No need to go far from London to enjoy nature and some peace and quiet. With the beauty of the Chilterns accessible by tube, escaping the city has never been so easy! Get your Oyster card ready, and jump on the Metropolitan Line with me for a walk in the Chesham valley, between endless fields and forested areas. The perfect day out for a city dweller!
Having a friend leaving not too far from the Chilterns and the Chess Valley can be really handy when the weekend comes.
Me: “Hey, what are you up to this weekend?”
Friend: “Nothing really, why?”
Me: “Let’s go hiking!”
Friend: “Well, not feeling going anywhere really”
Me: “Fine, I’ll come your way then, you’ll show me around ;-)!”
And job done! A non-solo hike in the Chilterns planned effortlessly!
Disclaimer: Please note the above discussion is from my imagination only, and in no way I have dragged my friend (who is real by the way) to go on a hike with me near their place.
If you don’t have a friend leaving in the area don’t panic, I am here and I have got for you a detailed self-guided hike in the Chesham valley. You can download the map at the end of this article. So, let’s get into it.
Logistics for the Chesham Walk
- Distance: 14 miles (22.5 km)
- Ascent: 865 feet (263 m)
- Walking Estimate: 5 hours
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- How to get there: Metropolitan Line to Chesham, zone 9. You can access it using an Oyster card or contactless. Please note you can have a fast and “calling at all stations” train to Chesham, so please check before travelling.
- What to bring with you: Comfortable clothing and footwear, water (2L recommended), snack, lunch, the gaiter if it has been raining the days before, head cover, sunscreen and sunglasses if the weather is nice as you will be in the open most of the walk, identification, money for the public transport and the restaurant at the end (keep reading until the end, you are in for a surprise for the restaurant)
- Additional Information: There are no public toilets on this walk
Highlights of the Chesham Walk
- Chesham
- Chilterns AONB
- Chesham Valley
- The Lee village
Chesham Walk Description
It is quite a long walk, but if you are an experienced hiker or weekend walker, 14 miles should not scare you. Moreover, it is quite a decent flat walk, with one hill right at the end.
Chesham
Our walk starts and finishes in Chesham, a pretty market town in Buckinghamshire, with direct transport links to London, perfect for commuters. The first mention of Chesham dates from the mid-tenth century, but archaeological researches show human activity in the area around 8000 BC.
The town has expanded and a lot of new houses have been built to respond to the demand of commuters wanting to live away from the hustle and bustle of the city. A plus: the town centre is pedestrian!
Chesham & Lowndes Park
When you come out of Chesham Station take the second street on your left and go down to the High Street. Then turn left, and follow the High Street until the end. You will arrive at a very pretty clock tower. Standing in the middle of the market square since the eighteenth century, the clock tower was then demolished in 1965 and reconstructed in 1992.
At the Clock Tower, take Church Street and you arrive at St Mary’s Church. Built during the twelfth century, the Church has been through many changes and alterations during the fifteenth and seventeenth century.
Continue on Church Street and turn onto Bury Lane. You then enter the lovely Lowndes Park, with a pond, and people around feeding the ducks, while others are sitting on the benches drinking their takeaway coffee enjoying a sunny Sunday morning.
Lowndes Park to The Lee
Walk across the park until you reach Pednor Bottom, and then turn right. You get to a narrow path bordered by bushes. Follow it to the end, and you are in the countryside fields!
From there, follow the path of Herbert Hole. Depending on the weather the days before, it might get extremely muddy so bring a pair of gaiters and watch your steps. This section goes up gradually and it takes around 45 minutes to complete when slippery.
When you arrive at the crossroad (crosspatch?) with Little Hundridge Lane, take the path on your right-hand side. Follow this path until you arrive in Bellows Wood. The path then divides and you need to take the one on your left that goes through the woods.
Walk across the forested area of Ballinger Bottom until you reach the Lee.
The Lee to Cheddington Woods
Well, if you have a friend called Lee it is the moment or never to make all kinds of jokes: everything around here is called Lee Something …!
Joke apart, The Lee is among the prettiest village in England according to The Lady Magazine. When you enter the village Green, you are immediately immersed in this old fashion British village spirit. Well looked after, it feels the time has stopped at The Lee. The benches on the Green make it an ideal spot for a snack break. Alternatively, there is a pub on the western side of the Green.
Take the time to have a look around before going back on the road.
Then, continue straight after the green until you arrive at a farm with sheep eating … turnip! (Yes, that’s right )Turn right and continue walking along the farmlands.
You will soon arrive in a forested area called Lee Gate (promise this is the last reference to Lee). On the other side, you find at what seems to be a riding school, but with the shortest but cutest ponies I ever saw. Not too sure about riding on those ponies but they are so adorable that you want to give them a cuddle.
Continue past the riding school and you will find yourself in the woods. As it started raining we had to stop there for lunch to avoid being soaked, but of course, when doing this hike on a bright day, you might want to wait to be in the clearing just after the woods. If not, a log is always a good spot for lunch.
Related Content: What to eat on a day hike?
Back to Chesham … and the restaurant
After lunch, the walk is a mixture of fields and woodlands, passing by Cheddington Woods where you are welcome in different languages on a signpost. Continue straight and you will find yourself walking on a path at the bottom of a hill. In the end, you enter Ramscoat Woods and the Chesham valley.
From there, you are back in civilisation and the hike turns into a city walk. You are walking on pavement and crossing through residential areas until you get back to Chesham via Hill Top. The view between the houses is really worth a shot!
Walk down to the Station where we started and take Station Road to go the High Street. At the corner, you will find a Thai restaurant called Jasmine Thai Kitchen. Yes, you read me right: it’s a Thai restaurant!
Let’s make a change from the usual pub recommendation. This is not any Thai takeaway kind of place: the food is absolutely amazing! And when at the table next to you is a Thai family having their dinner, you know you are in the right place.
Bon appetit! ทานให้อร่อย!
Related Content: Best pub walks near London
Chesham Walk Map
Do you want to do this walk? Download the map by clicking on the button download below. To learn how to upload it on your navigation app on your phone, read my tutorial here.
Final Thoughts about the Chesham Walk
Whilst the Chess Valley walk from Chesham to Rickmansworth following the River Chess is a classic for London hikers, going the opposite way towards the Chilterns is less common but worth doing. Get out of the bitten (and populated) tracks with this Chesham circular walk!
And you, what is your favourite Chesham valley walk? Let me know in the comments below.
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