Five eager cyclists met for coffee and pastries at the Canalside café at Hemel Hempstead. Our 30-mile ride took in three Sustrans cycle trails in Hertfordshire, all created on former railway lines. The Nickey Line, Alban Way and Ayot Greenway connect the towns of Hatfield, St Albans, Welwyn Garden City, Harpenden, Wheathampstead and Hemel Hempstead. Tracy used her local knowledge to lead us to the former cinema, now a very ornate Wetherspoons. Then she guided us to Hemel Old Town, a veritable hidden gem. Its Norman church has a very impressive spire; the medieval marketplace is now a pavement café terrace. We joined the Nickey Line and continued north east towards Redbourn. We passed a semaphore signal mast and former platforms. We descended from the viaduct to reach Harpenden where we stopped for lunch at the village green.

We looked out for Jeff to join us at his customary mid route but no sign. We then joined the Ayot Greenway which runs to Welwyn Garden City. We stopped at the charming market town of Wheathampstead. We admired the former station which had been partly restored with artwork displayed, including a statue of George Bernard Shaw (his manor at Ayot St Lawrence is nearby). We cycled through the parklands of Welwyn Garden City, created in 1920 as the second of Ebenezer Howard's garden cities. Brian and Mark attempted to enter the Art Deco Shredded Wheat factory, now derelict and location for several recent urban crime films. A neighbourly security guard ejected us and bid us fare thee well. The last leg was on the Alban Line which has several former stations with impressive restoration efforts. Lisa and Tracy remarked that the cycle ride was surprisingly leisurely "we could go on for 10 more miles". The last feature was the historic Comet Hotel created in 1936 to celebrate the pioneering aircraft built at the next door De Haviland Hatfield Aerodrome. Inside there was the original world map showing the record-breaking flight to Melbourne.

Cyclists were Brian, Coogee, Tracy, Mark and Lisa.

Report by Brian

10 valiant walkers strolled into the market town of Beaconsfield, home to many celebrities including Vernon Kay, Tess Daly, Bee Gee's Barry Gibb, James Corden and Ricky Gervais. Its affluent residents include media personalities, musicians, sports stars and members of the Harrow and Wembley Outdoor Group. Our walk started at the White Horse, unfortunately now closed like so many pubs. We walked along past some picturesque buildings, then crossing the golf course in three separate sections with our experts on hand to guide us along safely. Our adventure took us through the woods where we spotted the first bluebells. This walk would be lovely in a couple of weeks, when it would be a forest of bluebells. Some members spotted deer along the route as well as goshalks singing from the top of the trees. Was the last one a kite or a buzzard? Our adventure carried on, passing some horses grazing, then some jaw-dropping houses / mansions along the final stretch of our walk. We ended the day in the lovely White Swan with a two course Sunday Lunch (would fully recommend this pub for food and service).

Great company from Cathy, Julie, Joan, Malcolm, Owen, Teresa, Brian F, Michael and Mark.

Report by Diane

We met at the War Memorial in Ruislip to start the walk. I was delighted to see beautiful walkers raring to go: David L, Ann, Hema, Yolly, Marianne, Milton, Robert V, Julie, Gary, Vivienne, Bhurti, Simon, Ewan, Owen and three new walkers Jenny, John and Pat. We took off at a pace past the historical buildings at Ruislip Manor Farm, crossing several fields, across the running track (we walked!), past Kings Cafe, into Ruislip Woods, over part of Northwood Hills Recreation Ground, where we dropped down on a path crossing the golf course into the surrounding fields and woods of Ruislip Lido. Before lunch I lost three walkers in the woods much to my embarrassment and we stopped and waited to see whether they would catch us up. Alas, no! So I was feeling a tad guilty when we continued. However, on arrival at The Water's Edge public house in Ruislip Lido, I was grateful we could reacquaint ourselves with the three lost souls who, it transpired, were having a delightful time in the pub garden and had commenced an early lunch break.

Three people left the walk at lunchtime and were good enough to tell me so we didn't wait for them to rejoin. We walked through the perfumed bluebells of Ruislip Woods and made our way back to the War Memorial. The weather was good to us and the sun shone for some of the time. Thanks everyone for making it a great walk.

Report by Shirley

We met up in Amersham with a buzz in the air, folks new to the area practically vibrating with questions. I laid out the plan, to go anti-clockwise, for very good reasons. Set off, straight into Parsonage woodland, clockwise. Fifteen minutes later someone clocked it, we all had a laugh, but kept marching on. Headed towards Willow Woods and skirting round Little Chalfont, with vibrant blue sky: rolling fields, lazy hills, and spring absolutely showing off buds, birdsong, the full works. Signs of bluebells could be seen, hence request to re-add the walk soon. Arriving at Pollards Woods and Misbourne Farm we were playing leapfrog with D of E groups; every bend held a squad of red-cheeked teens, giant rucksacks, maps flapping like flags. Respect. Plenty of opportunities for great photos as the weather did not let us down. Eagle-eyed walkers turned detective!

We found a quiet spot at Upper Bottom Hill, flopping onto green-green grass with the whole county sparkling below. Blue sky, warm sun, zero agenda, just that good-lunch silence and red kites above. Then, as we went down: Lower Bottom through Rodgers Wood, legs a little heavier, but smiles still on. Old Amersham rolled out the charm: Memorial Gardens, then St Mary's, the 12th-century beauty. We walked along the parallel of River Misbourne to one last climb. Upwards we headed. At the top: group photo, Amersham spread out behind us. Back at the start, most of us peeled toward The Beech House bar, a table big enough to accommodate us. All enjoyed drinks and delicious food. Dee swooped in as the pizzas hit the table. Drinks, food, stories traded - perfect end to the walk and everyone enjoyed it.

Thanks to everyone who turned up and rolled with it: Marianne, Rohini, Michael, Lata, Priti, Mala, Robert, Malcolm, Ann Marie, David, Amin, Shilesh, Peter, Asha and Dee.

Report by Runi

18 met on a very sunny March morning outside Greenford Station. Our walk took us to the Beaver Trail. The beaver, once a native species to the UK, has made a remarkable comeback thanks to the conservation efforts. We carried on down the canal passing Horsenden Farm. No time to stop today as we meandered along taking in the wildlife along the way.

We eventually arrived at our lunch spot with some taking to the Grand Junction Arms and others having a long lunch at the Lebanese cafe. All fuelled up our journey took us along a narrow bit of the canal up to Little Venice with lots of canal boats looking very festive with spring flowers and murals. Our last stop was for a welcoming drink as we bid our farewells.

Thanks to Joan, Henriette, Peter, Anne, Mike, Cathy, Jeremy, Bharti, Simon, Milton, Moni, Harleena, Giles, Rebecca, Coogee, Heather and Jyotsna.

Report by Diane

On a sunny early Spring day, three eager walkers set off for an 11-mile walk from Radley Station, with a fourth in hot pursuit having had an 'accident with a train'. St James the Great Church in Radley was our first stop. We admired the wooden canopy over the pulpit of this ancient church which had originally been over the Speaker's Chair in the House of Commons until Cromwell put a stop to their deliberations 'In the name of God, go!'. The church itself had suffered war damage during the Civil War in 1644 when the North aisle had been blown open with cannon fire as the Roundheads stormed the church where some Royalists had taken refuge. The church now has only one aisle. No doubt the Royalists came off even worse. Another London connection was to be found in the front garden of a house nearby where an old London Routemaster in full red livery was proudly on display. We then had the traditional stop for tea and cake in the village of Sunningwell. This would be Base Camp before attempting the ascent of Boar's Hill itself (500ft). As we made our way up the slippery slope, we had a magnificent view out over the Vale of the White Horse with the Ridgeway in the distance.

Our next stop was Jarn Mound, a mound constructed by the world-famous archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans of Knossos fame in the 1920s so that the inhabitants of Boar's Hill would still have an unimpeded view of the 'dreaming spires' of Oxford despite all the building going on around. Unfortunately Sir Arthur did not appear to have taken into account the fact that trees tend to grow, but we went to the top and had a good rant about this and that anyway, surrounded weirdly by Nepalese Buddhist scriptures attached to the surrounding wall of the viewing platform. Not far away there was a small building that looked like a public toilet but which turned out to be a replica of a chamber in the palace of Knossos with a fresco depicting a bull and a floral design with lilies. The local youths had added further embellishments of their own. All the while we were in intermittent contact with the fourth member of our group whom we agreed to meet up with in the next village - South Hinksey. As we descended on the other side of Boar's Hill where there was a fine view of the 'dreaming spires' we came across some detectorists who claimed to have had some success in finding Roman coins. We then walked through the fenland landscape of the nature reserve called 'Happy Valley' before wandering the charming streets of South Hinksey (thatched cottages including one called 'The donkey house') in search of our long lost virtual companion. We did not find him. He had successfully found his way to a Hinksey village all right but the wrong one - North Hinksey rather than South Hinksey. We then followed the River Thames (past Oxford's Lido and then past former gasworks) to Oxford Station, and went our separate ways after a long but enjoyable walk.

Many thanks to Brian, Harpreet (and Jeff!) for being such wonderful companions on my first group walk as walk leader. Brian eventually caught up with Jeff in Oxford.

Report by Nick

Six walkers met on an overcast Saturday morning to visit the largest collection of living plants in the world at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. After a brief introduction to the history of the gardens, we entered the Palm House to look at the magnificent collection of tropical plants, which includes the oldest pot plant in the world (a cycad, aged 250 years). We sought out coffee, cocoa, banana, black pepper, star fruit and ebony, and climbed to the upper walkway to view the exotic plants from canopy level. We then walked through the Evolution Garden and Bonsai House, and admired delicate flowering plants in the Alpine House. On the way to the Orangery, Carole pointed out a building in a gated garden, where she got married! After passing Kew Palace, we continued to the Rhododendron Dell, where several early-flowering species were in bloom, in colours ranging from white and red to shades of pink. In the Bamboo Garden around the Japanese country house one of us was persistently followed by a gaggle of geese, but finally managed to break free... Our next stop was Queen Charlotte's Cottage. I mentioned that there is a tea-room inside, and Brian's eyes lit up - sadly, they stopped serving tea and cakes there after a royal wedding in 1818!

We carried on to the Pavilion Bar and Grill for our lunch stop, catching sight of the Great Pagoda on the way. After lunch, we visited the Temperate House, which contains numerous endangered or extinct plants. Next, we visited the gallery which holds around 800 paintings by the world-travelling botanical painter, Marianne North. We had timed-entry tickets for the Orchid Festival at the Princess of Wales Conservatory, this year inspired by the biodiversity of China. The magnificent display featured 3000 orchids, as well as figures of a dragon, panda, koi carp and cranes, cleverly constructed from dried plant materials. Here we met Nick and Rachel, who joined us for the rest of the walk. By then, I had exhausted everyone to the extent that 50% of the original six left for home, and only two 'finalists' completed the Treetop Walkway, 18 metres above ground (by taking the 118 stairs, not the lift!). The remaining few finished the day with tea and cakes.

Thanks to Brian, Carole, Judith, Nathalie and Yolly for joining me for the day, and to Nick and Rachel for joining in the afternoon.

Report by Marianne

As a novice leader with the group, I was pleased with the turnout for this 6-mile woodland walk: 12 including me. It was a circular walk starting at Stanmore tube: a well signposted route, but I added a small extension so that we could have early drinks at The Hare, a fine gastropub surrounded by greenery. It was a cloudy but mild day, and thankfully the rain held off. Entering Bentley Priory Nature Reserve at Old Lodge Way we took the well-surfaced path through the woods, past the deer enclosure. The deer were mostly small and cute. This is Harrow's only biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Its biological importance derives from the mix of ancient woodland, flower-rich grassland, streams and open water (so it says in the guide!). To our right was the sprawling Bentley Priory manor house, famous because it was the RAF HQ during the Battle of Britain (well worth a visit). We got to the pub via the secluded Grims Dyke Hotel at Old Redding, passing by the closed The Case Is Altered pub. Over drinks for some reason we got into an entertaining discussion about how best to trap mice and deal with rodent infestations!

After a short section along a main road we were back in the woods and got back on the nature reserve path, but then turned left and headed to Stanmore Common. After admiring some very posh houses (how many bedrooms was that?) we passed by a cricket ground and reached the two Brewer's Ponds. One of the ponds is more like a lake - a simply gorgeous place. We also saw the quirky clapboard tower of Clutterbuck's Brewery, dating from 1763, but they stopped brewing there in 1916. A little further on we stopped at another pond, at Stanmore Little Common, where there are some cottages and you feel you're really out in the country. Time to eat sandwiches and relax a bit. The final leg took us back into the nature reserve to see the deer again and then on to Stanmore. This was the muddiest bit, but the clear paths on this walk made it all very doable. Back in Stanmore before 3pm I was glad it had all gone smoothly, nobody got lost, and we had time for afternoon tea.

Thanks to those who came to make this a successful and enjoyable walk: Teresa, Louise, Kevin, Peter, David, Diane, Mark, Judith, Kirit, Soraya and Neil.

Report by Laurence

The group's first weekend away of the year took us to the city of Bath. Our base for the weekend's activities was the YHA hostel, set in an Italian-style mansion which is just a 10-minute walk from the centre of Bath.

On Friday after checking in and finding our rooms we set off on the first short walk of the weekend. For this we were joined by Jean who was a former chair of the group. Using her local knowledge of the area we started by walking further uphill to the start of the Bath Skyline Walk. This walk took us through woods and open ground. We stopped for a photo session at Sham Castle, which is a folly built for Ralph Allen. From this viewpoint we had good views over the city of Bath below. We then passed into the grounds of the University of Bath where we found the UK's only bobsleigh and skeleton push start track, used by the British Olympic team. Darkness was starting to fall as we made our way back to the hostel for our evening meals.

Saturday's walk took us downhill into Bathwick Fields and on to the Kennet and Avon Canal. As we made our way along the canal we met a representative from the British Waterways Trust who gave the group a detailed talk about the history of the canal. After our informative talk we then reached the last lock on the canal, which is also one of the deepest locks in the country. The walk continued on along the bank of the River Avon which was in full flow due to the recent rain. After leaving the river we stopped for morning coffee at Royal Victoria Park where we also took the opportunity to explore the Botanical Gardens. The return leg of the walk was to take us back into the city where we passed the magnificent Royal Crescent, which is a 30-house Georgian Terrace built in 1767. A short distance from there, we passed through the Circus and then past the Jane Austen Centre where we again posed for more photos. Continuing on through the well preserved streets of Bath we arrived at the Roman Baths and then onto Sally Lunn's Buns. Unfortunately the queue to enter was quite long so we carried onto the abbey where our city walk ended. At this point we split up with some going into the abbey and others looking for a suitable location to watch the rugby match.

Sunday gave the group 2 options, one being a 5-mile walk led by a former member of the group in the countryside outside of Bath, and the others taking the train into Bradford Upon Avon, with both groups meeting back up in Bath where some took the opportunity to relax and take in the waters of Bath Spa.

On Monday, after breakfast some headed to the station to catch the train home with others taking the opportunity to catch a later train and eat at Sally Lunn's Buns before catching the train home.

Many thanks to Jeremy, Jan, Dawn, Joan, Hira, Cathy, Heady, Christine, Anne, Surinder, Judith, Sally, Cathy , Mike, Bharti, Simon and Mark for helping make this another successful weekend break.

Report by Diane and Malcolm

We met at 11:00am at Hackney Wick Station and set off as a group of 11. After viewing some of the amazing colourful street art in Hackney, some covering the whole side of buildings, we stopped briefly at a unique garden centre situated right on the River Lee navigation canal. Passing some interesting eateries along the River Lee we made our way to the Hertford Canal with a great view of the London Stadium. We also found some interesting little statues along the canal edge. The street art continued along this stretch of canal and we continued on to Victoria Park. Two new antipodean joiners showed their adventurous nature by miraculously meeting us at the Burdett-Coutts Fountain in the park after a disrupted journey. 13 of us then took a short detour to visit Runi's childhood home on the other side of the park. Returning to Victoria Park we had lunch at the lakeside Paradise Cafe before visiting the Pagoda which was originally situated in Hyde Park and moved to its present location in 1847.

On our way back to the canal we paused to take in an amazing street food market in the park, enjoyed by all, where we could sample diverse cuisines from all over the world. Following a busy Regents Canal we negotiated many runners partaking in a half marathon. At Haggerston we came across an extraordinary art installation in the form of four leaping sharks appearing out of the canal overlooked by several kindly gorillas! Further along the Regents Canal we took a diversion to see the huge steel bust of Alfred Hitchcock situated in a residential square which was the former site of the Gainsborough film studios. At this location in the 1920s, Hitchcock had directed silent movies before his move to Hollywood. Returning to the Regents Canal, we ended the walk at the Islington Tunnel, the longest tunnel in London's canal system at 878 metres. Leaving the canal we walked up into the bustling streets of Angel Islington. A small party then went on the Candid Cafe in a quiet, bohemian spot with a lovely ambience above an arts centre where we were joined by a very latecomer, Neil, for a coffee and a catch up.

Walkers were Dalma, Laurence, Runi, Brian, Irena, Kevin, Louise, Prab, Soraya, Neil P, Judith, Giles, Rebecca and Neil.

Report by Neil

I met 7 walkers at Hamilton Hall on a crisp but dry night. We had a drink allowing 15 minutes' grace for any latecomers and then headed off to the Tower of London and St Katherine's Dock. The contrast between Liverpool Street and the Dock was very noticeable and it was nice to leave the very busy area for the tranquility of St Katharine's and the reconstructed Dickens Inn. We then partly followed the river to Wapping High Street and Limehouse whilst making our way to meet 3 other walkers in the Ledgers Building in Canary Wharf. The area on route is more gentrified than it used to be but still has a sense of the old East End with its warehouses and very old pubs that jut out into the Thames. The famous Grapes, partly owed by Sir Ian McKellen, was serving "Sir Ian's Shepherds Pie" but we didn't have time to stop on this occasion. We nearly lost two of our group in a riverside park but luckily we all got to Canary Wharf safe and sound. Some of the group went off to explore the lights whilst a few of us refuelled and then explored the lights which were definitely worth seeing.

Thank you to everyone who joined me, it was a lovely evening.

Report by Pauline

Storm Ingrid had passed through, ensuring that the footpaths would be a little wet and muddy. The storm was followed by a bright sunny day, unfortunately this sunny day was Saturday, and the walk was on the Sunday where the forecast was for an overcast day with showers. On arrival at the station I was surprised to see a number of walkers and a couple of familiar faces waiting to start a day's hike. On speaking to these walkers, I was to learn that they were walking with another group who were planning to walk a slightly shorter route. The 9:50 train arrived, where more walkers disembarked. One of these walkers was actually looking for the Chesham to Tring Walk, so we let these walkers head off before starting our own walk which headed off in the opposite direction. As we made our way through the field of Dungrove Farm we shared it with a couple of alpacas. Being only a couple of walkers we quickly made our way to Codmore where we paused for a drink outside the Hen and Chicks pub; we couldn't enter as it was closed. The next stage of the walk was along footpaths through open countryside. As we made our way along these paths the overcast weather seemed to enhance the views of the hills and valleys ahead. By chance we met the other walking group heading towards us from Savecroft Farm. We continued on northwards past the Christmas tree farm and along footpaths into Wiggington where we stopped for lunch outside the village shop.

After lunch we skirted the edge of Tring Park where we then picked up our return route. Luckily as we made our way through High Scrubs Wood a light shower started but we were sheltered from this by the woods. We emerged from the woods just north of the pub and impressive windmill at Cholesbury but still having some way to go and it was now early afternoon. We were unable to stop for drinks. The final part of the walk crossed several valleys which form part of the Chesham five valley walk. The final 2.5 miles back into Chesham was via Herbert's Hole which is a footpath along the bottom of one of these valleys. We arrived back in Chesham within the planned finish time and before darkness fell.

Many thanks to Jan for keeping me company on this very enjoyable but challenging 19.5-mile walk.

Report by Malcolm

Our first cycle ride of the year was an easy 20-mile ride from Uxbridge to Burnham via Eton. Three of us met at the Marketplace Cafe in Uxbridge. We followed Sustrans route 61 via the Grand Union Canal and tracks through Langley. En route we passed several pillboxes and aqueducts on the Slough arm and then a moto cross festival by the GWR tracks. We gatecrashed an Indian wedding at Ditton Park, the very polite manager suggesting that we had followed the wrong sign. At Eton we explored the courtyards of the famous college before visiting the vintage bookshops (location for Frank Marker's office in Public Eye). We waited for the latecomer but no trace. We cycled through Dorney village with its collection of Tudor mansions. Finally arrived at the historic Pineapple Inn with its vast range of huge sandwiches on offer, just the ticket said all.

Cyclists were Brian, Soraya and Neil.

Report by Brian

Our walk started at Pinner Station on a drizzly Saturday in January. Kevin and I were greeted by 11 eager walkers; a good start to the day and we would not be walking alone on a day with an uncertain weather forecast, and it was sure to be muddy on route. Off we set, Kevin leading the way following the Celandine Route to Uxbridge. First we entered Pinner Memorial Park, and on to some residential roads before we began following the River Pinn, passing through some muddy woodland paths around the back of Pinner. Our first stop was Eastcote Gardens for a quick comfort break. A quick look around the walled gardens for some before a head count and we were off again. We continued on through the back of Ruslip on to Kings College playing fields where we stopped for a quick group photo beside one of the many elaborate wood carvings on route. From there we carried on, passing the Winston Churchill Hall, a great venue for past and present HAWOG socials. We continued on to the start of the HS2 diversion where we cautiously crossed the busy Ladygate Lane to continue our route to our Ickenham lunch stop, now nearing around 6 miles completed.

Ready for some food and liquid refreshments to satisfy us, we made use of the many options on offer, most making use of the local public house and its warm welcome. It was there we were joined by another 3 walkers who had been busy during the morning at parkruns and boot camps. We bid farewell to 4 members. Lunch stop over and the now 12 refuelled, we continued on the last leg to the finish, heading through woodland then over the busy A40 bridge onto the open Uxbridge playing fields, once again meeting up with the River Pinn. Following now mostly residential streets we headed on through the St Andrews RAF estate and its many new builds with its Grand Hillingdon House, hidden Battle of Britain bunker in the distance, also passing by the former gunnery. On through many more ever growing new builds we made our way through to Uxbridge High Street, reaching the end of the walk at Uxbridge Station where some bade farewell and the rest headed onto the Fig Tree public house, formerly the old Uxbridge police station, for further liquid refreshments and more catching up.

Thank you to Neil, Cathy, Claire, Ewan, Hema, Milton, Rita, Neil, Soraya, Mick, Sarah D, Dee, Pat and Brian for your great company and for joining Kevin and me.

Report by Louise

On a cold overcast morning we met in the café at the Design Museum. After handing out the jam doughnuts, "just the ticket" said Judith with jam drooling away. We explored the free exhibition of everyday objects and technology and the evolution of their design. We headed north through Holland Park and admired the east wing of the 17th century palace and the Youth Hostel next door. We explored the Japanese gardens with its miniature trees and waterfalls. Next point was the Ukrainian church with its statue of Vladimir who converted the country to Christianity in the 10th century. We entered the independent bookshop Daunts where we encountered the eternal latecomer; "no train drivers today" he claimed. We then explored Kensington terraces with several blue plaques identified. Then onto Portobello Road for a slow amble through the antique shops, market stalls and hidden arcades full of collectable markets.

We ended the walk at the Museum of Brands and Advertising where Scott and Virgil joined us. The museum is great for history, design art, and popular culture. The month's special exhibition was on the television world of Gerry Anderson, from Stingray to UFO via Thunderbirds and Joe 90. The focus was on the cultural phenomenon they ignited, the tidal wave of branded merchandising unleashed. Kevin recognised the Dinky models of FAB 1 and TB2 that he still has in shed 6. Jeff explained that his father was a writer on the TV21 weekly magazine that accompanied the series. Nick recalled not finding the Captain Scarlet badge in his bowl of Sugar Frosties, "they weren't great!". After the tour we headed to the café (surrounded by vintage wireless sets) for tea and buns.

Walkers were Brian, Louise, Kevin, Nick G, Soraya, Neil, Coogee, Jeff, Neil, Judith and Julie.

Report by Brian

As I was having breakfast, I received a couple of text messages informing me that some of the day's walkers were experiencing problems with the trains and that they would not be able to make the start at the planned start time. Some walkers arrived on an earlier train which gave them time to enjoy a pre-walk coffee before the train with the remaining walkers arrived. The weather forecast for the day was for a dry bright sunny day but very cold.

Walkers set off fully prepared, with thermals, hats, gloves and sunglasses. After leaving the station the group headed out of Amersham along the main road to the edge of Old Amersham where we then picked up a rather dirty and litter-strewn footpath that ran behind some houses, before finally arriving out into the open countryside at the bottom of Gore Hill. The fields had a light sprinkle of overnight snow covering them, but as we made our way up Gore Hill some found the need to remove a layer of thermals but not the need to remove sunglasses as the sky was clear of clouds and the sun was very bright. We continued along the path, spotting the windmill at Coleshill. We looped our way around Coleshill before stopping for refreshments next to the frozen village pond whilst watching the ducks make their way over the ice.

We continued on past the village church and as we made our way out of the village we spotted 2 very healthy foxes running across the field ahead. As we continued into a small woodland we spotted several people out searching for buried treasure in the frozen ground. Shortly after this we arrived at Winchmore Hill only to find that the local pub had now closed its doors. It was a little too early to stop for lunch, so we followed the path from Winchmore Hill into Penn Street. We found benches in the sun on the common for lunch. For some unknown reason Victoria needed to take some close-up pictures of Paul's knees; despite the day being quite cold he felt that shorts were appropriate for the day's walk. After lunch we made our way through Penn Wood, emerging at Beamond End, and onwards down into Little Missenden, where we took on refreshments by the open fire at the Red Lion.

After finishing warm mulled wine we set off on the final leg of the day's walk along the River Misbourne and back into Old Amersham. Rather than walk along the main road back up into Amersham we took the footpath up the hill and around the edge of the woodland. As we looked back we could see the sun setting behind the hills where we had been walking earlier in the day. We arrived back at the station with minutes to spare for the those taking the train home.

Many thanks to Phil, Jan, Victoria, Mary, Paul S, Sandra and Rob for joining me on the 13-mile walk through the scenic wintry Buckinghamshire countryside.

Report by Malcolm