Fiona struck lucky today with the weather as the long and sunny summer held on for her. Eighteen gathered at the Chinnor Community cafe and those who had arrived a little early were able to enjoy a civilised sit down with a coffee before we gathered for the briefing. Formalities over, we set off down a lane and shortly came to the Princes Risborough and Chinnor Heritage Railway. Work was going on where we needed to cross the tracks so we were escorted around the rumbling diesel shunter by the very cheery and orange-clad volunteer work force. A gentle climb up and we were on The Ridgeway footpath. We slowly gained height and the views were excellent in the clear air and warm sunshine. We stopped for a mid-morning break at Lodge Hill, which gave us an opportunity to enjoy the panoramic scene looking northwards towards Bledlow and Princes Risborough. Our group photo was snapped at this spot while there was a captive audience! Continuing on, our route took us past Saunderton where we could see, what we took to be, a large data centre being built. The “green roofs” did little to help it blend in to the otherwise beautiful landscape. A very inquisitive horse came to join us as we negotiated a style and demanded a tickle from many of us as we passed through his field. Up and down a few more hills, all looking lovely in the sunshine, we arrived into Bledlow Ridge and to the village Cricket Club for our lunch break. Some chose to find benches in the play area but there weren’t quite enough conventional seats so some improvisation was needed. Catherine and I decided to try the see-saw with one of us at each end to have our picnic. It was a delicate and well co-ordinated balancing act where every move could have had unplanned consequences! Anthony used a more stable rubber mushroom. Others went into the cafe and in the end many of us ended up there where there was ample seating at tables and very delicious cake too. Many of us had coffee or tea, making it an especially well-catered walk.

After lunch our route skirted round hills and through Radnage churchyard where the tale of Steve Horseman’s sardine sandwich was retold. No sign of the skilful and cheeky red kite on this occasion but no sardines to tempt it either! Another steep uphill section caused a large gap in the group to open up as rest was needed at the back. So we all had chance to catch our breath and enjoy the surroundings. A cooling breeze was very welcome since in the sun it really was very warm. A very steep downhill section required a good amount of careful stepping but we all safely made it off the ridge and back into Chinnor, passing by the railway workers again on the tracks.

It had been a particularly scenic walk in excellent conditions and we thanked Fiona for finding this gem for us.