Today I want to share my guide to an Amersham circular walk with you. This scenic route in Buckinghamshire is a fun way to get into the English countryside near London. Nestled in the Chess Valley, it’s so close to the city you can get here on the tube. If a leg stretch near the UK capital appeals to you, read on for the route, map, and photos.
Amersham Circular Walk
Amersham is a market town in the Chiltern Hills. With rich history and a centuries-old village at its heart, it’s popular with visitors who travel to Buckinghamshire to take in its heritage streets and go for country walks in the area around it.
How to Get Here
An Amersham walk is the perfect way to explore the countryside near London without a car. There are direct tube and rail services from London. The former are on the Metropolitan line of the Underground, and the latter depart from Marylebone station.
The fastest services whisk passengers off to the Chilterns in just 45 minutes. That means there’s no excuse to stay away from this beautiful part of the UK.
I’ve arrived at Amersham station on the Metropolitan line of the tube, and I’m looking forward to spending a day getting out onto the trails and into the English countryside.
Where to Stay
If you have time to spend a night or more in this part of the Home Counties, there are lots of great places to stay in Amersham. You can see options and book one here.
My top pick is the Tudor-era Kings Arms Hotel. Right in the heart of the old town, it has a great historic feel (Oliver Cromwell once stayed here). The hotel featured in the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral, too.
Walking in the Chilterns
The Chilterns rank among my favorite places for country walks near London by train, and I’m excited to follow this picturesque route and show you the highlights.
You can see additional rambles in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in the book Walking in the Chilterns: 35 Walks in the Chiltern Hills. If you’re in the UK, you can get it here. If you’re elsewhere, you can get it here.
Amersham Circular Walk Route
This route is a relatively flat 5-mile (8-kilometer) walk. The path goes from Amersham-on-the-Hill into the Chess Valley, through beautiful woodlands, and along the River Chess.
The walk is officially called “Chess Valley Walk: Walk 2”, but it’s much more exciting than the somewhat descriptive name suggests. You can find the map with all the details below.
Amersham
Once in Buckinghamshire, I start my walk at Amersham station. After alighting from the tube, I cover the short distance to the official start of the route on foot.
The scenery gets better as the train tracks recede into the distance, and I can’t wait to get out into the English countryside.
The walk starts on a narrow footpath leading away from the junction of New Road and Chestnut Lane. After strolling through a residential neighborhood, I go through a kissing gate and find myself on a trail bordering a pasture.
There are beautiful views from here, and it sets a good tone as I make my way down a sloping hill and under a tall railway arch. When I emerge on the other side, I find myself passing through Ivy House Farm. It has all the pastoral scenery I could ask for.
When I reach the end of the farm, I walk under a tree tunnel and continue up a country lane. Soon I’m crossing over the River Chess. There are cows wading in the water, and the scene is so classic I can’t help stopping to take pictures.
From there the route takes me past Blackwell Hall, an estate that dates back to medieval times. I catch a glimpse of the stunning historic house as I round a bend and follow signs for the Chess Valley Walk footpath.
Passing a farm, I walk through wide open fields with grazing horses and a tiny calf frolicking in the distance. After waving hello, I find myself entering Frith Wood. This enchanting place is full of dappled light and wildflowers. I feel like I’ve fallen into a fairy tale.
I meander up a hill and through the wood, choosing my own adventure from the crisscrossing trails while keeping the open fields to my right. It’s a fun way to go a bit off piste on the walk and explore the woodland area at the same time.
Back out on the Chess Valley Walk footpath, I make a slight descent as I take in sweeping views of the River Chess and Latimer Park Farm below.
The river once provided water for a booming Victorian watercress industry, and the farm sits on the site of an ancient Roman villa.
Soon I’m passing the stately form of the historic Latimer House. The estate it’s on dates back to the 12th century. King Edward III gave it to William Latimer in 1331, and it remained in his family until the mid-1500s.
During the English Civil War, Charles I was imprisoned in the Elizabethan house that was here. That home succumbed to fire in the 1830s, and the one that currently sits on the grounds dates to 1838.
During World War II, Latimer House was commandeered by the Ministry of Defense and used as a top secret center for military intelligence. Today it’s a hotel. If you want to stay in a piece of living history, you can book a room here.
After admiring the attractive facade, I continue my walk by heading down a hill to get to the river. I cross a bridge where the water drops over a weir at the end of an ornamental lake.
I take in the views of the water from the bridge, then pass through a kissing gate and across a paddock to get to the busy Latimer Road.
Heading through the fields on the other side, I walk up a hill and into West Wood. Like Frith Wood, this area is dense with trees and lush with wildflowers.
I stay on the lower edge of the wood, catching peek-a-boo views of Latimer Park Farm and Latimer House through the branches. Closer in, I enjoy the shade of the trees and the wide paths with their gentle slopes.
After crossing Bell Lane, I continue into Lane Wood and Market Reading Wood. At the top of the latter, I find myself on the edge of open fields with views over the Chess Valley. There are adorable lambs here, too.
Soon I’m crossing Quill Hall Lane railway bridge and making my way down a dirt road shaded by trees and bordered by a field full of cows.
The lane ends on a paved road in town, where I turn right and pass Quill Hall Farm. Soon I’m back on Chestnut Lane, and before I know it I’ve come full circle to the start of the walk.
From there I head back to Amersham station. I make it to the platform a few minutes before my train to London arrives. The whole walk has taken me 3 hours to complete.
It’s been great to experience this Amersham circular route, and I’m glad I’ve gotten to do one of the many great country walks in the Chilterns.
Amersham Walk Map
If you’re interested in going on this Amersham circular walk yourself, you can find the map here. It has easy-to-follow directions, photos, and information about key points along the route.
Amersham Circular Walk
I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to this Amersham circular walk. It makes for a great afternoon away from London, not to mention a good ramble. It’s one of my top picks for a country walk near London, and it’s worth a special trip.
You can get more inspiration from the book Time Out Country Walks: 52 Walks Near London, too. You can get it here.
Find this post helpful? Buy me a coffee!
New here? Join thousands of others and subscribe to the A Lady in London blog via email.
Some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links. At no cost to you, I earn a small commission when you click on them and make a purchase. It doesn’t affect the way you shop, and it’s a great way to support the A Lady in London blog.
Pin it!