Hambleden countryside

Start: Hambleden Village Store and Post Office (RG9 6RT) Grid ref. SU 783 865

(S/E) With your back to the Post Office, walk straight, Eastward past the church towards the Stag and Huntsman Pub. (Alternative start). Turn right just past the pub to enter its car park. Walk through the car park and as you go past the straight at the far end of it, go through the gate and turn left following the Chiltern Way waymarker. Walk uphill toward the trees.

(1) Walk through the hedge to reach a lane where you turn right. (South) At the Y-junction with the gate, turn left up the hill following the Chiltern Way walk waymarker. On the way, do not forget to enjoy views of the countryside looking backward before you enter the woodlands and carry on up.

(2) At the junction keep straight (as the side paths are both private land) and carry along the Chilterns Way towards a gate. Go through it to access the open field (please stay on the track and dogs must be on a lead). At the junction, keep straight East until you reach a lane after going through a wooden stile.

Turn left along the lane to walk past "Rotten Row Farm" and a nice little pond on your right. As the lane curves left, keep straight (North-East) past "Hollytree Cottages" to walk through a wooden gate. Always keep straight across the crops until you enter a wood via a gate and reach a Lane. On the way, you will also have to go through a gate. Please stick to the track.

(3) Turn right down the lane. (South-East). As you walk along, keep an eye out for the public footpath sign left (160m) as it is easy to miss! Walk downhill into the woodland. Be careful as here it can be quite slippery as it is quite steep. As you encounter side paths, always keep straight on until you reach a T-junction with a farm track.

(4) Turn left here and keep walking Northward. At the next Y-junction, keep straight (right hand) and straight again at the next junction. Here look at the map as here you should no cross the stile in from of you.

(5) Take the path uphill left. Do not be tempted to go straight ahead at the stile and track. Instead, handrail wooden posts uphill. (South-West). At the junction with a track keep straight ahead and the next one keep straight (right hand) again until you reach a 4-ways junction.

(6) Turn right here to walk out of the woods and reach a track which you cross straight to go through the edge and reach crops. Walk across it North-Westward. On the way, keep straight with the edge on your left-hand until you enter the woods following the footpath sign. You are now handrailing a fence left. Walk in the same bearing as you cross a wooden stile to reach the field, out of the woods.

(7) Handrail the edge on your right hand as you walk Westward. Keep across the field as you walk away from the woods and straight across the stile into the edge and lane. Here dogleg right along the lane and straight away left through the stile into the woods opposite. At the Y-junction, where there is a waymarker, turn right to cross the stile, out of the wood into the field. Be careful as it is easy to miss!

Walk Northward toward the house, cross the stile to reach the outskirts of the house where you keep straight, and cross another stile to reach Parmoor Lane. Turn left here to walk towards the houses. At the Y-road junction, keep North-West (right). Then at the next T-junction keep right along the lane.

(8) As the road curves right, turn left following the footpath sign. Walk westward and keep handrailing the edge right to enter the trees along the footpath. You are now walking downhill.

(9) Keep downhill as the path turns right then at the 4-way junction turn left. Keep walking downhill either way until you walk down some steps to reach a lane. The path will steepen so be careful when it is quite muddy. Turn left here along the lane. At the road junction, turn right downhill and keep along the lane as it curves left.

(10) : Just past the last houses find a footpath right into the edge to reach a field. Be careful as it is easy to miss! Then take the wooden kissing gate left at the bottom. Walk South to go through another kissing gate into the trees then straight ahead across an iron gate.

(11) Ignore the path on the left and keep ahead further into the other field. Be careful as you go along and seek a kissing gate into the edge on your left to reach the lane.

(12) Turn right to walk along the lane, past the church on your right and back to the start. (S/E)

Start: Hambleden Village Store and Post Office (RG9 6RT) Grid ref. SU 783 865

Parking : At the rear of the Stag and Huntsman Pub (RG9 6RP), pay and display car park.

Accommodation : Stag and Huntsman Pub (RG9 6RP)

Please follow the Countryside code of conduct so we can keep the right to roam.

This walk has been co-created with Wendy from the Round Reading Walk blog.