Chilterns Weekend Walkers
CWW news
For those who love walking and beer, it's a combination made in heaven. So how did Jane Hervé and Jon Hilton put together six cracking walks - all involving visits to breweries? The couple have been talking about their much-loved series of ale trails.
"We thought it would be lovely to offer a series of themed walks over the year and after a number of ideas we decided to offer walks ending at a local brewery.
We were pleasantly surprised to find there were six in the local area, although the Malt Brewery in Prestwood has since closed after 10 years.
The focus was on walking, socialising and supporting the breweries. All the walks have been fun and well received. They ranged from 5 to 10 miles and provided a different experience.
Jane and Jon's six trails of ale
PRESTWOOD 7-mile circular walk from Prestwood ending at the Malt Brewery
MARLOW 5 miles from Pump Lane, Little Marlow ending at the Rebellion Brewery
COOMBE HILL 6 and 10-mile walks returning for a picnic on the hill drinking beer from the Chiltern Brewery
MAPLE CROSS 9-mile walk returning to the Creative Juices Brewery
LONG CRENDON 10-mile walk from Long Crendon visiting the XT Brewery at Notley Abbey
TRING 5-mile circular ending at a pub serving beers from the Tring Brewery
Highlights from the brewery visits included the Vinyl Tap Room at the Malt Brewery where visitors can take their own albums for the DJ to play. One of our group rather sheepishly presented his Kylie Minogue greatest hits album fearing it might be dismissed as "uncool", but the DJ turned out to be a fellow Kylie fan and loved it!
The offer of a 6 or 10-mile walk from Coombe Hill provided much amusement and discussion but all went well. Luckily we hadn’t lost anyone when the groups came back together for the picnic on the hill. It was great fun and the shared food was fabulous.
The Rebellion Brewery tap yard was the perfect place to relax after our Marlow walk with a lively party vibe. It's certainly the biggest brewery we've visited.
After a longer walk by the canal and through open countryside, the Creative Juices Brewery near Maple Cross offered beer, tea and cake, catering for all needs. There was also an artist on site and a carpenter.
Our 10-mile Long Crendon walk started slightly damp under foot and only got worse. Let’s just say our two canine companions were able to practise their doggy paddle!
The 5-mile Tring walk ended at the Kings Arms pub where we enjoyed beers from the Tring Brewery.
Having fun was the plan and we've been delighted that so many CWW walkers, and fellow Ramblers from other groups enjoyed the walks, the banter, the experiences and visits to the local breweries. They all gave a great welcome, had tasty beers on offer and were well worth visiting. A good time was had by all!
We've been asked if we would consider brewing our own beer following our BB&B experience and we feel everyone will be delighted to hear this is not on the horizon any time soon!"
