Bank Holiday Monday

26th May 2025


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Description History Long ​Route Short ​Route The ​Picnic Schedule Safety ​and ​Practical ​Arrangements


WHAT

A sociable 12 mile or 7 mile walk around the boundary of the Hughenden parish. The two routes meet in the middle for a picnic lunch. We finish by building a cairn at the church.

Anyone within the church and wider community is welcome to join. Walk either of the two routes or just come for the picnic! Brought to you by the St Michael & All Angels Social & Outreach team.

WHEN

Bank holiday Monday – 26 May 2025, approximately 9am - 3pm (depending on walking route)

WHERE

Start and finish at St Michael & All Angels church, Hughenden. Picnic at Great Kingshill Common at 12:30pm.

COST

FREE - BYO Picnic

Event Description

A self-guided walk around the parish boundary starting and finishing at the church. The whole boundary is about 12 miles, which is rather too far for some people, so we have a Long Route and a Short Route which together cover the whole 12 mile boundary. It’s not intended as an endurance test or race, but for enjoyment and spiritual refreshment. Maybe one day we’ll organise a race, or maybe some keen souls will arrange to walk all the way round, but not today.

People can set off on their chosen walk in their own time, with the aim to arrive at Great Kingshill Common for a communal picnic between 12:30pm and 2pm. Everyone then walks together back down to the church to finish at 3pm to build a cairn and for a short reflection.

Pray: You are encouraged to pray as you walk the boundary: for all who live within the parish on your one side, and for the whole wide world on your other side. You can talk as you walk, but do walk in silence for a while and see what God shows you.

Nature's Treasure Hunt: Don’t bother looking for the four-leafed clover or the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but keep eyes and ears open and camera/mobile at the ready: beautiful flowers (garden and wild), enthusiastic birdsong, largest creepy-crawly, crops sprouting, an unusual cloud, the deepest puddle, deer grazing, kites circling. Talk with each other, but more importantly listen; smile at passers-by, or show them your treasures, and at the picnic share your treasures with walkers whom you hardly know.

Cairn: A cairn is a man-made pile or stack of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a trail marker or a point of significance. For us, our cairn represents the end of our walk, and the focal point of our parish.

Find a 'pilgrim’s stone' along your walk. Maybe choose two stones; one for another person who has not been able to walk the footpaths like you. Bring your stones to the Church where we will build a cairn to mark the end of the walk and take a few moments in reflection.

History

We follow the ancient tradition of “beating the bounds”: walking along the parish boundary to remind everyone where the boundary lies.

The true Hughenden parish boundary is shown in the image below, outlined in black.

Nowadays the true boundary doesn’t have rights of way all along it, so our walking route will follow along proper tracks and roads which are as near as we can reasonably follow the boundary and which are pleasant to walk along. The approximate walking route is shown in the other image for comparison, outlined in red.

You can see the shape is not exactly the same. If you ever want to be certain whether a particular place or building is within the parish, look online at www.achurchnearyou.com.

Parish Boundary

Walking Route

Routes

A link to a google map is provided below for each route or GPX files containing a digital version of the routes are available to download to your preferred mapping app on your mobile device. A printable pdf map and route description are also available to download below.

To use the GPX map, you will need a compatible mapping app on your phone. Find out more at www.advnture.com/​features/​what-is-a-gpx-file.

The Long Route is around 19 km (12 miles) starting and finishing at the church, (marked as “A”). The route takes in Downley, Naphill, Walter's Ash, Speen, Bryant's Bottom, Great Kingshill and Hughenden Valley. It will require a reasonable level of fitness or determination, taking you up and down the valleys with around 520 m of elevation change, (260m up and 260m down).

The whole route is estimated to take around 5 to 6 hours to complete depending on your walking speed. The section of the walk from the start to the picnic spot at Great Kingshill is 16 km (10 miles) and is estimated to take around 4 to 4.5 hours. It is recommended to start your walk around 8:30-9:00am in order to get to the picnic spot for lunch between 12:30pm and 2pm. The return leg from Great Kingshill to the church is estimated to take 1 hour.

The Short Route is around 11 km (7 miles) starting and finishing at the church. The route takes in, Green Hill, Four Ashes, Widmer End, Great Kingshill and Hughenden Valley. It will require a reasonable level of fitness or determination, taking you up and down the valley with around 260 m of elevation change, (130m up and 130m down).

The whole route is estimated to take around 3 hours to complete depending on your walking speed. The section of the walk from the start to the picnic spot at Great Kingshill is 8 km (5 miles) and is estimated to take around 2 hours. It is recommended to start your walk around 10-11 am in order to get to the picnic spot for lunch between 12:30pm and 2pm. The return leg from Great Kingshill to the church is estimated to take 1 hour.

The Picnic

When

12:30 - 2pm

Where

The Common, Great Kingshill, HP15 6EN. (At the south end of cricket field)

Cost

Free. BYO picnic

The two walking routes converge at Great Kingshill Common for a picnic between 12:30pm and 2pm.

Fancy a picnic without a long walk? Please join us! If you can’t walk, or you need a buggy or wheelchair, you’re welcome to picnic and to cheer on the walkers; car parking by the allotments at north end of cricket pitch. Picnic at the south end. There are also options for short walks from the common or just do the walk down to church. If you’ve got energy, join the communal game of French Cricket.

BYO picnic. There is a Spar convenience store located next to the common if you wish to purchase food from there.

The Great Kingshill village hall will be opened specially for us to use the toilets.

Schedule

9.00 am

The Long Route walkers depart Church.

10.00 am

Short Route walkers depart Church

12.30 pm until 2.00 pm

Picnic at Great Kingshill Common.

2.00 pm

Depart picnic spot to walk to Church (or non-walkers by car)

3.00 pm

Everyone arrives at Church and assembles in the churchyard for cairn building and short reflection.

3.10 pm

Event finish.

Safety and Practical Arrangements

  1. Participation is at your own risk. There will be no route marshals and no special signboards; you’re responsible for your own safety just as you would if you were going out for a walk or picnic that you’d planned yourself. No first aiders are supplied. Please ensure you carry sufficient water and food. Please cross roads very carefully; visibility in some places is limited.

  2. The routes are definitely not suitable for wheelchairs or buggies

  3. Toilets are available for use at Great Kingshill Village Hall and at church.

  4. Dogs are welcome. Just keep your dog under good control as you usually do. Note, the Village Hall only allows guide dogs inside.

See Also