CHESHAM, set deep in a Chiltern valley, was the 17th Century home, apparently, of the Mad Hatter, one Roger Crab, an extraordinary character.

It is said that Crab sold his estate to go and live in a cottage where he survived on roots and herbs, in the belief that this was an appropriate way to practise Christianity. I guess he earned the immortalisation bestowed upon him by Lewis Carroll.

I crossed the by-pass and entered Church Street, moving from the newest to the oldest part of the town in seconds. Church Street is a place to linger, and to take note of exquisite old buildings, before heading up to St Mary's Church, where a granite cross commemorates Thomas Harding, a martyr who was burned at the stake.

In 1821, William Cobbett, in his Rural Rides, described the countryside around Chesham as "most beautiful". It still is, as you will find as you head across Chesham Park. For looking back, there is neither sight nor sound of the town, which nestles out of sight in a deep valley. In moments civilisation is left behind for a world of peace and freedom.

Sadly, with the open air comes the weather. Leaden skies brought heavy rain, and I found myself taking refuge under a tree, with views across rolling Chiltern hillsides of woodland and field enclosures, all enshrouded in dank, clammy conditions. Most beautiful, just as Cobbett said.

Just the same, the Blue Ball at Asheridge was a welcome sight, a refuge in which to linger in the hope that the weather would clear. A vain hope, as it happened. There was nothing for it but to cross soggy fields to Braziers End, where the rain fell as stair-rods, turning the road into a lake, deep enough in places to fill my boots, the heaviest downpour I had experienced since a walking excursion on Skye some years before. That's really heavy, as anyone who has visited the Misty Isle would tell you. And to think there were folk staying indoors having Sunday lunch on a day like this.

The path led to an old hill fort known as Cholesbury Camp. It is around 2,500 years old, and had never seen rain like this. In 1932, excavations revealed well-preserved remains of prehistoric occupation: some hearths and an oven, and pottery. The fort covers ten acres, and if you walk around the ditch you might care to reflect on what it must have been like here so long ago.

St Lawrence's Church, within the perimeter of the fort, was one of only a few in the country to be built on pagan ground. Happily, today the church was open to visitors, and it might come as no surprise to learn that I went inside.

Later, I explored the ramparts of the old fort in the rain, of course, before crossing Cholesbury Common, where I came upon a granite memorial commemorating Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. They've stuck a plate on it to mark the new millennium. I wonder what the Victorians would make of it.

Hawridge is a scattering of houses on a wayside common, topped by a fine tower windmill. You can't miss it. I cut through the woods where the path, on a slope, was slippery, at any moment carrying the threat of a fall which would ensure completing the walk covered in mud. Mercifully I emerged at the road unscathed and made my way in glistening but clean waterproofs to the little church, St Mary's, near Hawridge Court Farm, where the porch provided welcome respite from the teeming rain.

The rights of way led past a field of ostriches, a surprise for anyone used to wandering the fields of England. Then, suddenly, the rain stopped, and in minutes bright sunshine heralded my return to Chesham where I walked the length of the High Street. It's pedestrianised now, no cars, lorries or fumes: instead, a pleasant town centre where modern-day man has made progress. He did well, too, to save the town clock. It was part of the old town hall, demolished in 1965, but happily reinstalled on a brick tower where a notice proudly declares it was restarted at noon on October 17, 1992.

Approximate distance: 9 miles

Start and finish: Town Clock, High Street, Chesham

Route

St Mary's Church, Chesham; Chesham Park; Chartridge; Asheridge; Braziers End; Cholesbury Camp; Hawridge Common;

Hawridge Court

Abbreviations

l. = left. r. = right. n. s. e. w. = north, south, east, west. br. = bridge r.o.w. = right of way.

PH = public house m. = mile s/post = signpost f/post fingerpost b/way = bridleway ch. = church f/p = footpath

Directions

Cross bypass to Church Street and St Mary's Church. Take f/p CM4 towards Chartridge, emerging from woods bear r. f/p CM9 to the Chartridge rd and l. towards Chartridge. Turn r. into Buslins Lane, down hill, take f/p to rd. Turn l. to Asheridge. Past Blue Ball PH, go through hedge f/p sign, cross fields to cross-roads of paths, turn l. (n.w.) to rd. to Braziers End Farm. Take r.o.w. to Cholesbury. At rd turn l. and r. into Parrots Lane to St Lawrence ch. Explore fort/ramparts. Cross Cholesbury Common to Full Moon PH, take path through woods, return to rd, passing Rose and Crown PH. Turn r. to Hawridge Court. Take r.o.w. s.w., to woods follow path s.e. alongside for 1 m. Turn r. to rd., straight on, rejoin the Chartridge rd, retracing steps to Chesham.

Pubs

Chesham: Lots

Asheridge: Blue Ball

Hawridge: Full Moon, Rose and Crown

Reproduced from Limited Edition magazine, exclusive guides to living in Hertfordshire, Middlesex and the London Borough of Barnet (01923 216295).

For a printable map of the walk, please click the image below.