D is for Discovery

There are so many topics, types and tips beginning with the letter D, I am going to see how many I can include in just one article. I hope you have as much fun and find inspiration as I have.

Welcome to the next instalment of our A - Z Chilterns Treasures journey discovering all the things in and around the Hambleden Valley that start with the letter D.

I was due to meet up with friends to join in with Dadima’s Community Walks, becoming a landscape detective exploring around the villages of Great and Little Kimble in Bucks. Unfortunately, the guest speaker and chief detective was ill, so we make our own plans to meet and discover more of what’s on our doorstep.

What is on your doorstep?

We met up in Ibstone, nr High Wycombe to walk through beautiful countryside just on the autumnal turn, via the Barn at Turville for lunch. The Chilterns countryside can seem so remote, yet be cheek-by-jowel with busy commuter towns, so was an unexpected surprise to bump into an old friend, Ted from the nearby Cholsey Farm.

The tree-lined tracks beckon us downhill, overlooking fields studded with sheep, evidence of deer, rabbits, badgers and the ubiquitous red kites circling overhead.

Our fist view of the Hambleden Valley

Gaps in the trees revealed a steep valley with just a few isolated buildings, until the sound of a quad-bike grew louder as the driver headed downhill toward the sheep. We got there at about the same time, ready to spring into action as we spotted a ewe with all legs in the air! We needed have worried, it must have had an itch to scratch as was soon the right way up. This part of the walk is on a working country estate and private location, Wormsley is home to just about everything you wouldn’t expect in the Chilterns countryside: extraordinary art including sculptures by Damien Hirst, Thomas Schutte, Mel Kendrick, Barry Flanagan and Tristano di Robilant. There is also a one-of-a-kind library stuffed full of rare first edition books, an iconic cricket ground and Garsington Opera. Admittedly not many D’s, but plenty to digest.

The sheep graze beneath big skies

If there is one place that typifies the Chilterns, it’s the Barn at Turville. Robin Harman’s family has farmed here since 1892, and they still do things their way. Shunning intensive farming, Robin has quietly opened up Turville Heath in a sustainable and accessible way. He takes his stewardship very seriously, I am sure ruffling a few feathers too, but is determined to not spoil the beauty nor his legacy for future generations to live, work and visit this slice of heaven. It’s always a pleasure to see him and tuck into the delicious dish of the day: local deer in a venison burger.

If we are lucky, on our way out, we will see his pigs snaffling acorns in the woods.

Dish of the day: delicious deer in a bun.

We left the barn to descend through a magnificent holloway along which drovers would have moved their sheep around the hills and valleys. Underfoot was flint and slippery stones, we had to watch our step. But as the season progresses, this sunken lane will become a pleasant carpet deep in autumn leaves.

A Holloway, or ancient drovers road, worn down with hooves and heels.

We came upon Ibstone parish church quite by chance. For over a thousand years there has been a church here, gone from being centred in a thriving village to splendid isolation. There is evidence of habitations along the lane but due to the Black Death, they fell into decay and are now gone. The focal point of Ibstone moved along the main road a mile further north to the common and Hell Corner.

The church of St Nicholas stands in lonely isolation.

“Legend says an attempt was made to build a new Church near to the village common. But the devil objected and removed the structure, giving the name Hell Corner to the spot.”

Also in the churchyard, and well in excess of 700 years, stands the impressive yew tree, perhaps a contender for the oldest tree in the Chiltern Hills?

That is a lot of D’s for this week: landscape detectives, drovers, the Black Death, the devil, Damian Hirst, dogs and deer. Thank you Annette, Deb and Sarah for helping me to discover the delights right on our doorstep.

The next letter is E for….? Where should I go?

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Links you will need

Here is a version of the walk, you can easily add to it, or take the many short cuts.

Dog-friendly, the Barn at Turville Heath welcomes well-behaved owners too.

If you are a keen horse rider, I recommend Cholsey Farm Riding who offer all sorts of fun and frolics for equestrians. Can you tell I’ve never been near a horse?

Dadima’s is a friendly, intergenerational walking community that organises free monthly countryside walks in the Chilterns, often with inspiring guest speakers, ambassadors, and community members giving insights on aspects of nature.

Last week we were underground exploring C for Chalk on our A - Z Chilterns Treasures, and the week before that, was A is for Aylesbury and B is for Buddhists.