Walking the Ridgeway, by Anthony Burton

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Watlington Hill Road to Wendover (17 miles, 27km)

The next part of the route runs along the foot of the hills for a change, a more or less straight track through farmland, and eventually arrives at the M40. The motorway drives through the hills in a deep, chalky cutting, but the Ridgeway trail leads walkers safely through an underpass. It emerges beside Beacon Hill and the Aston Rowant Nature Reserve, home to the rare Chiltern gentian and the very local Chalkhill Blue butterfly. The path crosses over the A 40, now quite peaceful after the arrival of the motorway. As the noise of traffic recedes, the walk becomes much more pleasant, along a bridleway enclosed by trees. Should you happen to hear thundering hooves, then you have probably arrived on one of the rare race days at Kingston racecourse. Up ahead, the view is dominated by the tall chimney of Chinnor cement works, and you soon find out why it was built just here. The path runs past a series of old chalk pits, now mainly flooded and looking quite exotic, the chalk turning the water to a turquoise blue, the sort of colour that makes you think of tropical islands not English hills. And hills and woodland now begin to dominate the walk. It makes for a rich and varied section, sometimes enclosed by trees, then opening out to fine views out over the Oxfordshire plain.

The route heads down past a golf course for the railway, which for once is still running. It is part of the last main line to be built in Britain, the Great Central Railway, and here it dives down through a deep cutting to the short Saunderton tunnel. The route skirts the edge of Princes Risborough, before heading for another attractive area of wooded hills, to take a path that meanders through the trees to emerge at the Boer War monument on Combe Hill. This is a splendid viewpoint and a panorama points out the places of interest that you can see – though for some of them you might need the help of rather good binoculars and a very clear day.

View of Chequers, near Combe Hill. © Bonza TV Ltd.

Having enjoyed the view, it is time to head downhill once again and follow the track into Wendover.

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