Our Social Distancing Outings | Exploring Walking Trails Near London | Coombe Hill, The Chilterns

Last summer, Miss B was obsessed with Roald Dahl. She had read every Roald Dahl book she could find at the library; she would insist that we call her a ‘huggybee’ and she would relentlessly hold her ground that there is a perfect ‘scientific explanation’ behind bubbles moving down instead of up in The Giant Country.

In order to fuel her interest in Roald Dahl further, I took her to Great Missenden, a charming village tucked away in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty where Roald Dahl lived for 36 years. We did the Roald Dahl village hiking trail which took us through the sites that inspired beloved Roald Dahl stories like Matilda, The BFG and Danny, The Champion of the World.

This walking trail near London was my first walk through The Chilterns and I couldn’t help falling with this idyllic countryside. I wished I had time to trail more through this countryside, however, there is only so much one can walk in a day. I told myself that I would come back here but 2019 was super hectic for me and I couldn’t find any time for a laid-back slow-paced trail.

2020 has been quite the opposite. Thanks to Covid-19, all I have is time. Therefore, laid-back slow-paced walking trails near London in The Chilterns seemed perfect when we decided to head out for fresh air a couple of weeks back.

Exploring Walking Trails Near London – The Chilterns

Across the UK, 46 areas have been designated as Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for their exceptional landscapes. These areas showcase the best of what the UK’s outdoors have to offer – quaint villages, flower-filled meadows, ancient woodlands, rolling hills, wild moors and mystical lochs. The Chilterns is one such Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This hiking trail near London is known for its velvety lush rolling hills, chalk streams and beech-laden woodlands.

Coombe Hill

Coombe Hill is one of the most popular hills at the Chilterns. The hilltop is the highest viewpoint of the range measuring 852 feet above sea level. The viewpoint is marked with a war memorial dedicated to the men who fell while fighting for their country at the Second Boer War.

Coombe Hill offers a spectacular view of Aylesbury Vale and even as far as the Cotswolds. The hill overlooks Chequers House, the country home of the Prime Minister of the UK.

Our Experience Exploring Coombe Hill Walking Trails near London

Our Coombe Hill hiking trail started at the Coombe Hill car park. The car park was free which was quite surprising considering the fact that it was managed by the National Trust. The car park could accommodate around 20 cars or so. Since we reached the car park around 8 am in the morning, there was plenty of space available.

There are multiple trails that one can take for exploring the area. These trails go anywhere from 1.5 km to >15 km. Have a look at The National Trust’s and ChilternsAONB’s website for a list of these trails and detailed instructions about them. We sort of did the Coombe Hill Trees, Shrubs and Grass trail. Click here for the route description.

We did a lot of detours especially in the Low Scrubs to explore the woodlands further. The hiking trail had orange trail signs at most places which made it easier for us to find the trail back whenever we left it to explore the ‘road less travelled.’

In terms of difficulty, I would say that the hiking trail is fairly easy or as I mentioned before ‘laid-back and slow-paced.’

Best Features of the Coombe Hill Walking Trails

Beech Woodland

Beech woodland at the Low Scrubs was my family’s favourite part of this trail. The trackways here were ancient dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. The extended beech tree branches formed canopies letting in just enough sunlight to give the entire woodland a verdant hue. The woodland floor was laden with dried fallen leaves and bluebells just a few days from wilting away. It was the kind of spectacle that makes the perfect backdrop for an adventure story like the Bridge to Terabithia. I was immersed in nature all around me; if I didn’t know what was forest bathing before, I knew it now.

Coombe Hill Monument

Coombe Hill Monument isn’t unique in terms of architecture. However, it has a pretty interesting history. The monument is one of the first and largest examples of war memorials erected to honour the names of men died during a war. During the Second World War, the monument was camouflaged so that enemy aircraft do not use it as a sighting landmark. The monument has been destroyed by lightning twice and now is equipped with conductors to prevent this from happening again.

Aylesbury Vale Views

The hiking trails here offer spectacular views of the Aylesbury Vale. On a typical summer day in the UK, with a chilly breeze flowing in the warm sun, sitting at top of the Coombe Hill enjoying the views to the valley can be a sure delight.

Gorse Bushes

The trail gave me my first opportunity to see gorse bushes and that too, lots of them. Miss B and I have been interested in gorse bushes for a couple of years now but haven’t ever seen one. Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five series mentions these bushes multiple times. The gorse bushes are also sort of unique plants because they disperse seed though explosion – as the seeds pop out of their pods, they are flicked well away from the plant in an explosive manner. We love facts like these and therefore finding thickets of these bushes was like finding treasure.

Social Distancing Tips for Coombe Hill Walking Trails Near London

The car park has limited spaces so arrive early, probably before 10 am, to get space.

On a pleasant summer’s day, the trail gets a good number of visitors. Most of the visitors linger around the Coombe Hill Monument and arrive close to lunch. The hill in itself is huge enough for people to maintain distance even with the crowd. But, if you are like us and want to just avoid crowd either reach the hill before 8 in the morning so that you have plenty of time to enjoy trails before the area getting crowded. Or avoid hanging around Coombe Hill monument and head for the Low Scrubs which see lesser footfall.