Hansa Jadva-Patel writes: The sun was shining, the skies were blue, not a cloud to spoil the view, what a splendid day for 15 cheerful souls to enjoy the Chiltern rolling hills, peaceful woods, panoramic views and quaint little villages. The initial part of the walk took us north to Wheelers End then west to Cadmore End where we stopped at St Mary le Moor Church for our morning break and to peel off a few layers. We continued through some beautiful woods to Twigside Bottom and as the name suggests, we were in a valley so the only way out was up! It was our first ascent but the vibrant colours and fragrance of blossoming Blue Bells (photo 1), I’m sure, lessened the pain of the climb. Halfway up the hill, we stopped at an area marked out with stones and a plaque proclaimed that John Howard Jones, a former owner of Cholsey Grange Farm, had ‘Gone to Ground’. We stopped here very briefly to admire the breath-taking views across the valley to the opposite hills (photo 2). We continued to Ibstone where some of us enjoyed our lunch in the Common whilst others who were parched, headed straight to the pub! After lunch, we continued through undulating woodland paths before arriving into Turville, commonly recognised as ‘Dibley’, a fictional village in the ‘Vicar of Dibley’ sitcom. Some walkers took the opportunity to look inside the church where the vicar, Geraldine Grainger (played by Dawn French), kept her eccentric flock under control! On leaving Turville, we headed up the hill towards the windmill (photo 3), but the walkers sounded distraught, however, their sense of relief was worth it when they realised that it was a joke! We continued to Fingest, a small village surrounded by wooded rolling pasture and its distinctive 12th-century Norman church (St Bartholomew’s) known for its unique twin-gabled roof. Climbing out of Fingest was another endurance challenge. This did not dampen our spirits as the sun was still shining and we stopped half way up to catch our breaths back and to admire the beautiful views of the village below (photo 4 /5). We continued through some more fields (photo 6) and colourful woods (photos 7) with wild flowers before our final ascent into Lane End. Overall, an enjoyable walk with great company and for some new walkers, it was their first taste of the Chilterns, so let’s hope they were hooked on the Chiltern beauty!
