Bluebells in the Chilterns

Jane Rosoux reports on last Friday's circular walk in the Chilterns....

"A party of 11 of us set out from Wendover Station on another lovely day and although the bluebells had come out early this year and many were past their best Joe Garver led us through a succession of woods where the bluebells were still putting on a good display....



"And at the lunch stop at 'The White Lion', Buckland Common the picnickers enjoyed an impressive display of buttercups....





[Walk leader Joe Garver, above, in the yellow shirt, in conversation with Angela]



[Wild Garlic was in great profusion too]



[Nearing Wendover at the end of a great day]

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In search of the Black Poplar...

Michael and Olga Way sent me this report....

"14 people braved horrendous travel arrangements on Bank Holiday Monday for Joe Garver's 10-mile stroll round the Vale of Aylesbury from Wendover.

"It finished with a cream tea at St Mary's Church, Weston Turville, and a walk along the Wendover arm of the Grand Union canal back to the station.



"As a newcomer from Hammersmith and Fulman group commented -- ''At last I've met the legendary Joe Garver.'' [Joe is above in the yellow jacket].



"For travel enthusiasts, it took us 3 trains to get there, via Princes Risborough and Aylesbury. Others caught a selection of buses. Lovely sunny day"

Michael and Olga Way

Wendover Circular

The 30th July walk was a departure for Hampstead, taking place on a Friday. Jane reports as follows...

"Once again we were fortunate with the weather and Joe had devised another very interesting route. There were 15 in the party - excellent for a [weekday] walk. We started off by following the ancient Ridgeway Path southeast to Barn Wood...



"then northeast towards Wendover Woods where we then headed northwest to Dancers End Nature Reserve, where we had a short stop...



[Joe is centre left in the blue shirt]

"....before making our way to the Cafe in the Woods for lunch. Not surpringly, it was a hive of activity. In the afternoon we headed towards Halton and then followed the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal back to Wendover. It was very attractive with lots of reeds and other vegetation and it would be a great pity if the plans to reinstate it as an operational canal ever came to fruition.



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Wild Orchids in the Chiltern Hills

Jane Rosoux reports:

This Hampstead group walk was led by Joe Garver on Sunday the 20th of June.



[Joe is centre, with stick].

"There were only nine of us on the walk but those who were put off by the engineering works, which affected both the Metropolitan Line and Chiltern Railways, missed a delighful 11 mile walk.

"We had good views, pretty villages and plenty of orchids and other wild flowers, not to mention a Roman snail, a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly and a Five-Spot Burnet moth.









"The walk included a half hour lunch stop at 'The Red Lion', Whiteleaf village".

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Wendover Circular Bluebell Walk

Despite Heavy overnight rain which continued into the morning, 13 people joined Joe Garver for a 13.5 mile walk in search of bluebells. Jane Rosoux sent us these photographs.



[Joe Garver is on the extreme right.]

The route was ingeniously planned and took in many bluebell woods...





By the end of the day, even the sun broke through!




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Spring Bluebells around Wendover

A stomach bug flattened me over the weekend, so on Sunday I missed one of the walks I had been looking forward to for months, Joe Garver leading a circular walk around Bluebell woods in the Chilterns.


Luckily Jane Rosoux went on the walk with her trusty camera. She wasn't alone, there were 48 other ramblers, led by the ever-popular Joe Garver. Joe lives in Wendover, and knows the area like the back of his hand.


This photo was taken early on in the walk. Joe is centre right, in the checked shirt.

With this many walkers, it is always sensible to appoint a backmarker. Joe had arranged for Peter, pictured below, to do the job on Sunday.


Have staff, will backmark!

At the beginning of the walk there were some very cute black (well, dark brown) sheep



But the real stars of the show were, of course, the Bluebell Woods, as these photos show...









The weather was perfect, dry warm and sunny



You can see why a backmarker is needed to keep an eye on the stragglers!



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