Shady summer Walks from (or very near) Brill

The Span Green / Oakley Hill circuit

Clockwise or anticlockwise - both have their diehard devotees. Reliable shade for 2/3 of the route. Start and finish at the windmill. 4.6km of rough, sometimes overgrown footpaths and steady gradients. Mostly dog-friendly.

Let's go anti-clockwise: Take the track across South Hills and then the hobbit path cutting through to the field adjacent to Oakley Road. 50m of road (take care; cars whizz up here), then follow the field margin to the bridleway heading due west, down the hill towards Oakley. This long, wooded track is, surprisingly, one of the spider-legs of Brill Common; shady and mysterious, with a stream and dog watering-hole at the bottom.

Follow footpath signs along another track and across a little meadow (good picnic stop) to rejoin another spider-leg of commonland; Span Green, heading north-east to Touchbridge. This part of the walk is a bit over-grown so take a stick to beat down the vegetation or wear trousers - but, fear not, it's on Bucks County RoW Dept's List To Clear Very Soon. From Touchbridge, cut up across the fields to Brill; dogs on leads, please, NO EXCEPTIONS. Hopefully The Pheasant Inn will now be open.

The first picture shows a new kissing gate at the end of the hobbit path leading out of Brill (near the word 'Hill' on the OS map extract). It was installed by our friends from iRIPPLE and is dedicated to "Poppy" by its sponsors. Do you have a favourite walk with a dodgy stile that could be replaced by a gate dedicated to a loved one? Find out more on the Walking & Cycling page on BPC website. The second picture shows part of the Span Green footpath.

Bernwood Forest

We're so lucky to have Bernwood Forest! Stop your ears to the growl of the M40 and you could be in Scotland. Choose your route carefully and, even though the car park is jam-packed, you'll have the place to yourself. Download the OS Maps App so you don't get lost, ignore the crowds heading down the main track, and head off into the trees. Dappled shade guarenteed!

Try walking the perimeter of the Forest; it can be done. Find the ruined cottage in the middle of the woods* - and explore the remains of the WW2 airfield close to the motorway. Go early and see the deer grazing the forest clearings; go late and listen to the owls. Take a picnic and head for Bernwood meadows (but be quick; the cattle will be back in there soon) or venture further afield to Waterperry Wood and the network of footpaths linking the villages.

*The ruins are NW of the blue duck on the map extract. Abandoned in the 1940s, now all that's left is a broken-down wall, a standpipe, and the pink primroses that come up in the Spring.

Chinkwell Wood

This part-shady walk is only 3.3km but feels longer - in a good way. Please take care, though; there are a couple of broken stiles. They can be avoided by climbing adjacent gates - at the hinge end, please - but small children, unsure walkers, and dogs will struggle. The stiles have been reported (mid-July 2022) to the Bucks RoW team.

The first thing that strikes you when you walk down the hill behind Brill School is the quiet; there's no motorway noise this side of the village. The closer you get to Chinkwell Wood, the more remote it feels; go at dusk and you may see young foxes and even badgers scampering through the rough grass. Follow the edge of the wood until you reach its northern tip where footpath signs will direct you to a narrow path between an equine exercise track and woodland. There's a bench nearby; a good spot to linger and enjoy the view across to Waddesdon Manor before heading into the woods.

Keep to the wide straight path and heed the signs warning dog-owners of legitimate vermin control in the area to protect breeding stocks of pheasants. The bluebells are spectacular along here in the spring; whilst in the summer the rich canopy enhaces the sense of peace and enclosure.

Exit the wood into a large meadow and prepare yourself for the slog back up to Brill. Just before you get to the first gate, step back into the woods for a few minutes. This is probably the most beautiful part of Chinkwell Wood; a glade of mature beech trees where generations of Brill children have gathered for campfires, picnics and Forest School outings. We are very disturbed by rumours that the Forestry Commission, who manage the woodland, are to close it to visitors.

There's only intermittent shade on the walk back up to Brill village but there's usually a refreshing breeze. The right of way leads into The Firs and thence back onto the playing fields.