Wendover Circular via The Lee and Swan Bottom walk
Along the Ridgeway through the Chiltern Hills and through many splendid woodlands, a conservation village and idyllic Lee Common
Length |
20.0 km (12.4 mi) with 401m ascent/descent. For a shorter walk or an Alternative Ending see below Walk Options. |
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Toughness |
5 out of 10, with 4 hours 45 minutes walking time. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow at least 7 ½ hours. |
Walk Notes |
This walk combines some of the finest elements of the Chiltern Hills, while having very little overlap with other walks in the area. After leaving Wendover in a south easterly direction on the Ridgeway the walk rises into woods, which are rich in Bluebells in springtime. It then passes along fields to get to the picturesque green in The Lee, a conservation area village. From there it continues through woodland and the beautiful Lee Common to a 16th century lunch pub at Swan Bottom. After crossing some more fields, the afternoon section then leads entirely through woods right up to the outskirts of Wendover: it re-joins the Ridgeway for a while and then descends steeply off the escarpment down an ancient Holloway. Only to rise again, on forest tracks with some magnificent panoramic views , until getting to the highest point of the walk in the middle of Wendover Woods. From there the route to Wendover meanders through the woods, passing a wildlife hide and an ancient hill-fort site, before descending steeply to the plains. |
Walk Options |
Shortcuts: It is possible to shorten the walk in three ways, shortcuts II and III are mutually exclusive;
Alternative Ending: You may vary the afternoon of the walk and finish in Great Missenden (adds 1.4 km). |
Maps | OS Explorer: 181 (Chiltern Hills North) and 172 (Chiltern Hills East; only for the Great Missenden ending)
OS Landranger: 165 (Aylesbury & Leighton Buzzard) |
Travel |
Wendover Station, map reference SP 865 077, 7 km south east of Aylesbury and 131m above sea level. Great Missenden Station, map reference SP 892 013, 8 km north west of Amersham and 135m above sea level. Both are in Buckinghamshire. Trains go from Marylebone station, on a half-hourly service (hourly on Sundays), journey time 48 minutes. There is a large car park at the station. Great Missenden (an alternative ending) is on the same line, one stop closer to London. Saturday Walkers' Club: Take the train closest to 9.30 hours if intending to eat at the Old Swan, halfway into the full walk; or the train closest to 10.30 hours if intending to eat at the Cock & Rabbit or if taking Shortcut I. |
Lunch |
The Cock and Rabbit Inn/Graziemille Restaurant, The Lee, Buckinghamshire, HP16 9LZ (01494 837 540). Food served all day Fri-Sat and 12.00-14.30 and 18.00-23.00 Tue-Thu and Sun. Located 7.3 km (4.6 mi) from the start of the walk, this pub cum Italian Restaurant has been under its current management since the mid-80s.
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Tea |
Wendover Ending
Great Missenden Ending
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Profile | |
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Help Us! |
After the walk, please leave a comment, it really helps. Thanks! You can also upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are: |
By Train |
Out (not a train station) Back (not a train station) |
By Car |
Start HP22 6BN Map Directions |
Amazon | |
Help |
National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234 |
Version |
May-22 Thomas G |
Copyright | © Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml |
Walk Directions
Full directions for this walk are in a PDF file (link above) which you can print, or download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone.
This is just the introduction. This walk's detailed directions are in a PDF available from wwww.walkingclub.org.uk