{"id":337,"date":"2011-02-19T05:31:54","date_gmt":"2011-02-19T05:31:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=337"},"modified":"2011-02-19T07:31:07","modified_gmt":"2011-02-19T07:31:07","slug":"cuddington-and-the-winchendons-buckinghamshire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=337","title":{"rendered":"Cuddington and the Winchendons, Buckinghamshire"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It was a bleak and blowy winter&#8217;s day over north-west Berkshire, with a sky full of those bruised-looking clouds that foretell a hell of a lot of rain before you&#8217;re much older.<br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">window.onload = setupZoom; function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk;\nvar walkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=700,width=800,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script>First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('Cuddington.gpx');\" rel=\"nozoom\" title=\"Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window\">Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5139\/5404519935_8eff3b44fd.jpg\" title='7. flooded fields by River Thame'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5139\/5404519935_8eff3b44fd_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5017\/5404519741_1d338d9004.jpg\" title='8. Nether Winchendon House'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5017\/5404519741_1d338d9004_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5096\/5404519511_a805a92909.jpg\" title='6. deer at Upper Winchendon'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5096\/5404519511_a805a92909_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5013\/5404519225_30864700a3.jpg\" title='4. Eythrope bridge'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5013\/5404519225_30864700a3_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5173\/5405123310_2ba8ef8fd4.jpg\" title='5. Eythrope Park'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5173\/5405123310_2ba8ef8fd4_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5091\/5405123060_ae52ef55e9.jpg\" title='3. swans in a flooded willow grove'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5091\/5405123060_ae52ef55e9_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5171\/5404518453_a34c51f4de.jpg\" title='1. Cuddington church'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5171\/5404518453_a34c51f4de_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5136\/5405122646_78a490ced3.jpg\" title='2. cottage in Cuddington'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5136\/5405122646_78a490ced3_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nFacebook Link: <script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=337\" layout=\"button_count\" show_faces=\"true\" width=\"200\" colorscheme=\"dark\"><\/fb:like><br \/>\nEven the charms of Cuddington &#8211; thatched houses of silver-gold stone, an excellent village shop and a gorgeous church on a knoll &#8211; couldn\u2019t hold us. We longed to be out in the subtle, low-rolling landscape, walking off sloth, that insidious old enemy, before the Clerk of the Weather should spy us.<\/p>\n<p>The River Thame was bubbling full of snowmelt floods. It raced under its flimsy footbridge and lapped into the fields around Old Mill. Out along the Thame Valley path swans paddled in the flooded aspen groves, and a big red kite went balancing over them, adjusting crooked wings and forked tail to each nuance of the wind.<\/p>\n<p>The whole land lay muted, still and beautiful. This was a countryside swept and sailed through by winter. Giant old oaks stood stark and bare in the fields of winter wheat. The close-shaven hedges guarded ditches brimming with brown water. The field paths clogged and bogged us so that we wore two pairs of boots apiece, our Brasher Supalites encased in huge clown boots of mud and flood-scattered straw.<\/p>\n<p>Up at Eythrope Park the river surged with a soft roar under the bridge beside a fabulous fantasy house of carved wood, fishtail tiles and Tudor chimneys. The splendidly individualistic Alice de Rothschild had it built in the 1870s as the lodge for her nearby country house, The Pavilion. She laid her hand decisively on the stable block along the drive, too, with lashings of half-timbering, bright red brick and candlesnuffer roofs. <\/p>\n<p>Long paths through parkland and fields brought us up to the church and manor house at Upper Winchendon, down again over ridges and silent little dells to church and manor at Nether Winchendon. What a contrast to the garish gloriosities of Eythrope, these settled and graceful old compositions of house, church, gardens and trees. If you wanted to show visitors from Xiaoquandong the essence of England, you\u2019d probably show them Nether Winchendon.<\/p>\n<p>Back across the eddying, still rising Thame; back over the fields to beat the rain into Cuddington by a short head, with the lights of the Crown shining through the dusk like welcoming beacons at the harbour mouth.<\/p>\n<p><B>Fact File<\/B><\/p>\n<p><B>Start<\/B>: Crown Inn, Cuddington, Bucks HP18 0BB (OS ref SP 738111)<\/p>\n<p><B>Travel<\/B>: Rail (<A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.thetrainline.com\">www.thetrainline.com<\/A>;<A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.railcard.co.uk\">www.railcard.co.uk<\/A>) to Haddenham (2 miles)<\/p>\n<p>Bus:<B> <\/B>Service 110 (<A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.arrivabus.co.uk\">www.arrivabus.co.uk<\/A>), Aylesbury-Thame<\/p>\n<p>Road: Cuddington is signed off A418 between Aylesbury and Thame<\/p>\n<p><B>Walk<\/B> (9 miles, easy grade, OS Explorer 181):  From Crown Inn,<br \/>\ndown Upper Church Street. By church, left down Tibby\u2019s Lane. Past<br \/>\ncottage, left (yellow arrow\/YA), then right along hedge. Cross River<br \/>\nThame (737120). Right by Old Mill; follow Thame Valley Walk for 2<br \/>\nmiles to Bridge Lodge (767135). Left up drive (\u2018Bernwood Jubilee<br \/>\nWay\/BJW\u2019; blue arrow\/BA). Right by Beachendon Cottages (\u2018Swan\u2019s<br \/>\nWay\u2019); left by Eythrope Park gate (770140; fingerpost). Follow<br \/>\nSwan\u2019s Way for 1 mile to North Lodge (760151). Left (BA) for \u00bd<br \/>\nmile. At post 100 m before drive, right (754148; no arrow) up bank;<br \/>\nYAs to cross road (752150; fingerpost). Though trees; right along<br \/>\ndrive, and follow it for \u00bd mile. On right bend, left through gate<br \/>\n(745156); YAs across 3 fields, heading south for \u2153 mile to newly<br \/>\nplanted avenue (744150). Left up avenue. Pass pond on right; in 50 m,<br \/>\naim right of church to bottom right corner of wood (745145). Through<br \/>\ngate; left and over stile; right across field (YA) to cross road in<br \/>\nUpper Winchendon (744141; fingerpost). Pass to right of cottage; over<br \/>\nstile; along top of bank to stile\/YA (746139); bear half right across<br \/>\nfield; follow stiles\/YAs for 1\u00bc miles across fields (743133 \u2013<br \/>\n742129 \u2013 741125) to Old Mill. Right along drive (BJW) to road<br \/>\nopposite church in Nether Winchendon (733122). Left past Manor Farm;<br \/>\nin 50 m, left (731120; fingerpost) on paved footpath for \u00be mile to<br \/>\nCuddington.<\/p>\n<p><B>NB<\/B>: Online maps, more walks: <A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\">www.christophersomerville.co.uk<\/A>.<\/p>\n<p><B>Refreshments<\/B>: Crown Inn, Cuddington (01844-292222;<br \/>\n<A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.thecrowncuddington.co.uk\">www.thecrowncuddington.co.uk<\/A>) \u2013 warm, friendly, welcoming.<\/p>\n<p><B>Information<\/B>: Aylesbury TIC, off Market Square (01296-330559);<br \/>\n<A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.visitbuckinghamshire.org\">www.visitbuckinghamshire.org<\/A><\/p>\n<p><A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.ramblers.org.uk\">www.ramblers.org.uk<\/A>;<br \/>\n<A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.satmap.co.uk\">www.satmap.co.uk<\/A>.<\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It was a bleak and blowy winter&#8217;s day over north-west Berkshire, with a sky full of those bruised-looking clouds that foretell a hell of a lot of rain before you&#8217;re much older. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-walks","category-3-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}