The Flickr Chilternhills Image Generatr

Completely hidden away from the outside world, Turville lies on a narrow lane at the head of its own little valley and consists of a cluster of old rose covered cottages, St Mary's Church and the Bull and Butcher Pub built in 1550 and still an unspoilt 'local' with a couple of small rooms around the bar. (Good food and garden)
On the hill above is Cobstone Windmill, famous for 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The village itself has been used in many film and television productions.
The mill was long derelict and it was not until 1967 and the filming of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang that it was cosmetically restored with fake sails. In 1971 it was purchased by former child actress Hayley Mills and her then husband Roy Boulting who restored it and converted it into a private house.

A disappointing final leg of the walk to Turville as the sky clouded over, but I got my pint in the beer garden, and then as I left the pub a chink in in the clouds opened up offering some dramatic lighting, so a manic dash about before it closed again. Then the final mile or so to Finest and my lift home.

I really recommend this short, but lovely footpath to any Chiltern walkers.
A detour from my walk down the valley from Stokenchurch I'd spotted many routes on the map up to the village of Ibston, but they were all rather steep and through even more woodlands. As the day was a test run for my unexpectedly painful knees, I fancied this one, up a few fields and crossing more knee-friendly contour lines.
The views along the valley were wonderful and the fields on either side of the path seem to have been landscaped as parkland, with fine copses of trees making it look like a landscape painting.
Sadly those gathering clouds were the precursor to flat grey skies for the next few hours, but clearing again just before I left Turville (pint achieved!) on the short walk to Fingest.
I've carefully placed the image on the map so you know where the path is.

Positively alpine for this part of England.
Looking back up the valley that cuts down from Stokenchurch towards the tiny village of Fingest and the Hambleden Valley, then down to the Thames.

The plan had been to continue down here to Fingest for my lift home, but gaining a second wind and knees doing fine, I couldn't resist a climb up to the village of Ibstone then the drop down into the next valley to Turville, a pint at the Bull and Butchers if I got there before it shut at 3pm (It keeps old fashioned hours during the week) and a final leg to Fingest.

A London Transport booklet from 1979 with ideas for days out in the countryside surrounding London and how to get there by bus or tube.

➡️See inside

A pretty lousy photograph taken almost due south at midday (my usual moan if you've read my endless babblings), but a gorgeous view nonetheless.

Chiltern woodlands enfolding the valleys.

A view down the valley towards Fingest, and I suppose the distant Thames.
Lush scenery dotted with small picture book villages and hamlets, no wonder that this is the 'go to' area for filmmakers wanting that traditional England in which to set bizarre, oh so English murder mysteries.

Only birdsong, bleating of lambs and the rattling call of pheasants, it is almost impossible to think this is on the doorstep of London...until you see the house prices.

Looking to the edge of Commonhill Woods. A short detour from my path across the fields heading to the foot of the valley at Fingest, but I saw the almost iridescent blue in the nearby woodland.

Being rather concerned about my knees that had been quite painful for the previous 3 months, I'd intended my walk from Stokenchurch to continue down the deep wooded valley that lies the other side of that ridge above the village, but with knees feeling fine, I couldn't resist the climb and descent over the ridge down to the lovely little village of Turville.
I did, however chose a different route down into the village. Normally I come down that white scar from the windmill (of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang fame), but it's so steep it's almost a slither on the bum sort of experience, so I chose a more diagonal route from the ridge-top village of Ibstone.
(Worth knowing The Fox at Ibstone has reopened after a long closure. And it's open from 10am, all day, all week. Great for walkers as many Chiltern pubs shut in the afternoon during the week)

I think I was feeling a little giddy at being out on my first 'proper' walk of the season, on a route I've not done before with the sun shining and perfect clouds.
And coming out through that arch under the M40 and finding the Chiltern valleys winding down to the Thames in front of me did feel a bit like popping out of the wardrobe into Narnia. (I'm an ex-children's illustrator, way too much imagination!)
I'm a fan of these little hand painted white arrows, here on the fence-post. They seem to have appeared everywhere and are particularly useful in woodlands, painted on the trees. Because they are hand painted they feel quite caring and thoughtful...I'm definitely getting daft and sentimental in my old age!

Cock pheasant out to impress. Males and the much dowdier females are everywhere at the moment, running around like out of control clockwork toys.
Taken with a bit of a zoom whilst I pounded along. Came out much sharper than I expected!

Just so pleased as I mooched along to have these photogenic clouds instead of the plain blue skies of recent weeks. I should be more careful what I wish for; the forecast is for rain most days in the coming ten.
Looking west over the valley and Commonhill woods.

Sorry for that wince worthy title, I couldn't resist it, but I was surprised to see the bluebells so fully out.

My chosen path didn't go through these woods. but I glimpsed the shimmer of blue from across the nearby field so made a short detour (over my first vertiginous stile of the season).
I thought I was a week or two early for bluebells but here they were.
I hope I get out to see some more but the weather forecast has gone very mixed, just when I'm chomping at the bit to get out and about.
Commonhill Wood from a walk between Stokenchurch and Fingest, via Turville.

An 'also-ran' from my visit on 27th October last year, a date I mean to keep again this year as the colours were at their most varied compared to a few weeks later.
An image pretty much straight out of the camera.

Part of my first real walk of the year...and I had photographer's clouds! (rather too many by the end).
Another test for my knees and si joints that have been playing up for a couple of years (I suspect self inflicted - deep squats with weights 3 or 4 times a week probably not a good idea at 66).
But all's fine, just a few aches from the si so I'm much more cheery about the coming summer than I was a month ago.
A walk from Stokenchurch to Fingest via Turville. A fabulous day. More to come.
(And I will recommend the route and particularly this path in later postings)

Wendover

Kodak Gold 200
Canon EOS 30
Canon 35mm f/1.4L

The King William IV is a traditional British country pub with a log fire, wooden beams, beers served straight from the cask, good wholesome food, and a warm welcome. To be found in the tiny hamlet of Hailey near Wallingford, South Oxfordshire, the central section around the porch dates from the 17th century. It is always popular, most especially in the summer when customers enjoy uninterrupted views of the rolling hills and valleys of the Chilterns. Several of my previous photographs of 'old British country pubs' were well-received (please see my new album 'Traditional British country pubs'), so I may make a proper 'project' of them.

A view I might come back to in a couple of weeks as the area is known for its bluebell woods.

Grey walk in the Oxfordshire Chilterns

Although only a relatively small remnant of the large heathlands that stretched across this part of south Buckinghamshire, Stoke Common feels very strange, alien and wild.
It lies, along with nearby Burnham Beeches just a couple of miles to the west, at the very edge of the Chiltern Hills as they descend gently SE towards London.

As far as I understand it, the water falling on the porous chalk of the Chilterns mostly passes straight through it (there are almost no surface streams or rivers in the Chilterns), before hitting a layer of London clay far below.
Here at the SE edge of where the chalk ends, the water suddenly finds itself on the surface, sitting on a layer of clay and gravel, flooding the area with shallow pools (and endless squidgy bits - not a geological term though it should be)

Mamiya C330 - Ilford Delta Pro 3200

A slightly wider view from the previous image, and the old course of the River Thames!

And a bit of geology...
At the end of the last ice age the chalk hills of the Chilterns and Berkshire Downs formed one long escarpment that held back an immense lake over what is the present Oxfordshire plain. The Thames at that time flowed NE from Wales to the North Sea from this lake through the present Vale of Aylesbury, hidden on the right.

The pressure burst through the hills and the Thames formed a short cut through a new gorge, the present 'gap', at Goring Gap, still the narrowest part ot the Thames valley.
The river cut the chalk hills in two. Those in the east (here) became known as the Chilterns and famous for their beechwoods, and those to the west the Berkshire Downs, mostly billowing windswept grasslands, especially before the war and famous for their equine stables.