National Grade:Moderate  Distance: 8.5 mi /13.7km  Leader: Ian F. Date:  Jul 8th 2026

This walk was a late substitution due to the heatwave. The originally scheduled walk was longer and in a more exposed area so Ian F kindly stepped in to offer us an alternative with more opportunities for stops and shade.
Forecast temperatures were over 30 degrees and for those who weren’t put off by the heat there was the added hurdle of problems on the Metropolitan line so it was a pleasant surprise to find that 16 of us were determined or foolhardy enough to make it to the start point at Chalfont and Latimer. In fact, on this occasion the Met line problems favoured us because Haresh and Pushpa had intended to go on an earlier shorter walk but missed the start time.

We set off, making a bee line for West Wood, and breathed a sigh of relief as we felt the temperature dropping as soon as we reached the shade of the trees. Hogging the shade as much as possible we then made our way to Chenies Manor where we stopped for a hydration break while admiring the grade 1 listed building.
We followed the River Chess for a while and stopped at a crossing where we enjoyed a cool and shady respite as we sat on the boardwalk for lunch. Ian informed us that this was lunch part 1 as there was a pub stop to come.
The steepest part of the walk followed but we were rewarded by arriving at The Cock Inn, a lovely old pub with thick walls and an opportunity to supplement our lunch rations and top up our water bottles at the ‘human hydration station’.
As usual there was discussion about walking kit but rather than how well our waterproofs were performing or the best gaiters, this time we were intrigued by Haresh and Pushpa’s sun reflecting umbrellas, Jane’s Ice Cooling Towel and of course my Outback sun hat got another outing.

After lunch we circled back towards the river Chess and stopped for our now traditional photo on the narrow bridge near Sarratt which has railing on just one side. Thanks to Mariella for taking the group photo and even risking an unscheduled dip in the Chess as she carefully made her way along the back of the group to get off the bridge!

Emerging from the shade into the streets of Chorleywood we noticed how much hotter it seemed. The lure of an air conditioned cafe that Sara had discovered in Chorleywood proved irresistible for a few of us so we took a break there while everybody else headed for the station.
We are lucky to have the Chess Valley within easy reach and grateful to Ian for stepping in to lead this lovely walk.

Report by:  Catherine Kelly