More Chiltern Way adventures

We’d reached the part of the Chiltern Way that was furthest from Wycombe. This meant that the bus journeys to our starting point and from our endpoint were longer and more complicated, and Ian spent a lot of time poring over timetables and working out the best possible routes.

Monday 20 July: This was a case in point!  We needed to get back to Wigginton, where we ended our previous walk.  We found that there was a bus to Wigginton from Chesham, but it left at 9 am, so we had to get up early and catch the 7.45 bus to Chesham.   But at Chesham there was no sign of the Wigginton bus, and on checking the timetable we found that it ran only on Wednesdays!!!   So we had to get a taxi.  Luckily Ian spotted the CW sign and we were dropped off at just the right place.

The walk was pleasant – a few ups and downs, but not too tough.   We crossed the Grand Union Canal at the improbably-named village of Cow Roast.   We saw some alpacas in a field.   As we were approaching Aldbury we found a bench – rather rough, but good enough for coffee, and there were great views.  Later we walked through a field where the corn was green one side, golden on the other.  We passed a pub which we knew would be closed (we’d checked online) – they were not opening till the following Monday.

At Studham we did a slight detour off the path to visit the church, and eat lunch on a bench outside.  Inside there was an Interesting pulpit and font – and a much-appreciated loo!   We passed Whipsnade Zoo, walking alongside a high fence, but with no sign of any animals.   In Dunstable we visited the church, and the ‘Tree Cathedral’ which was rather disappointing.  We emerged on the Downs, where we saw gliders (parked) and a lot of people flying kites – an ideal activity as it was very windy!

Entering the town we found the bus stop where we’d planned to catch a bus to Aylesbury.  And then the problem started.  It was only just past 4, and the bus we’d planned to get left at 5.37.  We hoped to get an earlier one, and discovered that had left at 2.14!  We walked towards the town centre, hoping to find an alternative bus route or a decent pub. No luck with either.  We explored the town, including the grounds of a picturesque abbey, with lots of beautiful flowers.  We finally found a pub, and by then had just time for a drink before catching our bus.  It took 50 mins to reach Aylesbury, and a similar length of time (after a wait) to reach Wycombe.  We were home just before 8pm.

Wednesday 22: We met Caroline and her daughter Louise for a walk along the old railway track.  We got as far as Loudwater, but could not find the continuation of the track, so we walked back along the river.  We succeeded in locating a café but sadly it was closed, so we ended up with coffee in Caroline’s garden.

Thursday 23:  This morning we wanted to collect a birthday present ordered from the John Lewis store, a few miles outside Wycombe.  We succeeded in combining this with some shopping and a walk, exploring footpaths that were new to us.  All went well, except that were unable to get coffee on the way.  The Harvester opened at 10 (it said online) but when we got there at 10.30 it was still closed.  At John Lewis there was a sign saying that ‘in accordance with government guidelines’, their coffee bar and restaurant were closed.  At McDonald’s in Asda, you could buy coffee but not sit down.   What is wrong with coffee bars in supermarkets and department stores?  Why can other cafés open but not them?

Friday 24: For the next stage of the Chiltern Way, we splashed out on a taxi to Dunstable, since going by bus would have meant leaving ridiculously early, in order to ensure that we could catch the last bus back. We started walking at 8.30, down a pleasant, easy track.   We detoured very slightly to see some iron-age earthworks.  Then we had to skirt round some building works and a sewage plant – not so pleasant!

We had to detour round a farm, due to covid-19, and managed to get lost twice while doing so.  Finally we reached Chalton, the next village, and were pleased to find that the pub there (the Star) was open, and had plenty of outdoor seating, so we had drinks with our early lunch.   The afternoon’s walk was simpler, but we still managed to do a couple of unnecessary detours. We reached the most northerly point of the Chiltern Way, Sharpenhoe Clappers (Sharpenhoe means ‘sharp spur of land’ and Clappers means ‘rabbit warren’), and then got to our target (Streatley) at 3.30, in good time for the bus at 4.   This took us to Luton Town Centre, then there was a long journey to Watford, and a long wait (fortunately there was a pub just across the road) before another long journey to Wycombe.  We reached home at 8.30 pm.

Saturday 25:  We had a brief visit from Andrew, Ellie and the girls, on their way to Wales for a holiday.  They could only stay for an hour, but it was lovely to see them again.

Sunday 26: We had an unexpected visit from Claire, Ant, the boys, and their recently-acquired dog Ollie.  After lunch we all went down to the Rye for a walk and an ice cream.  It was been a great weekend for seeing the family!

Tuesday 28:  We were determined to find more of the old railway track, and we knew it passed by the village of Wooburn Green, so we decided to work back from there.  We followed a footpath which ended just south of the village.  Just before reaching the main road, we found the railway line, but could only turn right: the left turn (where we needed to go) was signed as private property.   We followed the road, with several detours which we hoped might lead to an access point further up the line.  But no luck, until we found a lane leading to a golf course, with the old railway line running along the edge of it. Before long, the line disappeared, although the footpath continued.  Clearly you can now only walk small sections of the track; the rest has disappeared under new housing developments, a retail centre, a motorway and a school.

 

Comparisons between Florida and the UK in terms of Daily Coronavirus Cases and Deaths

The following graphs are intended to highlight interesting differences between Florida and the UK in terms of daily reported new Covid-19 cases and daily deaths attributed to the virus. All statistics are daily rates per million population (Florida: 21.3; UK: 66.4).

First we look at daily reported cases over time:




The two states seem to have quite different profiles, with Florida remaining relatively stable after the initial surge, and then starting to grow swiftly, from about early June to a current rate of about 500 new cases/day per million population. In the UK, the initial peak was much higher, at about 250 new cases/day per million population, and then gradually declining to a current rate of around 30.

There may be explanations for this difference around the amount of testing which is being carried out in the two states, where Florida seems to have more Covid-19 testing in place.
 
Turning now to death rates, which may be regarded as a more concrete measure, we get the figure below:



Again, there are clear differences in the patterns for the two states, with the UK having a much higher peak of about 40 deaths/day per million population, then declining to its current rate of about 3. Florida, however, has maintained a fairly stable death rate throughout most of the period, starting to rise at about the end of June to reach a current rate of about 6 deaths/day per million population, and apparently still rising.

The ratio of these two measures (daily deaths divided by daily new cases) is also quite interesting, as shown in the figure below:



Note that there is a slight hiatus in the UK data, as the official figures for cumulative cases suddenly went down, presumably due to a change in counting. This made the average new case calculation impossible for a short period.

Mostly UK is showing a higher number of deaths per new case, presumably due to the same factors that led to a lower new case rate above. Hypothetically, if testing in the UK were mainly focused on hospital admissions, this kind of effect might be expected.

Pubs open and closed

We’ve done a lot more walking over the past two weeks: four more stretches of the Chiltern Way, a walk down to the river and other local walks.   In addition to looking for places of interest, we’ve also kept watch on pubs we pass, to see whether they are open and if so, how they are coping with the restrictions now imposed.

Missing dates below do not indicate that we’ve omitted them accidentally, nor that we stayed in bed all that day!  It just means that we did not go far (possibly because the weather was bad) so there was nothing special to report.

Turn to the Dark Side!

Sunday 5 July:

Went for a circular walk around Wycombe.  Eventually we reached the Beech Tree, where we thought we might have a drink, but a sign said they would be opening on Monday. Continued walking through the woods, and detoured to the Dolphin, which was open, with very few people, so we had a drink sitting outside.

Monday 6:  The next stage of our Chiltern Way walk.  Getting to our starting point (where we ended last time) was easy, because Marlow Bottom is not far from Wycombe, so it was just a quick bus journey.  It was cool and very windy: the forecast said the wind would calm down, but it didn’t.  At 11 (coffee time!) we reached the pub at Bovingdon Green – but it was closed until Wednesday!  There was a village pond adjacent, with a bench, so we sat there and drank our own coffee (we always go prepared).

The pub in Hambleden was open, and they had well-spaced tables in a big garden.  So we had wine with our sandwiches – very pleasant.  Our target for the day was Stonor, and we knew there was no public transport there, so the plan was to summon a taxi.  Unfortunately, there was no mobile phone signal in the village, and the public phone box was not operating.  We thought we’d call from the pub, and have a drink while waiting – but the pub was closed. Panic – what to do?  Luckily we spotted a lady backing her car out, and spoke to her.   She was an angel – went and got her portable landline phone, and made the call for us.

Friday 10:  We booked a taxi for 8.15, to take us back to Stonor and make an early start on our walk.  The next stage was only 7.5 miles, and ended in another remote village with no public transport. However, the following stage ended in Stokenchurch, not far from Wycombe and on a good bus route, so we decide to combine the two.

The walk was alternately through woods and open fields.   The Chiltern Hills lived up to their name: some steep sections, as well as some very muddy paths.  No pubs, and not even a bench until we reached a recreation ground at Ewelme.  By then it was 12.15, so we decided to eat our lunch with our coffee.

During the day we went through more than 20 kissing gates. In the afternoon we saw mountains of manure, and a field with about 200 pig sties – not sure they were occupied until we saw a few pigs roaming around.  At Northend we lost the path, and wasted some time before finding it again.  Then we had to go steeply downhill, and the path was very slippery.   We finally reached Stokenchurch at 7pm.  We found the bus stop and discovered that there was a bus due in just a few minutes.  We arrived home having clocked up a total of over 23 miles!

Saturday 11: We decided to attempt another ‘pub crawl’, following one of our regular routes to the Crown at Penn.  We were not sure that it would be warm enough to sit outside (or whether they would be doing meals outside) but thought at least we could do a recce.  In fact, there were plenty of tables outside, well spaced, full waiter service, and the weather was decent – everything was perfect. We enjoyed our first meal out since returning from Florida, and Sandie had her favourite battered halloumi and chips for the first time in six months.

Sunday 12:  The weather was reasonably good, so we decided to walk down to the Thames again.  We had a lovely, relaxing day.  There was no need to carry food and drink, because we knew we would be passing places that were now open.  We stopped for cappuccinos on the way; we crossed the river to the Bounty and had drinks while sitting in the sun and watching the boats go by.  Then we walked along the Thames Path, stopping for ice creams, and returned via Little Marlow, where we had more drinks sitting in a pub garden.

Monday 13:  A bus back to Stokenchurch, and on with the Chiltern Way.  This stretch was mainly over fields, with fewer kissing gates and more stiles.   At Radnage we looked in the church.  At Bledlow Ridge the pub was not open, but we drank our coffee at an outside table.  At Bledlow we got wine from the pub and had our picnic at an outside table.

As far as we could tell, the path did not cross any bus routes.  So we decided to walk into Princes Risborough, and get the direct bus home from there.   We reached the village of Lacey Green, with a windmill and a pub (not open).  But then we noticed a bus stop – and discovered it was on the route from Prices Risborough to Wycombe.  A few minutes later, the bus came along, so we were home much earlier than usual.

Friday 17: Took the bus back to Lacey Green and continued with our walk.  We crossed a lot of wheat fields, and occasionally went through woods; the path was reasonably flat most of the time. We passed by Hampden House, an elaborate mansion.  We had coffee on a ‘rustic bench’ with great views.

The Chiltern Way is generally well marked, but a couple of times it was confusing, and we had to find our way back to it.  The map indicated two pubs in Lee Gate, but one was defunct and the other opened only for a few hours on certain days.  Not when we were there!  Still, there was a table outside, which served for our picnic lunch.  Later we saw some enormous fungi, close to a house with a genuine drawbridge!   We left the path near Wigginton, and found a pub which was actually open, so we had much-needed drinks before pressing on into Tring.  We went through Tring Park with its obelisk and fake temple.  We took photos of Tring church while waiting for a bus to Aylesbury.  From there we caught a bus to Wycombe, and had it to ourselves all the way!

Wandering in the Woods near Wycombe

Late June brought some amazingly warm and sunny weather to southern England. It was far too nice to stay indoors, so our daily walks became longer.  Climbing hills was good practice for the walking holidays we still hope to do later this year.  We enjoyed wandering through numerous woods, listening to the birds singing.  As we strolled down country lanes, Sandie’s new camera (from e-Bay) got well tested, taking photos of wildflowers, bees and butterflies in the hedgerows.

We had a variety of itineraries.  There were paths we walk often; paths we walked years ago and had almost forgotten; and paths that were completely new.  Although we’ve lived in Wycombe (on and off!) for some years now, we are still discovering new places.  For example, there is a church which stands on a hill and has a large green dome that can be seen for miles around.   We’d seen it from a distance many times, but only recently did we get close enough to identify it as the Church of St Mary and St George.  Another day we walked back through the town, and spotted a major supermarket which we did not know existed, because it is slightly beyond our usual shopping route.

One obstacle we had to negotiate on our way into town was the place where the local river Wye had overflowed its banks, flooding the recreation ground.

Down by the riverside

We love walking by the Thames, and looked forward to doing so again.  At one point we decided to wait until the pubs were open, as this would make it an easier (and more pleasant!) experience.  But finally we decided we could not wait longer.  So on Thursday 25^th (said to be the hottest day of the year in England) we set off.  We walked up to Flackwell Heath, where we stopped for coffee, and down to Bourne End.  We walked upstream to Marlow, stopping on the way at an ice cream van, and again at a convenient picnic table for our lunch.  There were a lot of people on the riverbank – picnicking, paddling or just enjoying the sun – but the groups were appropriately distanced and there was no crowding.

When we reached the green at Marlow, we were pleased to see that the kiosk which sells coffee and snacks was also selling beer and cider, so we were able to have a cold drink while sitting on a bench by the river and watching the boats, the swans and the people passing by.  To do so in the warm sun was delightful.  And then it was time for the long walk home, by a different route.

Changing weather

Contrary to the forecast, the following day was also hot and sunny, but we had planned other things to do.  And after that, the weather really did change.  Not only did the temperature drop – from an amazing 30°C to about 14° – but there were strong winds and occasional rain.  On Sunday 28^th we expected it to be fine, though cloudy, so we ventured out on a long walk in the direction of West Wycombe, with its church and mausoleum on top of the hill.  In fact, there were short spells of light rain, and we considered giving up – but after we had sheltered for a few minutes, the rain stopped and unexpectedly the sun emerged, so we continued walking.   And so it went on.  There was heavier rain towards the end of our walk, but we’d taken ponchos, so did not get too wet.

The Chiltern Way

We decided that our ‘summer challenge’ would be to walk the Chiltern Way, a long-distance footpath around Bucks and Herts.  We’d covered small bits of it already, while doing other walks in this area.  The full walk is 133 miles, and of course we would do it in chunks.  As it is a (very irregular) circle, it does not matter where you start. But we obtained a guidebook, and decided that we might as well start where the book does.

So on Tuesday 30^th June, we went by bus to Hemel Hempstead railway station.  We had to change at Chesham, and had time there to get our morning coffees.  Local buses are rarely full, and thanks to the coronavirus there are currently very few passengers.   At one point we had a double-decker bus entirely to ourselves!   From Hemel to Chalfont St Giles (our target for the first day) was 13 miles, but it was an easy walk, mainly flat, with few of the ups and downs we expected in the Chilterns. The weather was very cloudy, with occasional light drizzle, but nothing too bad, and none of the strong winds we’d encountered two days earlier.  We found a bench for our picnic lunch, and convenient buses for the journey home.

On Thursday we took the bus back to Chalfont, where we managed to get coffee before resuming our walk.  Again, the path was mainly easy, but some sections were overgrown.  At one point we were on a narrow track between brambles and a barbed wire fence!  This was the nearest part of the Way to Wycombe, and some villages were very familiar.  At Penn we detoured to the church, and had lunch sitting in the porch.

The weather through the morning was cloudy, with occasional light rain.  This was in accordance with the forecast, which said that in the afternoon there would be some sun and also scattered thunderstorms. We were prepared to abandon the walk if necessary, but we were lucky – there was quite a lot of sun, and no rain at all.  We made it all the way to our target destination, the Three Horseshoes pub on the Old Marlow road. There is a bus stop opposite, and just as we arrived, a bus came along!  Perfect timing for our journey home.

Independence Day

July 4 was announced weeks ago as the date for a massive relaxation of lockdown.  It was no doubt chosen deliberately, and the media responded by hailing it as ‘England’s Independence Day’.  Pubs, restaurants, hairdressers etc etc were all allowed to open, and at the same time social distancing was halved.  While many looked forward to ‘Super Saturday’, others were worried.  Police and emergency services were out in force.  As far as we can tell (writing Sunday morning) there were problems, but overall perhaps it was not as bad as feared.

We personally were looking forward to being able to visit coffee shops and pubs again, but (especially after the reduction of social distancing) were not keen to go inside.  So for us, July 4 was a damp squib – literally.  When in Wycombe, we normally go into town on Saturday morning to do shopping, and enjoy cappuccinos and cheese scones at Muffin Break.  We were hoping to do this for the first time since January, but all the outside tables were occupied.   Our Saturday evening habit is to walk to a village pub, but we did not want to go far and then find the pub was full.  So we chose one that was reasonably close and had plenty of outside seating.  But when we got there, we discovered that it was one of those that had chosen to delay their opening.  And realistically, we would not have had a meal (or even a drink) there anyway, because by then it was raining!