Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Berkshire

Bradenham: Chiltern Hills, Valleys and Woodlands Walk

View of the manor and the church in Bradenham village in February at Bradenham Estate, Chilterns Countryside, Buckinghamshire — Distant view of Bradenham village in the Chilterns, Buckinghamshire | © National Trust Images/Hugh Mothersole

This is an 8-mile walk starting at Bradenham village and leading you through a mix of chalk meadows, beech woodlands and farmland. It's a walk of contrasts, starting with far-reaching views across the Chilterns Countryside around Bradenham, Smalldean, Loosley Row and Lacey Green. Then a gentle descent along a typical chalk dry valley to the village of North Dean, before returning to Bradenham through the mature beech woodlands of Naphill Common.

Near to

Chilterns Countryside

Start point

National Trust car park in Bradenham village. Grid reference: SU827969

Trail information

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Difficulty*

Accessibility**

Full trail

DistanceMiles: 8.0 (km: 12.8)

Duration3 hours 30 mins to 4 hours

Dog friendly***

*Footpaths, rough tracks and moderate climbs. For further details please see Terrain section.
**Several stiles, a number of gates, uneven and sometimes slippery terrain. For further details, please see section marked Access.
***Dogs are welcome, but must be kept under strict control. For further details, please see section marked Facilities.

Address
Start at the National Trust car park in Bradenham village near the cricket pavilion, Grid. Ref. SU827969.
Directions via Google Maps
By train
The nearest station is a mile (1.5 km) away at Saunderton on the Chiltern Railways line. From the station, head south east toward Slough Lane, then turn left onto Slough Lane. Turn right onto Wycombe Rd/A4010 and after just under a mile (1.3 km), turn left at the Red Lion pub into Bradenham Wood Lane to join the route at point 2
On foot
Please see OS Explorer map 172.
By bus
The main bus route through Bradenham is route 321 between High Wycombe and Aylesbury. The bus stop is near the Red Lion pub in Bradenham Road (the A4010). Alternatively, take the 300 bus between High Wycombe and Aylesbury to the Purssells Meadow bus stop in Naphill (near Point 10 on the map) or The Whip bus stop in Lacey Green (at Point 6 on the map). To join the walk at Point 10 from the Purssells Meadow bus stop, head northwest along Main Road to a slightly hidden waymarked public footpath between hedges on the left. This is about 60m past the entrance to Mosely Road.
Cycling
Bradenham is accessible by bicycle from High Wycombe or Princes Risborough. The Chiltern Cycleway passes Saunderton Station (see access by train above). Please note that no cycling is allowed on much of the trail. Please see OS Explorer map 172.
By road
From the A4010, High Wycombe to Princes Risborough road, take Bradenham Wood Lane. Take the first right (Rectory Lane) along the edge of the village green, then next left along a track on the southern edge of the village green for about 180 metres. The designated car park is just after the cricket pavilion. SATNAV: the nearest postcode is HP14 4HF.
Dogs
Dogs are welcome, but must be kept under strict control as livestock grazes on several parts of the route.
Car park
Free parking is available in Bradenham village, near the cricket pavilion.
Picnic area
Benches and other places to picnic can be found on the village green in Bradenham and at several places along the route
Tea-room
The Red Lion in Bradenham has recently reopened as a Tea House, serving breakfast, lunch snacks and afternoon tea. It also has a small licensed bar.
Pub
The Black Lion in Naphill, has a large beer garden, ideal for young families and serves good pub food and drinks. The Whip Inn in Lacey Green, is located about half way along the route and serves good pub food and drinks.
Most of the walk is on a mix of soft footpaths, rough tracks and two short sections of road. There are some moderate climbs, of about 290 metres in total. Some paths can be muddy and slippery after prolonged or heavy rain. Stout walking shoes or walking boots are recommended in wet conditions or after heavy rain.

Please note that recent forestry operations on Naphill Common have disturbed a section of this walk. Between points 10 and 11, parts of the route may be heavily gullied and very muddy in wet conditions, particularly during the winter months. This should be only a temporary issue.

Please note that part of the route between points 4 and 10 is not on National Trust land. As such, the National Trust does not check for hazards on these sections of the walk. Walkers therefore follow this route at their own risk.
Total stages: 11
Total stages: 11
Start point
National Trust car park in Bradenham village. Grid reference: SU827969
Stage 1
From the car park head north along the top edge of the village green. From this side of the green, you can see the layout of the unspoilt Chiltern village of Bradenham with its flint and brick cottages. Pass in front of Bradenham Manor, the childhood home of Benjamin Disraeli, and St. Botolph Church. Take great care crossing Bradenham Wood Lane and take the footpath opposite which passes between the pond and the Old School. Go through two gates and continue straight ahead across open grassland with woodlands above you on your right hand side.
Bradenham Village
Bradenham is a scenic village with cottages clustered around a village green with its notorious sloping cricket pitch. The village name is Anglo-Saxon and means 'broad enclosure', referring to the fact that the village sits in a broad valley among the surrounding Chiltern Hills. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the village was recorded as 'Bradeham'. The majority of cottages are 18th century, and the area around the green has been designated a conservation area, with 18 listed buildings. The entire village of Bradenham is now in the care of the National Trust.
The cricket pitch and village green at Bradenham, Buckinghamshire | © National Trust Images/John Miller
Stage 2
Cross over a rough track by a star-shaped wooden bench and continue gently uphill along the edge of a field with the field boundary on your right. There are often horses grazing in the adjacent field. Near the top of the hill and before crossing another path, pause and enjoy the view back towards Bradenham. Continue through a gate and up along a grassy path with Park Wood on your right hand side. At the top of the hill there is a view to your left towards Saunderton village and Bledlow Ridge. You may see one of the Chiltern Line trains running between London and Birmingham. The railway runs along the valley bottom.
Park Wood
Archaeological Surveys undertaken in Park Wood have revealed a fascinating past for this quiet area of deciduous beech woodland. Lynchets and banks within the woods give evidence of ancient field systems which may date back to the late Iron Age/early Roman period (or they may be medieval). Much of Park Wood was converted to beech woodland from the late 18th until the early 20th century to cater for the High Wycombe furniture industry. Associated features include sawpits, tracks and charcoal burning platforms.
Stage 3
Follow the path towards the corner of the field on the right and go through a gate into Park Wood. After about 100m bear left onto a wide footpath which joins from the right. After about 500m continue downhill along a sunken path with a mix of beech, yew and holly trees. There are views of Smalldean Farm between the trees on your left hand side. Go up a short steep incline then merge onto a footpath joining from the right. Continue downhill ignoring any side paths to a small National Trust car park. Turn left onto Smalldean Lane. Beware of occasional cars and bicycles as this is part of the Chiltern Cycleway. You pass Smalldean Farm on your left. After heading uphill for another 100m you come to a small lay-by on your right.
Small Dean Bank
Adjacent to the car park is an area of permanent grassland rich in flora and fauna, which is now in the care of the National Trust. The Trust successfully re-introduced the rare Duke of Burgundy butterfly here in 2011 (full name: His Grace the Duke of Burgundy Butterfly, Hamearis lucina). Considerable work has been done to ensure the habitat at these sites is suitable for the butterfly's lifecycle. This is a great local conservation success story for a species which on a national scale is one of the most rapidly declining butterflies in the UK.
Butterflies thrive in the grassland at Small Dean Bank, Buckinghamshire | © National Trust Images/Hugh Mothersole
Stage 4
Turn right onto a footpath which heads uphill across a field then runs to the left of a hedge. Continue uphill across 3 fields, always keeping the hedge on your right-hand side. At the top of the second field pause and enjoy the views back along the valley. You may be able spot the Golden Ball on the hill above West Wycombe in the distance. On the right there are views of Lacey Green. As you reach the top of the hill go through a gap, which may be muddy. Ignoring the first metal gate on your left and after about 25 m pass through a second metal gate, then through a short section of woods before emerging onto an open field with far-reaching views towards Chinnor, Lodge Hill and across the Oxford Plain. Go over a stile and continue gently downhill towards the village of Loosley Row, ignoring a path that bears right. Go over another stile, take care crossing Little Lane into Foundry Lane and continue downhill for about 200m where you will see Gommes Forge on your left. This is one of the last working forges in the local area and worth a short visit, if it is open.
Stage 5
Turn right up Loosley Hill, across Lower Road up to a crossroads, where you will find the Whip Inn and the Lacey Green Windmill at the junction of Pink Road and Main Road.
Stage 6
Take care crossing the busy road, then turn right and continue along Main Road for about 300m, then turn left into Goodacres Lane. At the end of the lane turn right along a narrow path between a barbed wire fence and a hedge. To your left you can see the fields and paddocks of Widmer Equestrian Centre. (Note: this narrow path can become very overgrown in the summer, so an alternative route is to continue another 500m along Main Road, past the Black Horse pub, then turn left into Kiln Lane).
Stage 7
At the end of the path turn left down Kiln Lane and follow this track for the next 1.5km along this typical chalkland dry valley (notice that there is no stream or river). Pass several cottages until the track emerges from Highwood Bottom onto Flowers Bottom Lane. Bear right downhill along the road (beware of any cars or bicycles).
Chiltern dry valleys
Although they are dry today, during the coldest parts of the Ice Age, valleys like Flowers Bottom were once sites of surface streams. Rainwater and melting snow were unable to penetrate the permanently frozen ground (permafrost) so it was forced to flow over the surface, forming river channels and allowing valleys to be eroded into the chalk. When the climate warmed and the permanently frozen ground thawed the rainwater began to percolate beneath the surface once again, leaving the newly formed valleys dry.
Stage 8
As you reach the bottom of the dip, and at the end of a section of fencing, turn left through a gate and along a narrow signposted footpath. Follow the path that runs along the valley bottom for the next 1.5km crossing several stiles until you reach North Dean village. Some of the fields contain grazing horses belonging to the Rest home for Retired Horses, many of which are ex-military, ex-police or former racehorses. There may also be grazing cattle belonging to Dean Farm. Please ensure dogs are kept on a lead through this section. As you enter the village go through a gate into a farmyard then turn right along a footpath to the left of the large metal gate, which takes you to the main road.
Stage 9
Turn right along the road for 250m through Upper North Dean and then turn right into Clappins Lane. After about 100m go through a gate in the hedge on your left and follow a path diagonally uphill towards the woods. Look back for a good view of Upper North Dean village. Climb over a stile and follow a path uphill through Stocking Woods, marked with white arrows. As you emerge from the woods climb over a stile and follow the path across a field. At a crossing of paths, bear right across another field past two lone trees. After yet another stile follow the path until you reach a kissing gate onto Main Road.
Stage 10
Take great care crossing this busy road (visibility is restricted) and follow a narrow footpath directly opposite between houses and hedges. (If you wish to visit The Black Horse pub, it is about 50m along a rough road to your right). Bear slight right and follow a footpath through Naphill Common woods, ignoring any crossing paths. When you come to a fork, bear right until you merge onto a wide path (H18) that joins from the right. Soon you will reach Lady Horse Pond on your left. Continue straight ahead to a crossing of paths. Keep in the same direction as before, now beneath telephone lines. At the next junction of paths you will see an Information Board on your left.
Naphill Common
Naphill Common is a 71.1 hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest. It consists of common land, with commoners' rights to estovers (the right to collect constructional materials), grazing (for cattle and swine) and firebote (the right to collect firewood). This oak and beech wood is thought to be the most natural of all the Chilterns woodlands. It has a diverse range of trees and shrubs, areas of acid heath, wet rides and ponds. Many of the oaks and beech trees are ancient pollards, and they provide an important habitat for invertebrates and lichens. Heathland clearings have some species which are uncommon in the county, such as heath bedstraw and common heather.
Stage 11
Turn left to go past the information board then immediately turn right along a footpath through oak woodlands. Merge onto a track joining from Bradenham Hill Farm on the left. Pass another information board at The Clumps and follow the track downhill, taking the left-hand fork when the track splits. On reaching the Bradenham Manor garden wall, follow the track downhill keeping the wall on your right-hand side back to the National Trust village car park where you started.
End point
National Trust car park in Bradenham village. Grid reference: SU827969
Trail map
Bradenham: Chiltern Hills and Valleys and Woodlands Walk | © Hugh Mothersole
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Near to

Start point

Trail information

Difficulty*

Accessibility**

Full trail

Getting here

Facilities

Accessibility

Terrain and elevation

Trail route

Total stages: 11

Total stages: 11

Start point

Stage 1

Point of interest

Stage 2

Point of interest

Stage 3

Point of interest

Stage 4

Point of interest

Stage 5

Point of interest

Stage 6

Stage 7

Point of interest

Stage 8

Stage 9

Stage 10

Point of interest

Stage 11

End point

Trail map

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