Chess Valley Walk - Rickmansworth to Chesham
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- Опубликовано: 15 окт 2024
- A hike along the Chess Valley Walk starting at Rickmansworth on the Metropolitan Line ending at Chesham in the Chilterns. The River Chess is a beautiful chalk stream rising in the Chilterns and runs into the River Colne.
Books mentioned: The Tropic of Ruislip by Leslie Thomas, London Orbital by Iain Sinclair, Silt Road by Charles Rangeley-Wilson, and Danny Champion of the World by Roald Dahl.
Video showing the River Wye running through High Wycombe - another Chilterns chalk stream • Back to my Roots - Hig...
Playlist of Chilterns Walks • Chilterns Walks
Music:
To Weather a Storm by Dan Lebowitz
Timeless by Lauren Duski
Fresh Fallen Snow by Chris Haugen
Tupelo Train by Chris Haugen
Nevada City by Huma-Huma
Little Drunk, Quiet Floats by Puddle of Infinity
Pink Horizon by Chris Haugen
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grew up there - lived opposite loudwater farm - the chess was a major part of my childhood. thanks for the reminder - the bridge at 4.43 used to be made of old concrete - quite narrow with no sides - it had potholes in - always a laugh to cycle across it. the nature reserve to your right as you passed the bridge is owned by the masonic school. classic story of the selfish giant. it was private - forbidden to go in - a moody groundsman might be there once in a while...yet it was so magical (river splits 3 ways with weirs). we spent many happy days sneaking in - ropeswings, rafts and treehouses etc.
I always say hello to my fellow walkers. Absolutely love walking. The beauty of the London Loop is I can walk it from or to my door step. I will be walking the Chilterns Way in September.
I always say hello to people when I’m out walking, I’ve giving up caring whether they say hello back, but I still do it, it’s good for the soul.
As always a most enjoyable walk and observations, thank you for that.
Can I just say here I'm 72 and have read no more than three books in my life. As result of watching, though moreover listen to you, I now find myself half way through my copy of This Other London, a third of the way into History of the parishes of East & West Ham, now own a 1956 copy of the London A to Z and a copy Where London Sleeps.
What have you done to me?
You have awakened and inspired me, it's as simple as that.
More power to your elbow my friend, and again thank you for walks, talks and inspiring views of our past and present world. .
Michael Kibby I am a voracious reader, about 45 years your junior but currently also reading This Other London with great interest. I think that just goes to show that John‘s insightful and riveting storytelling is for everyone who finds joy in it!
Hi @@snailglue9716 , I also find myself laughing out loud at some of his descriptions, like the server in the fast food outlet in Plumstead...Very funny!
so great to read this comment Michael - books open up whole other worlds. Thanks for reading This Other London, hope you enjoy the rest of it
Hi Michael Kibby, very funny indeed! Also, that’s the exact walk/chapter I am currently on. How did you do that? :D I heartily chuckled at the description of Alfred and his role in the draining of the River Lea. Hope you enjoy the rest of the book! Very best wishes
Typo alert! At 2 min 50sec it's the river Gade, not Grade. Lovely walk tho. Thx for the ride. When you're next in the area, maybe get off at Watford High St Stn on the Met line, stock up on provisions at the big Tesco, and follow the river Colne from there, heading NE to Bricket Wood, then pick up the river Ver, perhaps a quick refreshment stop at Moor Mill, stare at the trout, then cross Watling Street at Frogmore and head into Roman St Albans. Train back home. One for late May, early June, when the damselflies are out. Fun fact: England has 85% of the WORLD'S chalk streams. So we need to look after them.
your entire catalog of adventures on foot will be of interest to historians
for eternity Bravo
That’s a wonderful sentiment many thanks
We have completed this walk yesterday! It was incredible!
The horrors of a group walk 😂. Thank you as always John for taking us with you (we're your group!).
the best group to walk with
I wanna join this walk group,could do 100 walks after this long lockdown 🔐
I love seeing your beautiful country in your walks! Being a native of the American South, saying hello to a passersby is as natural as breathing. Can't imagine anyone being rude to you.
I think many women feel safer on a group walk rather than walking alone, really love the videos, thanks for making and sharing.
Lovely landscapes and views, thanks John. I am always looking forward to the next wherever-that-may-be.
Thanks Mariana - I'm heading out in the next couple of days - so many options
Thanks so much, John.
I grew up in Croxley Green, and went to school in 'Ricky'. My childhood and adolescence were spent cycling or walking around that area with various chums. This would have been in the late 50s / early 60s, long before there was a Chess Valley Walk, or even an M25. I was too young then to really appreciate the landscape in the way that I can now, or to understand how it affects you.
Made my day watching this - thanks again.
My pleasure Robin really glad you enjoyed the video
John - good point well made... I always say hello to the people I meet on walks and some patently ignore my greeting - their loss - another great video
Great to see such clear water, even in full spate. appreciate the joy of those Spring days. I walked another way from the station and found a canal-side path, and someone selling Pimms.
Ahh the golden age of your videos, the scenes, the music just utter perfection. Do a river walk around those sides mate and use that old school music that you used to use. Absolutely glorious shots you manage to get. Keep up the hard work
Thank you for a well presented video. I discovered your channel when I browsed for anything relating to Chesham. I’m from Chesham but haven’t lived in England since 1970 and I’m planning on returning to visit in 2024. This walk is now at the top of my “to do” list when I return.
The tropic of Ruislip is based where I live in Carpenders Park/South Oxhey which is about 2-3 miles from Rickmansworth.
Wow great walk brings back memories of my time visiting my grandparents in chesham they lived by the factory at edge of town on the river chess
Ah I think that may be the factory I walked past - wonderful area
What a beautiful walk. Wonderful landscapes and river. Thank you John for taking us along with you
My pleasure Peter thanks for watching
Great video John. I walked this track today, starting at Chesham. Absolutely loved it.
Thanks Josh - I’d love to be out in the Chilterns right now
another great upload! wonderful.
thanks Syed
@@JohnRogersWalks thanks
That pork pie looked very sustaining....I now class you as the "Everyman" walker..
Enjoyable as ever.
Thanks I'm happy with that description. I found myself in near a Waitrose today and feeling hungry so couldn't resist popping in for another one of those pies
Great walk Thanks John 🚶♂️👍
thanks for watching 4thEye
That was really lovely, definitely an overlooked area.
Fantastic once again John! Thank you :)
Thanks for watching Henry
Epic walk John, I have a love for those clear chalk streams and rivers.
Many thanks.
thanks for that. Chesham was were i was raised. The queens head was or still is where they held the yard of ale drink challenge. the Bury is the start to the Chess an old estate, and one time you could drive through the high street of Chesham. Many a fond memory comes back and how much it's changed CHEERS
For the past few weeks I've been catching up with a lot of your earlier videos......Really enjoyable and many thanks for all the effort you put into your walks.
Cheers buddy once more another great walk.
glad you enjoyed it David
I love the music in this walk
Great video of the walk John. I actually did the walk yesterday starting from Chesham and finishing in Rickmansworth. Lovely weather yesterday afternoon, sunny and 23 degrees. I've done this walk many times before starting at Chesham and Rickmansworth and sometimes I just walk a section of the route if I don't have much time. I live locally so it is easy to join the route. As for other walkers not always acknowledging you, I know what you mean, some people are super friendly and others seem horrified. I guess you are still in the outer London suburbia area really, but it certainly improves once you get beyond Chenies and into leafy Bucks. Hard to believe you are so close to tube stations along the walk. Glad you enjoyed it too!
Latimer Park is also owned by the owner of The Entertainer toy shops, a wonderful guy called Gary Grant, it also is a Christian retreat called Restore Hope, great video John, thank you.
Beautifully evocative vibes.
xx
Wonderful walk- but then the Chilterns are always uplifting. May I suggest you investigate the "Chiltern Heritage Trail"- there was a signpost for it shown in your video. It follows that high ridge above the Chess out of Latimer village. Looking forward to your next adventure!
Those other paths did look very inviting - I'll certainly check it out Voxley and I think we also discussed the Chiltern Way a couple of years ago too
Yes we did discuss the Chiltern Way. It probably won't surprise you that there are videos of walks along both the Chiltern Way and the Chiltern Heritage Trail on my channel. You can see the guidebooks to both these walks on Amazon.
Thank you, John. Great video.
Somehow I knew you would upload it today.
Thank you - I wouldn't have missed it for anything today
Hi John, another great walk . Look forward seeing back down my way on the River Crouch, maybe Burnham to Bradwell on sea and St Peters Chapel, a long and lonely coastline. Keep up the good work.
That tomb of Liberty Family has a very curious (erroneous) inscription. Not far away is beautiful place called Church End, with a exquisitely unique Church, and a great pub (Cock Inn) just opposite. Stop here is a must when around these parts.
very nice, it's wonderful that the grass there stays green all year round. as always take care my friend..
Thanks Patrick
Great video. Thanks John
Another lovely video. More water in the river then when I was in Chesham a few months earlier. I only really went because it's the setting of The Furthest Station novella in Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series, so called because Chesham is, indeed, the furthest statin from London on the Tube network.
Superb video most nostalgic just did the walk yesterday, sunny not a cloud in the sky, magical , got a bit lost after frogmore meadows turned into Mill barns and headed right up hill and at the end in Chesham a bit confusing. but still after your video had to do the course . will be watching more of your walks
many thanks
Thanks for that Mo - I’m really missing the Chilterns at the moment
Such a beautiful place! Thanks for sharing your experience
Thanks for watching Snooch
@@JohnRogersWalks no problem. We really enjoy making outdoor videos as well
Great stuff John 👍👍
thanks Colin
Great walk John 👍& if they dont wanna talk just "walk on by"🎼😉
Charles Rangeley-Wilson fished the Chess at Rickmansworth playing fields in the series The Accidental Angler. I fished there last season and had a wild trout of over a pound at mayfly time. The Chess Association does sterling work to protect the river. There are issues with sewage from the treatment works at Chesham, but that lovely little river hangs on.
Great video, very nostalgic. A beautiful walk I’ve done many times, shame sewage is dumped into that the chess.
Love the channel ... I used to live in Ruislip and spent a bit of time around Amersham etc never knew half the places you've walked near Ruislip, Uxbridge , Amersham etc existed . Keep up the great work with the videos, I look forward to watching more.
Wow.. Spent many a school holiday paddling in the Chess on water lane. also down at Chorley. Family from Chesham. Lovely part of the world. Great video
I’m a new sub. just going through your stuff and find this … i grew up in rickmansworth. i went to st joan of arc.
i now live in cornwall, lovely to see my home place
Thanks Catherine - hope you enjoy the videos. This was a glorious walk
Great work as always John.
My weekend is complete !
Another lovely walk, great you saw the rivers source,thanks John. 😋
This is a great one man. Doing some epic walks here in Mexico City with yours in mind. Only got as far as Parque de los Venados (The Deer Park) today but it was very sunny so whew!
Thanks Grant, I'd love to see some walks around Mexico City
@@JohnRogersWalks I'm hip deep writing memoirs about England and not so good with the tech. We'll have to have you over to talk at the bookstore in a few years when we're flush again, and take a walk ourselves. But I'll bet there's someone doing those - I'll root around.
Hi John i enjoyed that one thank you. I think the guy who did the Film about Brown trout on the Wye came into our fishing shop in High Wycombe. He was after local knowledge on the river. I used to organise group walks in the area, but got fed up with people letting you down or being late.
Ah that's interesting. It was great to find that book in Waterstones in Wycombe a few years back. The only disappointment for me is that it ends at the Loudwater viaduct and doesn't follow the stream through Wooburn to the Thames. My Dad used to do the garden of the house when the Wye makes its confluence with the Thames.
Ricky! Thanks John; amazing old countryside.
Ha, that brings back memories of when we used to play them at cricket
Used to live in Chesham, didn’t recognise the place on my return some 30 years later.
Great walk, John. I kept looking in the stream for trout. Its a fly fisherman's addiction. Cheers 🍺
Thanks Rob - that was the episode of Countryfile - look for brown trout close to London
Fun Fact: That Waitrose, incorporating the Station Multi-Storey Car Park, wasn't always there.
i remember it being just a ground level car park, with a Car Boot Sale on various weekends!
I genuinely don’t understand the dislike, maybe the chess challenge walkers got wind. Thanks for sharing this video John. 👍🏼
my pleasure Michael - many thanks
Being a chalk stream the River Chess provides a habitat for native Brown Trout. Rainbow Trout were introduced into the River Chess in the early 20th Century and is one of the very rare examples of a UK river where they self sustain. Normally Rainbow Trout are farmed.
Thanks for that info - glad that my mind wasn't playing tricks on me and that it was brown trout he was looking for
Thank you John
Oh I so enjoyed this one ,My Mums side come from Chesham,I've traced them back 500 years there.
Lovely walk , John, and, as usual a wonderful video. Lack of responsiveness - I get it on well trodden(popular) paths and when meeting group walks but far from the madding crowd - no problem.
thanks Dave
Yes. Many a time I’ve arrived at the Tea shop just after the Ramblers Club locusts have been through.
that's a bad day - no sign of them when I reached Chesham though, must have been in a pub rather than Costa
Come and walk in Leicestershire... Everybody says hello...
Hello john I do love your nature walks where are you from lm from chelmsford essex
Hope you'll still be able to get out for your walks, wish they'd get a grip on all this stockpiling though, we're worried sick as can't get anything, so sad. Hope you're doing okay. 😋
Thanks - managed a walk yesterday and shot a nice video for next weekend although my walks are fairly restricted due to not using public transport. Hopefully get another one in before the lock down. We're all doing well - hope all is good with you.
Great area to walk these film producers and footballers pick the best places to live.
they do indeed John - there used to be a few studios out that way too, just Pinewood and Elstree now
I live at the foot of the chilterns. The other side of the chilterns from high wycombe in fact. So most of my hikes tend to be at that end.
fantastic part of the world - can't wait to get back out there
Amazing, I was hoping someone would do Ricky to chesham 😊
I know it well John great walking country
👍thanks for sharing....
my pleasure Lee
Thanks 🙂
Thanks again John..It`s true that something so small as "Good Morning!"can put a spring in your step and brighten your day.A little more faith in humanity.Epping Forest is a bit hit and miss in that respect..but to be fair,when i come bundling out the undergrowth dressed all in black like a feral Special Forces lout ,it`s understandable them being wary.My uncle used to live in Chesham,lovely place but is it pronounced Ches-ham or Chesh-am?..he favoured the latter..`til next time!
You should have your own BBC series about London walks.
Just what I needed in the chaos right now. Thank you so much. Just a question - is there somewhere you’ve always wanted to walk (in the UK) but never have?
That's wonderful to hear Roxy. Good question - too many places to name - the whole of the Ridgeway, Scottish Highlands, Cornwall
Excellent walk. The big house was Glenn Chess.
Many thanks
I’d like to explore this area. It’s a sort of tucked away district of intrigue.
It's a wonderful territory to explore Monty - certainly a 'district of intrigue'
Ooh I like that District of Intrigue. Please use it in a future video....
Great insight to the Chilterns . Busy yeah .Has for some walkers that ignore it happens a lot .I get it all the time has a postman ,has society changed ?
I do like well signposted routes. I tend to loose my way because I end up in a field and loose sight of the next stile.
Another great walk! I love chalk streams, did you see any trout? Thanks again John.
Thanks Tim - no sadly didn’t see any trout
All the walkers you greet are from London and come one the tube, hence they are startled :D
I always say hello to fellow walkers 😊
another great walk.. may i ask, what is the soundtrack and is it copyright free??
Sure Brian all the tracks are in the video description and can be found in the RUclips audio library
No it's not the beard and the hair and the orange beanie........I have short hair, no beard and green headwear but it happens to me too! Unfortunately so many people now are just so insular, or perhaps it was like that in the past too. Outside London things tend to get better but even though you are in countryside from what you say the city mentality seems to have spread and saying hello to someone else enjoying a walk is seen as weird by many people. As long as it doesn't spoil your walk.....just one of those things! Their loss I would say.
P.S. Wrote this while video in progress, glad to hear that things got better with the conversation as the walk progressed! Sounds as though you had a really close relationship with your Dad, good to hear. Glad you prefer walking to golf now, though I think you could even make a round of golf interesting, talking about the surroundings that is, not driving, chipping or putting : )
In chesham on walks everyone says hello if they are used to walking
@@liscatcat8756 Glad to hear it! Don't remember having been there. Photo of it looks good. Nice riverside walks I imagine.
Who needs holidays to Thailand, asia, australia, the cost brava and al that palava - you can have an amazing holiday at home and go and walk routes like this or where you live. Enjoy solitude! Your hotel at home with your own loo, bed and comforts!
quite agree Monty - 'adventure begins at home', Pathfinder 1911
Saying hello to strangers isn't immediately possible for Londoners, we would have no time for anything else if it were expected on our home turf, therefore it has been bred out of us over the centuries. I find it quite disturbing when it happens to me and wonder if I might get robbed. It takes a few days without seeing someone every few minutes for this feeling to subside and for me to attempt to join in with this rural practise.
Ah now I know the outbreak of friendliness today when I walked along the Roding - I'd crossed over into Essex.
@@JohnRogersWalks Yes, they drive everywhere so are less sparing.
Were you into walking when you lived in Italy?
Yes a bit, we used to go to the other towns and cities in the region and walk around. Have a look at my Modena video where I went back just before Christmas
As a child of Essex, my ears pricked up at the name River Colne. Seems to be a moniker attributed to several waterways as well as a town. Does it have any one archaic meaning or origin that you are aware of? I drew a blank.
I'm a Brit living in Austria and you are right about saying hallo. Here everyone says hallo to each other ( don't know about Vienna) when I go to the island to visit friends I find I have to not say anything because of the looks I get.... Shame really.
Let me guess are you from london
Those people who fear to share your greetings are paranoid! Kindness is miss interpreted to some os aggression!
Do you rate it as a good walk?
OH JOHN CHECKMATE, YOU CAN NOT PLAY CHESS ALONE, YOU NEED A PARTNER TO PLAY IT !!!!!
jolly crackin' walk
Oh no.... not organised hiking. I like to go on my own or with one other person. But I'm not really in to people 🤣
The "good morning" thing is definitely a London area issue John. Very normal up here in the north of East Anglia. A friend of mine went to do some building work in Romford. It got to the point where commuters on their way to work would cross the street just to avoid his morning greeting :-) Saying that, when I do go back to the city, my newly found good manners do go down well. Keep it up!
It certainly changed the further out I went. However today walking along the Roding I had a couple of great chats with some very friendly dog walkers
I wanna do this walk.
It’s a great walk Tahir
@@JohnRogersWalks I hope to do it in the next few weeks.
George Smiley country John.
Ah yes David - my Dad inadvertadly assisted the midnight burial of one of the Cambridge spies not far from here too (he was the Vicar's gardener)
@@JohnRogersWalks It's amazing that le Carre was allowed to use actual Secret Service locations, albeit with names changed.
No harm to you mate, but it's not Key-R-ahh, its Keear-ahh, say it quickly. I know its complicated, the Irish alphabet has fewer letters in it q, x, y, z, v, and w for instance do not exist, a 'v' or 'w' sound to a word becomes 'an bhfuil tu' or phonetically 'on Vill too'=do you have. You're a bit of an archaeologist, you will like this one, ogham stones, it's not Og-ham, the 'gh' is more like an 'i' sound but softer, so its O-im, as in him, have a quick look at it on google you'll find Irish fascinating. one last one for you, your name john can be sean or eoin and since you love forests, the word forest is coill, not coil as in English, it has a 'q' sound, so its pronounced phonetically 'quill' .
Thanks for the pronunciation note Paddy
@@JohnRogersWalks ahhh your good man to respond, i thought for a second you might have taken offence, that maybe i was being a bit preachy...when the shitshow that is covid is over you should pop over to ireland and do a few videos it would be great to see them, plenty of canals, rivers walks, loads of ancient mounds and sites, tons of old anglo irish architecture and history there, and you ll have fun with the names. but heres a start for you, everywhere in ireland is called bally this or bally that, ye have ham and ton and by and shire etc we have bally or baile (boll-e-a) its just a prefix denoting townland of etc, but also and more importantly a geographic indicator, so a bally is a lowland/townland where, in the past, they would graze animals for the winter and then move the stock from the bally up to boula(boo-la) -uplands for the summer months. anyway you have heads up on the ballys lol...best of luck mate
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