Autumn Bike Ride in the Chiltern Hills
November 15, 1998

Distance: 32 miles
Elevation: 2,300 feet
Difficulty: 5/10
Scenery: 6/10;
Route: Princes Risborough-Saunderton-Bledlow Ridge-Stokenchurch-
Horsleys Green-Fingest-Skirmett-Hambleden-Pheasants-Frieth-
Moor Common-Lane End-Wheeler End-West Wycombe-Lacey Green-
Princes Risborough

After having watched from indoors three consecutive precious autumn weekends get washed out by heavy rains (rains which conspired to make October 1998 in England the wettest one in years), I took advantage of a rare breakout of dry weather and headed west to the Chiltern Hills to resume my bike exploration of the English countryside.

This ride will probably be Ernie’s last one for a while, for a new member of the bike household is due to arrive soon (as they say, watch this space…).

The train ride from Marylebone to Princes Risborough was a pleasant one, due in no small part to the presence of a morning sun that imbued the English countryside with an autumnal hue of melancholy orange. Ubiquitous were the signs of nature bedding down for the coming winter. Of course the sun quickly took cover as soon as Ernie and I got off the train.

(Above: Saunderton just outside of Princes Risborough)

I headed southwest from Princes Risborough (from Old English hrisen + beorg, "hills where brushwood grows"). It was nearing 9AM and yet the area was still quite dark under sullen skies. This was my first ride this year where I had to wear liner gloves under my normal cycling gloves, leg warmers, and those neoprene toe thingies. The forecast called for dry but cold weather; I shrugged off the prospect of freezing my digits off, I just had to get out...

(Above: On Bledlow Ridge Road, looking south)

But I warmed up quickly enough, for a mere 2 miles outside of Risborough was Bledlow Ridge Road and about 700 feet of climbing divided between two ridges. Three weeks of relative inactivity had made me rusty, and my legs felt very heavy; I climbed the hill awkwardly. The climb was followed by a wild descent on a narrow road that curved to the left towards Radnage. I couldn't help but notice how remarkably different the Chilterns look in autumn--without the summer tourists and without the chirping of the birds, the most prominent feature of the landscape were the chlorophyll-deficient beechwoods with their fiery yellow and orange foliage. Fallen leaves lined both sides of the road.

(Above and Below: Amidst autumn foliage in Hanger Wood)

As much as I wanted to keep riding to keep from getting cold, I sat up and stopped as I rounded a turn just before a steep uphill outside of Fingest to take in the serenity that surrounded me. It was one of the moments when one felt that all was right with the world...

Soon I came out of the woods and onto a flat, straight road that heading due south. Up until this point, most of the riding had been in and out of the saddle, roller-coastering up and down the Chiltern hills. I found the change of pace provided by non-strenuous flat riding quite enjoyable, as it became apparent that my legs had lost a bit of their strength from the summer past. Soon the sun came back out to join in the festivities; it was one of the few times I could recall seeing the sun during the last few weeks. I turned off at Hambleden (Old English hamel + denu, "crooked or undulating valley"), a charming little village clustered with 16th and 17th century cottages. Hambleden was still asleep at 9:45 save for a few tourists gawking at the shop windows and hikers at the carkpark getting ready to walk the adjacent footpaths.

(Above: Church in Hambleden)

Last Updated: November 21, 1998