrounded by open Historically, the floodplain meadows provided lush grazing for fields and bordered to the south by the River Chess. Sarratt livestock. Today the moor is a common. The following points of interest can be found on the walks. dates from about AD 700 and has been used as a location in See map for locations. several television and film productions. F Big Round Green. This little common is well placed on local bridleways to provide a place to stop shelter and enjoy A M Dawes Common. An attractive 12 acre wood crossed by Latimer. The village is made up of a number of 17th and the seclusion. 18th century houses around a village green. Latimer House well-trodden paths, the common is a small but diverse wood, with oak, birch, cherry, hornbeam and rowan. Several open (Place) was built in 1863 after the original Elizabethan house G Ley Hill Common. The old clay quarries in the woodland was destroyed by fire. Once the seat of the Cavendish family, it areas with grass, bracken and remnant gorse remain and are are evidence of the local brick making industry. The common managed for their flora and insect interest. was the home of the National Defence College from 1847 to is home to the village cricket pitch and golf course and is a 1971. During World War II the house became an interrogation wonderful mix of ancient grassland and recent deciduous centre for senior prisoners of war, including Rudolf Hess. It is N Watercress Beds. woodland abundant with bluebells in spring and with varied Watercress is one of the now the Latimer Place conference centre and hotel. Below the native wild plants, flowers and fungi throughout the year. house is Latimer Park Farm which was the site of a Roman farm oldest green vegetables known to man. The River villa in the 1st century. H Flaunden. Flaunden sits high on a gentle slope looking Chess, with its clean mineral- down towards the valley of the River Chess. Old Flaunden was rich spring water, is ideal for on the banks of the River Chess in Buckinghamshire but owing producing this wonderful to constant flooding was moved up the hill into Hertfordshire superfood once a major in the early 19th century. Flaunden has two pubs, The industry in the Chilterns. Bricklayers Arms and The Green Dragon. O Frogmore Meadows. A I Chipperfield Common. This common was once heath Nature Reserve and Site of land, but since grazing stopped here in the 1930's, it has Special Scientific Interest, this become mostly secondary woodland. It contains two early is a small meadow haven, Bronze Age burial mounds, five ponds and eight sweet untainted by fertilisers and chestnut trees that date from the 1600's. pesticides, where wildflowers and water voles abound. Latimer House Watercress beds an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Natural Outstanding of Area an Weir below Latimer House House Latimer below Weir © Photographs kindly provided by Colin Drake Colin by provided kindly Photographs from volunteers. from funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund and help help and Fund Lottery Heritage the by funding Commons Project. The Project benefits from from benefits Project The Project. Commons Conservation Board as part of the Chilterns Chilterns the of part as Board Conservation This leaflet has been produced by the Chilterns Chilterns the by produced been has leaflet This www.chilternsaonb.org/commons Learn more about Chilterns commons at at commons Chilterns about more Learn obtain Chiltern Society footpath maps or to join the Society.