Monday February 06, 2006

Two walks from the Frog

As if I have not had enough birthday treats this year I had one more this weekend. We went to a pub we have been to twice before called the Frog at Skirmett in Buckinghamshire. To make a long weekend of it we stayed there Friday night as well as Saturday. Saturday morning we decided to have a nice lie in and therefore missing breakfast. As we had our cup of morning tea in our room horses in a field opposite the pub chased each other around playfully. Taking advantage of already being in the Chilterns we drove to nearby Hedgerley to do a circular walk to Gerrads Cross (and back). I think I am right in saying that Gerrads Cross is the the most expensive place to live in the UK. It is prime commuter country and very attractive too. So the start of the walk was at Hedgerley which was a place where bricks were made and clay pits can still be found around the village. The church is quite new built in 1852. We stopped by the White horse pub and popped in for lunch. It was one of those pubs with no cellar so all the beer barrels were behind the bar. Hanging from the ceiling were an odd assortment of copper ball cocks valves, all highly polished. We left the pub and headed up a hill towards the church.

We passed the church and eventually arrived at the pretty hamlet of Hedgerley Green where there were many small ponds. We followed a track and headed towards the M40 motorway. After crossing the motorway bridge we passed by Moat farm and saw in its garden a small pretty white dovecote. We passed through a small wood and then had a brief glipse of Bulstrode mansion before entering its large grounds (400 acres).

The first house here was built for Judge Jefferys. Later on it ended up being owned by the Duke of Portland and Somerset but this property was demolished to make way for the current mansion now used as a conference centre. The Dowager Duchess of Portland who lived here at the end of the 18th century seemed very keen on collecting objects. She was also known for entertaining many famous folks; King George II, David Garrick and Dr Johnson. The name Bulstrode comes from Norman times and the name of the family who owned these lands after the Normans came over here. The previous owners were not impressed when they lost their land and put up a fight using bulls. A bit of mediation took place and the previous owners known as Shobbington were able to retain the ownership of their land if they agreed to be chums of the King. The land was then renamed Shobbington Bulstrode. In the grounds were loads of horses. It was not clear if they were owned by one person or this land was used as common land. At the far side we left it and headed into the town of Gerrads Cross. At Gerrads Cross which takes its name from a local family name we had a stop, the place was busy in coaching times being on the A40, it was initially missed by the railways until the railway hit town and it has not looked back since. In the grounds were loads of horses. We had a light refreshment in a team shop by the railway. A Tesco superstore is being built here and in fact I remembered that a tunnel had been built over the railway track to provide land for the store. The tunnel collapsed during its construction and the line was closed until the mess was cleared up. It was said Tesco were at one point considering shelving plans for the store due to the bad publicity of the incident. We then left the town and headed back onto Bulstrode park but took a different route over the large grounds. We entered a large wood Church wood which has all three types of British woodpeckers. However the woods were silent and no hammering noises could be heard. We then left the wood and revisited the church of Hedgerley and returned to the car.

On Sunday we did a short walk straight from the pub that took us around the three pretty villages of Skirmett, Turville and Fingest. We started by the Frog as the walk passes the pub on its route. We headed up a steep hill passing early snowdrops on the ground. As we climbed we could see Turville's pretty windmill in the distance. In fact during most of the walk it acts as a useful landmark. The first place we got too was Turville. The pretty windmill was used in Chitty Chitty bang bang! film and the pub used in Midsomer murders that is the Bull and Butcher. The pub was around in the 1700's and the name is meant to come from Bull , Anne Boleyn and Butcher , Henry VIII.

We left the village and headed up the hill that leads to the windmill, however soon we turned right and headed across a field. To our left in the distance three Red Kite birds flew in formation looking for food. We soon reached the next village that is Fingest with its unusual twin gabled tower.

Next we passed the village pub, the Chequers and headed up our second hill; by our right was a small wood. Looking back there were wonderful views of the village and of course the windmill. We passed across a field and then entered Adams wood. This name was given in memory of the craftsmen and craftwomen who worked in nearby Freith between 1869 and 1940 at a place that made church furniture and carving. Leaving the wood we took a sunken path back to Skirmett and the Frog.

So getting old is not so bad after all.