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I did this 11.1 mile circular walk on Monday, 5th April 2010 (Easter Monday). Click here to see a map of the walk (but only if you have already read my disclaimer and notes regarding maps).
There is quite a large area of the Chilterns to the northeast of West Wycombe that I've hardly explored at all - no long-distance paths go through the area, and only a couple of my walks have touched on it (going through Bradenham and Downley). I've often thought about walking there, but what has previously put me off is that on the map it looks to be fairly heavily built-up, with several large villages and not too much countryside in between. However I finally managed to find a route (admittedly slightly shorter than usual) that avoids spending too much time in built-up areas, and so for the first time in a long while I set off on a walk in the Chilterns which would be almost entirely new to me.
I started out from the car park at West Wycombe about 9.30am, making my way around the foot of West Wycombe Hill and passing the entrance to the Hell Fire Caves. I turned left along Church Lane for a few yards then took a footpath beside the lane, which soon turned half-right across a very large arable field, descending towards the road from Princes Risborough that I'd just driven on. The path continued on the other side of the road, crossing a smaller arable field, then crossed a railway line and entered Kit's Wood. It was quite steep at first, passing close to the edge of the wood on my right, then levelling out and bearing left (northwards). At one point I was startled by a Buzzard flying off from a tree very close to me, and a bit later I saw a Red Kite flying just over the tree tops.
The path from West Wycombe, looking ahead across the road and railway line towards Kit's Wood
Near the start of the path through Kit's Wood
The path through Kit's Wood
After about half a mile of walking through the wood, I turned right at a path crossroads. I soon had some pastures by Bradenham Hill Farm on my left .I turned left at a junction, and soon crossed a bridleway I'd walked a few weeks ago. A little further on I reached a junction in the woods (now Naphill Common) where I turned right onto a bridleway, soon forking left by an algae-covered pond. A little further on I spotted a male Muntjac deer, which stood stock still while I took my camera out and photographed it.
After turning right in Kit's Wood, the path besides the pastures of Bradenham Hill Farm
Start of the bridleway through Naphill Common
The bridleway through Naphill Common
The bridleway took me into the northern end of the large village of Naphill. I turned left and then after about a hundred yards took a lane on the right, which appeared to be the boundary between Naphill and the adjoining village of Walter's Ash. The lane went downhill, and just past the edge of the built-up area I took a path going half-left across a field to Courns Wood. I soon reached a path crossroads in the wood, where I turned right but then immediately forked left. I reached a junction that was not shown on my map, but yellow arrows on the trees clearly showed that the right fork was the public footpath. I was soon descending quite steeply and exited the wood at a stile.
The path from Naphill, approaching Courns Wood
The path through Courns Wood
The path through Courns Wood, as it is about to descend
There was now a good view along the valley to my right. The path continued ahead, alongside a broad and well-trimmed hedge, then turned left along the valley bottom. Beyond a large pasture, I reached another path junction where I turned half-right. The new path initially ran between a hedgerow and a small wood on my right, steadily going uphill. The path then followed a hedgerow curving right as I reached the edge of the village of Speen.
Looking east from the edge of Courns Wood, towards Upper North Dean
The path along the valley bottom, on the way to Speen
The path to Speen
View of Flowers Bottom from the path to Speen
Approaching Speen
Close-up shot of the view south-east from Speen
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