The Lady Rambler

How to visit Bibury without the gridlock - walk there via the Coln St Aldwyns / Bibury Circular. The 7-mile (11.3km) walk starts and ends just near the Coln St Aldwyns town sign on the south side of the village. I chose to go out along the Coln River and then the way back was along a ridge between farms. Walked May 2026 on a 30 degree day!

Always lovely to arrive in Henley - the elegant town square, the riverfront, the historic houses and the lovely church.

A wonderful Chiltern Way Walk - 8.15 miles from Nettlebed to Henley. The first part passes through Nettlebed Woods and several other small woodlands. At roughly the halfway point the trail passes right by the Greys Court National Trust property, which I stopped in to visit. Then you follow a lovely valley all the way into Henley which is such a nice place to stay for a while. Walked in May 2026.

The castle at Greys Court was destroyed in the 1600s, now its ruined walls enclose a lovely garden.

It wasn't neglect or decay - the castle was deliberately slighted during the English Civil War, torn down so it couldn't be used as a stronghold again. Nearly 300 years later in the 1930s Lady Brunner created a series of walled garden "rooms" which I was lucky enough to wander through in the height of spring.

Walk here on the Chiltern Way.

One of England's oldest family homes that you've probably never heard of. Tucked into a fold of the Chiltern Hills near Henley, Stonor Park has been a family home for over 850 years.

The interiors are full of personality, from the stained glass windows in the entrance hall to the hand-painted wallpaper in the dining room and hat collection in the stairwell.

Behind the house is a lovely terraced garden and in the front a view that Lord Gibson, a former National Trust Chairman, called "possibly the most beautiful setting for any house in England."

I have to agree, and as a bonus I was able to walk here via the Chiltern Way.

Best Sunday roast in the Chilterns? Could it be the Bull and Butcher in Turville?

Well it was for me after a slightly longer than expected walk along the Chiltern Way from Hambleden on a cold and blustery day. I'd forgotten it was Sunday and was so grateful the pub fitted me in, even though they were fully booked.

The delicious roast had everything you could want. Revived, I had a little explore around the village which is gorgeous, before walking on to Stonor Park - more on that next time.