Pete's Walks - Coombe Hill and the Hampdens (part 1)

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I did this walk on Wednesday 18th March 2009. It's a walk in one of my favourite areas of the Chiltern Hills, and in fact it is a slight extension of Walk 12 of my Chiltern Chain Walk (the extension being a long steady descent of Bacombe Hill towards Wendover and then a re-ascent over the same hill on an almost parallel path to Coombe Hill). With or without the extension, this makes for an excellent walk, one of my very favourite walks in the Chilterns.

The walk starts at the car park for Coombe Hill, and initially follows the Ridgeway national trail for a few miles, heading southwest past Chequers towards Whiteleaf Hill.

Path through woods near Coombe Hill

 

Lesser Celandine - the wildflowers are gradually emerging at last!

 

Chequers (the Prime Minister's country residence) with Coombe Hill beyond

 

Coltsfoot - another early Spring flower

 

Path near Chequers

 

 

A hazy view over the Vale of Aylesbury

 

Heading towards Cadsdean and Whiteleaf Hill

 

Path up Whiteleaf Hill

 

Path near the top of Whiteleaf Hill

 

Neolithic burial mound, on top of Whiteleaf Hill

 

Another hazy view, from Whiteleaf Hill looking over Princes Risborough

 

From Whiteleaf Hill I followed paths to Parslow's Hillock, and continued on to Hampden Common.

 

Looking back along the path to Parslow's Hillock

 

Path through Monkton Wood, heading towards Hampden Common

 

From Hampden Common I continued to Great Hampden, passing the church and Hampden House, and then walked through Lady Hampden's Wood down into the large valley of Hampden Bottom.

 

Approaching the church at Great Hampden

 

 

The valley of Hampden Bottom

 

Part 2 of this walk

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