The crystal-clear waters of the Chess chalk stream
Winter walking is truly the best, particularly when still blue skies prevail and the shallow sunlight casts long morning shadows across frosty meadows, and so it was for me starting out on the 10-mile Chess Valley Walk yesterday from Chesham to Rickmansworth. A wonderful way to spend four or five hours, this walk is a must for anyone living close to the Chilterns, winter, spring, summer or fall. A linear and largely flat ramble, the Metropolitan Underground Line connects the two end points, making the arrangements reasonably simple.
The thin blue line of the Chess Valley Walk crosses the rather thicker one of the M25, a discordant interruption to an otherwise marvellous walk
Chalk streams such as the Chess emerge as springs from aquifers within the permeable chalk bedrock and as a result of their limited surface runoff these watercourses contain less organic matter and sediment than most rivers, resulting in clear and slightly alkaline water that produces a unique environment for certain fish species, invertebrates and riverine vegetation. Globally there are only just over 200 rivers registered as chalk streams, of which around three quarters are in the England, making the preservation of these very special environments vital – what a joy it is to be able to enjoy some of these wonders so close to home! I hope that you enjoy the photos.
The clock tower in Chesham was erected in 1992, using the clock faces and mechanism from a Victorian clock that had graced an earlier nineteenth century structure.A pleasant waterside aspect as the Chess exits Chesham . . .. . . and a challenging side pathSunlight on the bullrushes . . .. . . and an unexpected waterfall by the weir near Chesham Moor, an island that was created in the tenth century by the Lady Elgiva during the building of the ancient Lord’s MillSun on the fields, approaching Latimer . . .. . . and a short detour into some Chiltern beechwoods Grazing lands above Great Water next to Latimer Park Farm, once the site of a Roman villa Latimer House; built in 1863 following the destruction by fire of the previous Elizabethan mansion, the building was used by MI5 and MI6 during World War Two for purposes that supported the code-breakers at Bletchley Park (including the interrogation of senior prisoners of war such as Rudolf Hess)William Liberty’s Tomb on the wayside – this eighteenth century brickmaker held concerns that his bones would otherwise fail to be identified when the time for resurrection arrivedNear Chenies is the site of Dodd’s Mill, used variously over previous centuries for flour milling, fulling, and paper-making; the small village of Chenies was in the late eighteenth century home to 11 papermakersAn egret in flight over Frogmore Nature Reserve: on this section of the walk I missed the allegedly resident kingfishers but saw two green woodpeckers, a heron, and some russet-chested stonechats, as well the now ubiquitous Chiltern red kites sailing overhead – in terms of mammals there is plenty of evidence of moles, some badger setts and fox holes, whilst the more remote sections of river bank provide important havens for water voles; grass snakes, good swimmers, are also found in the wetlandsTowards Sarratt Bottom where watercress beds have been tended by the Tyler family for generations, from the crop’s day as a working-class Victorian staple to a contemporary ‘superfood’Alpacas grazing, oblivious to my approachA convenient lunch-stopOn the Chorleywood House Estate, barely a stone’s throw from the M25Perhaps not the most glamorous section of the walk, as the path approaches Rickmansworth . . .. . . although another beautiful stretch of watermeadows, reedbeds and riverbanks awaited me over the final two milesAt the end point in Rickmansworth, close to where the Chess enters the River Colne along its journey to the Thames
I hope that you enjoyed this ramble along the Chess Valley Walk and thank you for sharing my journey. I hope to share another Chiltern walk next week as spring approaches and the days get slightly longer.
Sculpture in the Valley
In choosing today’s song title heading I have resisted Bruce Springsteen’s “The River”, a wonderfully moving song though it is. Instead, and reflecting on the fact that it is never easy in the music business to follow one’s parents’ achievements, how the bar was set particularly high for Jakob Dylan. Born in 1969, the fourth child of Bob and his then wife Sara Lownds, Jakob has managed notable success in creating and leading The Wallflowers, before going solo from 2006. His self-composition “Valley Of The Low Sun” comes from the 2008 album “Seeing Things” and echoes some of his father’s early work insofar as it is an anti-war song: ‘I come to it not from a political perspective but as a human concern’. Peace and serenity certainly fell upon the Chess Valley yesterday!
5 thoughts on “Valley Of The Low Sun”
Gorgeous photos Nick! Looks like you’re having fun! Jeff
Looks like a great walk Nick. Beautiful weather and nice and flat! I was born in Rickmansworth and lived there until I was 5. I can’t remember that walk but do remember my mum pushing me around the lido in my pushchair. A long time ago now! Rickmansworth has changed a bit since then with the coming of the M25!
We’ve been getting some lovely bike rides in. All the best. Brian.
Looks like a beautiful walk Nick – thanks for sharing. Glad to see you are also now delighting in the bird life along the route. Rachel will be so pleased – just as I am!
Great pictures with some lovely text as well Nick. Spent many Sunday afternoons by the River Chess near Chenies when we lived in Bushey – we used to go back when first moved to Berko as a favourite spot to picnic. Look forward to the next instalment.
Walking for Fun, Challenge and Charity! 
Gorgeous photos Nick! Looks like you’re having fun! Jeff
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Looks like a great walk Nick. Beautiful weather and nice and flat! I was born in Rickmansworth and lived there until I was 5. I can’t remember that walk but do remember my mum pushing me around the lido in my pushchair. A long time ago now! Rickmansworth has changed a bit since then with the coming of the M25!
We’ve been getting some lovely bike rides in. All the best. Brian.
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Looks like a beautiful walk Nick – thanks for sharing. Glad to see you are also now delighting in the bird life along the route. Rachel will be so pleased – just as I am!
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👍👏👏👏
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Great pictures with some lovely text as well Nick. Spent many Sunday afternoons by the River Chess near Chenies when we lived in Bushey – we used to go back when first moved to Berko as a favourite spot to picnic. Look forward to the next instalment.
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