Today I repeated the walk I did as Walk 5 of the Chiltern Chain Walk – for a full account of that walk see this page of my web site: http://www.petes-walks.co.uk/Chiltern%20Chain%20Walk/CCW5/ccw5_b.htm
The forecast was for occasional scattered showers. In fact there was a light rain as I drove to Wendover Woods, which stopped just before I got there. It remained very grey and mirky as I followed the trails through the woods and took Hale Lane to reach Wendover. I walked up Hogtrough Lane and followed the Ridgeway uphill through Barn Wood. Just after leaving the Ridgeway and joining the path at the top of the hill, it started to rain quite heavily and I stopped to don my waterproofs and put the rain cover on my rucksack.
The heavy rain soon turned to drizzle as I followed a sequence of paths parallel to the ancient earthwork of Grim’s Ditch. It alternated between drizzle and light rain for the rest of the morning as I made my way to Wigginton. I saw a large bird near St Leonard’s, I’m pretty sure it was a Red Kite rather than a Buzzard. I walked through Wigginton, and started to make my way back, initially through Tring Park. I stopped for an early lunch at 12.30 on the bench I usually use along King Charles Ride – the view over Tring Park and the Vale of Aylesbury wasn’t as good as usual in the grey and dull conditions.
It stopped raining about this time, and brightened up just a little as I continued on my way, heading now for Hastoe. The clouds seemed to raise a little, and I even got a brief glimpse of a thin slither of blue sky at one point. There was the occasionla bit more drizzle though, as I followed the byways downhill from Hastoe and then took the field paths to Aston Hill. It was a long steady pull up Aston Hill, and then a final flat section as I followed a path and then a drive back to Wendover Woods.
I got back to my car at 2pm, having been walking for 4hrs 10mins (+ 10 mins for lunch). I’d mistakenly thought the route was about 14 miles – I should have checked before going out, it’s only 12.6 miles. But in the very grey and slightly wet conditions, that was probably far enough. I actually enjoyed walking in wet conditions, it made a change for me, and the rain was never really very heavy. It was reasonably cool (16C when I got back to the car) so I was never too hot and sweaty in my waterproofs. I didn’t take a single photograph – I enjoyed being able to just keep walking for a change, without the photography breaking my rythm all the time.