Into the Chiltern Forest & Down the Wendover Canal 🌲🦆 | 20km (12.4mi)

📈 Grade: 🥾🥾🥾 Level 3/5
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📖 ABOUT:
Mince pie season is officially open, so consider this a pre-emptive strike 🥧😂 It's a proper Chiltern workout. We climb past the Iron Age hill fort on Boddington Hill into the beech woods of Wendover Woods🌲 dip into a hidden valley, then tackle Haddington Hill, the highest point in the Chilterns at 267m.

Somewhere in the woods, we thaw out at a cosy mystery café with hot food, warm drinks and toilets.

Then we drop off the escarpment and follow the sleepy Wendover Arm canal. It was built in 1793 and nicknamed the "leaky canal", and today it's a clear chalk stream full of reeds and ducks 🦆

We do the hills in the morning and save the flat towpath for when the December light fades.
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SUMMARY:
🥾20km (12.5 mi) | ➰Circular | ⤴️Ascent 551m | ⤵️Descent 551m \⏱️~6Hrs including breaks and lunch
🚆 Train from London Marylebone station
⛳️ Meeting Point: 2 Options
1- London Marylebone\, in front of the ticket office | 09:35 (Train is at 09:57)
2- Wendover, outside train station | 10:45
📍 Hike start: Wendover\, outside train station | 10:50
🏁 Hike finish: Wendover train station | approx. 16:30🔦)
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🚊 TRAIN TICKET INFORMATION:
🎟️Buy an Off-Peak Day Return: London Marylebone ⇆ Wendover
£16.10 with a Network Railcard (£24.20 without)

➡️Outbound: London Marylebone 09:57 → 10:46 Wendover (direct)
⬅️Inbound: Wendover, any Off-Peak train → London Marylebone (direct, every 30 min)

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💷COST: Free
This hike is completely free to join but participants need to purchase their own transport tickets.
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🎒WHAT TO BRING:
2L Water
Packed lunch and snacks
Waterproof hiking boots with good grip (woodland paths can be very muddy in December)
Warm layers, waterproofs, hat and gloves (it gets chilly fast once the sun goes down)
Head torch with charged batteries
Optional: trekking poles, camera, a flask of something hot ☕
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✅WHO CAN JOIN:
Our hikes are open to adults aged 21 and over.
You should be comfortable hiking 20 km with around 500 m of climbing and finishing in the dusk.
For safety reasons, we're not able to include children.
We love animals, but pets (including dogs) can't join our hikes.
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🚨RSVP & ATTENDANCE:
RSVP only if you plan to attend. Please cancel as early as possible if you can no longer make it so others can join. A no-show means you RSVPed but did not attend or cancelled just before or after the start time. Repeated no-shows or late cancellations without a valid reason may lead to removal. Reliable regulars who end up on a waitlist may message the host for priority consideration.
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☯️STAYING TOGETHER:
A dedicated back marker is not always present, so please keep others in sight and avoid moving too far ahead or falling too far behind. Faster walkers should wait at junctions. The hike leader will pause at key points to regroup and reduce the chance of anyone becoming separated from the group.
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⚠️ DISCLAIMER:
By joining, you confirm that you have read and accepted the group policy on the About page. You are responsible for your own safety, and neither the host nor the group can be held liable for injury, loss, or damage.