On an overcast Easter Sunday morning we met for the jaunt down into the wilds of the Chiltern district of Buckinghamshire. Heading off out we took some lesser-used roads and this made for a really pleasant change. It was nice to approach Bedmond from a different viewpoint. We were heading for Rucklers Lane and again I took a hardly used road that dropped us down into the right area.
Now the wind had gotten up a bit so the going was very quick indeed, soon we had traversed Rucklers lane and were onto a familiar journey taking in Flaunden, Flaunden Bottom (which had a massive bull in one of the fields) and Latimer. We arrived in Little Chalfont in plenty of time for a good cuppa and a well-deserved bacon sandwich, if the café was open. I had checked the lunch stop, but just never thought about the café being closed. With bucket loads of confidence I proclaimed there was a café around the corner and went looking for it, I found a Ladbrokes and an Orthodontist but no café. So I headed off in the next direction and found two side by side. We chose the most expensive to go in. It was a very nice Italian place and rather up market with 60 quid bottles of wine on the shelf. Here Steve and Carol joined us and Peter left us.
Italian coffee in Little Chalfont
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Confusing for motorists
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Carol took over the leading duties as I really wasn’t sure of the area at all, and this worked rather well. We made our way into Chesham and then out to Pednor, from where we took a route around to Great Missenden (where Carol spied a new café). From this delightful village we headed along a new road, which skirted a couple of forests and then eventually dropped down into Prestwood. Lunch was at the Polecat Inn; I had never been inside this place and was astounded to see the collection of stuffed animals. We had a really nice lunch.
Stuffed polecat
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Stuffed birds
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By the time lunch was over the weather had decided to make it presence felt and the rain played with us as we headed towards the Mediterranean Café in Flaunden. The route was fairly familiar and took in the hill that leads to the Green Dragon; the desired café was closed so we then decided that the golf course in Bovingdon was the stop for us. The Little Hay golf complex was actually rather good, they don’t serve snacks and I think that’s due to having no custom for it. This would make a lovely stop in the summer. After break it was time to head home and the weather had no plans of letting us fool ourselves that it was summer and pissed down on us as we squelched back into St Albans. We made a bedraggled lot but it was a great day nevertheless.
Stuffed cows at Boxmoor.
Belted Galloway Cows near Hemel, quite hairy and very friendly, but destined for the table as they were beef cattle. |
Neil 20/04/2014
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