"Each step forward has a sacred meaning of its own"   Sri Chinmoy

Chiltern Way Trail Run - July 2024 - Beaconsfield

Staying somewhere in the middle of nowhere (but not that far from everywhere, as it was the home counties) I had time for an hour or so of running in the morning before we continued our travels and, naturally, I scoured the map for some local trails. This particular middle-of-nowhere was between Wycombe and Beaconsfield, so the trail I found was the Chilterns Way. A section of it passed pretty close to the hotel and included a nature reserve, so I was out of the door well before seven on a still morning in what was starting to feel like High Summer. The hills were alive with it - warmth, dryness, that slowness in the air that I remember from childhood summers. There was that southeast England feel too, a subtle but noticeable contrast from all the landscapes I run and ride through in the south west.

After the obligatory stretch of pavement to get to the turnoff for the trail, it was bridleways and landrover-tracks at first, then I came into a dense wood and out again into a field of flowers. This was pretty choice running country. As each section of trail unfolded, it took me on a winding route through fields and forests, with lovely views opening up around each bend.

It was very reminiscent of my native North Downs, but distinctly different as well. The soft curves of the landscape were the same, the landscape pretty ordered too, as if you can feel the shaping hand of humanity more the closer you get to the intense population explosion of London. I felt very at home on this run, taking it easy as it was a recovery session (hills thrown in for a bit of aerobic work, but no intervals). The blend of many shaded of green with the pale, golden fields arresting.

Not much more I can say about the Chilterns Way - just that I spent a happy and serene hour running on it and felt well restored when I got back. This is the kind of run that people hope every session will feel like (and to some extent they do, but every so often you have one that is more than a bit special).

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