The Ridgeway is a National Trail which runs through the Chilterns and West of the Thames. We planned to walk it over two weekends, splitting into two sections roughly 44 miles each. This first weekend we started at the Eastern end (Ivinghoe Beacon) on Saturday morning, aiming to reach Streatley by Sunday evening.
To be sure of an early start, we decamped to Aldbury on Friday night and stayed in the excellent Greyhound Inn. After a fine evening meal, pleasant sleep and hearty breakfast, we headed out to Ivinghoe.
Of course, the early start was planned weeks ago and by the time Saturday came around we'd forgotten all about it. So it was 11:00 and we had 26 miles to walk before bedtime.
The sun was hammering down in unwonted fashion, and we were dangerously short of water but the sepctacular countryside and cloudless sky promised a good day's walking.
The trail starts in ridgey fashion, but the hills are not extravagant. The Chilterns is an AONB where lush green fields, cool forests and pleasant villages are the order of the day. We started in an ambling fashion, still forgetting the original plan and reached Wiggington just before 13:00.
Here we had a Council of War to decide whether to stray from the path into the town to top up our water reserves. We checked the map, calculated the remaining distance and realised we'd made a mistake... If we continued at the same rate, we'd be lucky to see our lodgings by 21:30.
Brave, flexible souls we are and so we formed an alternative plan. We slogged on through the blazing heat and glorious countryside, parched and muttering delirously, until Wendover where we caught one of the local privately-run trains (frequent, clean and reliable so obviously not a national concern) to Princes Risborough.
The railroad cut six miles of walking out of the journey and saved us a couple of hours. We'd eaten our lunch on the train and stocked up with water, so from Risborough onwards we were much chirpier.
The route continued among scenery reminiscent of the South Downs and in the cooling evening it made very pleasant walking. Between us we were suffering from sore legs and blistered toes, the toll for lack of recent distance practice, and we were unexpectedly pleased to pass under the M40 - making us just a mile from the Guest House at about 19:00.
Arrivingly shortly afterwards at Moorcourt Cottages in Lewknor, we received a very warm weclome from our hosts. We didn't stay long before heading back out for dinner - at "Ye Leathern Bottel" in the village. Another excellent dinner, a hobbling return to the bedroom and a sound sleep finished off the day.
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