Tuesday June 13, 2006

A walk in the Chilterns

Did a walk on Sunday that we last did last winter around three pretty villages in the Chilterns. We started at Turville went onto Fingest, Skirmnett before finally returning to the start. At Turville is a pretty windmill on the top of a hill.

The walk takes you on the path up to the mill but we do not go to its summit thank goodness. We followed a very dry and chalky path across a field before going into woods for some much needed shelter from the sun. Above us were the first pair of Red Kites we saw that day. Once in the wooded area we saw Elderflower in flower and the florets can be used to make a very nice home made wine. We then past Fingest's unusual twin gabled tower and past its pub The Chequers. We went in for lunch and I had a very nice ham and cheese ploughmans. Now refreshed we had the first of two climbs to do after leaving the pub. Again as we were following the side of a wood we had excellent shelter from the sun. Behind us we could see the village growing ever smaller as we climbed.

We entered the woods and after a bit a right hand turn had us follow another path on down into Skirmett. Above us a second pair of Red Kites had been disturbed by walkers in front of us. We soon saw they had been foraging on the fresh remains of a rabbit. At this stage my hay fever had not been too bad but somemhing in the fields here triggered off my eyes which is the worst aspect of the allergy. By the time we got the the Frog I had started rubbing them and anyone who gets hayfever will know what happens next. We took a break in the pub and then strolled through the village before turning left and climbing again up another hill and into woods. After leaving the woods we followed a field and a rather tangled mass of gas pipes hidden in trees. Before we returned to Turville we followed this hedged lined path for a while.

With bright red smarting eyes I went into the shelter of air conditioned car and we drove home. One of our favourite walks in the area spoiled near the end by the hay fever.