Monday November 20, 2006

A closer look at Fingest

After a very wet Friday where we had very heavy rain and it got dark by three PM so we had to be careful where we choose to walk. On Saturday it was a nice sunny day with hardly a cloud in the sky as we set off off the Chilterns to do a walk I have written about before here and here .

We set off from the pretty village Turville and went up a path with its famous Windmill to the left of us. The path then divided a narrow strip of woods and then came out into an open field. This was then crossed and we came out into Fingest. It has an unusual twin gabled tower and the church dates back to the 1200's.

This time we went inside and took a look around. A brass plaque on the wall lists the vicars the church has had over the years. By the entrance are two other plaques that listed the generosity of two people the first who's property was sold and the rent was divided up to the poor of Fingest yearly and the second person who left a yearly sum to the widows and poor of the village. Opposite the church is the Chequers pub where we had lunch. We then left the village by a long fairly steep hill that follows the line of woods on the right. Here the leaves were falling off the trees like confetti.

You enter the woods and pass through them leaving them briefly and then re-entering them to now follow what becomes a sunken path down towards Skirmett. A quick pit stop at its well known pub The Frog and we were climbing again with a view of the Turville Windmill, Skirmett and Fingest around us. This climbing path never seems to end but it does and then its downhill again over several fields back to Turville. We never saw the deer that other walkers told us about it seems there was a stag and his wives wandering about. I imagine the number of walkers on this popular route had scared them off to quieter parts of the countryside.

On the Sunday there had been a sharp frost but it was going to be another clear day. This time we started our walk at Hurley the route taking us to Marlow also on the Thames and back again. We left Hurley passing beside its AD1135 Ye Olde Bell pub and then between gardens before passing a caravan park. A field nearby had two Llamas in it - I don't know why people keep them. We reached the river and crossed it by way of a recent bridge which meant the Thames Path is now complete I think. A ferry used to take people across the river but the service had been suspended many years ago. We went passed Temple Lock and then turned away from the river to follow a pleasant path parallel with the river. Eventually we reached Marlow and had a pleasant lunch in the hidden away pub The Two Brewers. After this we followed the riverside path all the way to Hurley. Before leaving Marlow I took this shot..

On the way back to Hurley on the opposite bank we saw Bisham Abbey - twelfth century, Temple Lock again and then after crossing a bridge to jump on Hurley lock island one more bridge had us back in the car park. A nice five mile walk.