We have just about reached the end of our stay at Cholsey Grange, Ted and Jackie return tomorrow and we will be packing up and heading home. The relaxing lifestyle of caravanning will be forgotten next week when I will be busily trying to fit in work whilst catching up with the gardening.
At the moment we do not have our next trip planned, we have identified three weeks at the end of September to go away but as yet have not decided the direction we will be heading. It will definitely be to a previously unvisited part of the country; at the moment East Sussex and Kent look favourite.
Lynnie decides to join me for a walk today and requests something around six miles. The ideal route is the one I took a few days ago to Fingest and Turville, so I will not describe the detail of the walk again.
We leave the site and walk down hill to Penley Woods and then turn right to walk all the way along the path to Chequers Lane.
As we walk through the woods and down the lane we hear the constant drone of a helicopter somewhere above. It keeps circling around and then hovering but we cannot see its exact location.
In Fingest on reaching the pub we turn right, and then soon take a footpath on the right. After crossing a road we carry along the path towards Turville. As we walk along the path we catch glimpses of the helicopter, we assume that there must be a security operation going on because it has what looks like a large camera fixed to the front.
After going through a kissing gate onto the downs leading to Turville we meet a couple walking in the opposite direction. I mention the constant noise of the helicopter and they inform us that it is a film crew. Apparently the presence of film crews in this area is a regular occurrence. One of my favourite films, Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang was filmed here with Cobstone Mill featuring heavily. The film was an adaptation of a book by Ian Fleming of James Bond fame.
We continue our walk with my trying to serenade Lynnie with my version of Truly Scrumptious. I am not getting the response that Caractacus Pott (Dick Van Dyke) achieved with Miss Scrumptious (Sally Anne Howes)!
We follow the footpath into Turville and on reaching the road turn right walking out of the village, veering left to pick up the bridleway through Turville Wood. With the haze from the humid conditions and the late afternoon sun shining through the trees this is a magical place.
We follow the bridleway as it swings to the right and then climbs to reach the tarmac lane that passes Hellcorner Farm and Ibstone cricket ground. From here it is back down the drive of Cholsey Grange to start preparing for heading home tomorrow. Our walk has covered six miles and has been thoroughly enjoyable.
We have had a great stay at Cholsey Grange, the time has just flown by and we have met some really interesting people whilst looking after the site for Ted and Jackie. One of the real pleasures about travelling is meeting new people and sharing stories, it won’t be too long before we are back on the road again!
25th August 2016
[To follow our walk you will need Ordnance Survey Explorer Map 171 – Chiltern Hills West]
© Two Dogs and an Awning (2016)