The Wendover Five: Chilterns Hills | Free Hike 23km
Details
Grade 🥾🥾🥾🥾 Level 4/5
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📕ABOUT
A 23 kilometre circular trail in the Chilterns from Wendover Station, Buckinghamshire.
The trail goes through woodlands and farmlands, featuring steady ascents and descents with great views including Bacombe Hill Nature Reserve, Coombe Hill summit, Beacon Hill, Whiteleaf Hill, Pulpit Hill nature reserve, and Goodmerhill Woods.
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⭐️HIGHLIGHTS
- Bacombe Hill Local Nature Reserve
This chalk grassland hill offers magnificent views over Aylesbury Vale. It is renowned for its rare wildflowers and butterflies, with orchids blossoming in spring. - Coombe Hill
As the highest viewpoint in the Chiltern Hills at 260 meters, Coombe Hill features the Coombe Hill Monument, which commemorates local men who perished in the Second Boer War. It provides extensive views over the Vale of Aylesbury and, on clear days, extends to the Cotswolds. The open grassland at the summit is an ideal spot for a pause and picnic. - Beacon Hill
This small, rounded summit with open grassy slopes is part of the Chequers Estate. Historically utilized for signaling with beacons, Beacon Hill offers panoramic views and conveys a sense of expansive open space. - Whiteleaf Hill
Whiteleaf Hill is home to the Whiteleaf Cross, a chalk hill carving that likely dates back to the 18th century or earlier. It contains a Neolithic barrow (burial mound), with excavations in the 1930s uncovering ancient remains and artifacts. - Chequers Estate: A historic country house used as the official country residence of the British Prime Minister. It has been the designated retreat for Prime Ministers since 1917, when it was gifted to the nation by Sir Arthur Lee, a politician and former soldier, to provide future leaders a place to relax and host guests.
- Ninn Wood & Pulpit Hill Nature Reserve
This area includes mixed broadleaf woodland with ancient trees and historic earthworks. Pulpit Hill houses an Iron Age hill fort, surrounded by banks and ditches that are now moss-covered and mysterious.
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📖SUMMARY
🥾23km (14.3mi) | Ascent: 740m | Max Elevation 265m
🚆Train: Return ticket London Marylebone 🔁 Wendover
⛳️ Meeting Point: 2 Options
1- London Marylebone station Ticket Office | 08:30 (Train is at 08:57)
2- Wendover outside train station | 09:45
⚠️This is a Circular Hike
📍 Hike start: Wendover train station | 09:55
🔚 Hike finish: Wendover | approx. 17:00
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️🚊TRAIN TICKET INFORMATION:
I would recommend you get:
🎟️Super Off-Peak Day Return | London Marylebone 🔁 Wendover (direct) with a Network Railcard is £16.10 (instead of £24.20). - ➡️Outbound: London Marylebone 08:57 → 09:46 Wendover
- ⬅️Inbound: Wendover any Off-Peak time → London
💡If you’d like to join other hikers using a Network Railcard, please arrive earlier so we can organise small groups. Note that each card can cover up to 4 people.
🚦Visit National Rail for details
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💷COST: Free
This hike is completely free to join but participants need to purchase their own transport tickets.
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🎒WHAT TO BRING
- 2L Water
- Packed lunch and snacks
- Comfortable walking/hiking shoes
- Weather-appropriate clothing (layers, waterproofs, hat, sunscreen)
- Optional: trekking poles, camera
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✅WHO CAN JOIN - Our hikes are open to adults aged 21 and over.
- For safety reasons, we’re not able to include children.
- We love animals, but pets (including dogs) can’t join our hikes.
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🚨RSVP & ATTENDANCE
RSVP only if you plan to attend. Please cancel as early as possible if you can no longer make it so others can join. A no-show means you RSVPed but did not attend or cancelled just before or after the start time. Repeated no-shows or late cancellations without a valid reason may lead to removal. Reliable regulars who end up on a waitlist may message the host for priority consideration.
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☯️STAYING TOGETHER
A dedicated back marker is not always present, so please keep others in sight and avoid moving too far ahead or falling too far behind. Faster walkers should wait at junctions. The hike leader will pause at key points to regroup and reduce the chance of anyone becoming separated from the group.
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⚠️ DISCLAIMER
By joining, you confirm that you have read and accepted the group policy on the About page. You are responsible for your own safety, and neither the host nor the group can be held liable for injury, loss, or damage.
