Chilterns AONB Chess Valley Stage 2 | Join Us Senior Hiking As We Walk & Chat - English Countryside

Join us as we walk and 'sometimes' talk on a Chess Valley circular walk in The Chilterns AONB.

We're not taking about anything too serious, just things that catch our eye as we enjoy the stunning countryside and interesting sights. We're a couple that works hard through the week and walk as much as we can at the weekend to ease the stresses and strains of everyday life.

We walk for enjoyment, fitness and mental wellbeing.

A new part of the country for us this week, The Chilterns in Buckinghamshire.

Internal navigation working again we leave the horses behind and make our way to West Wood. Leaving West Wood we were greeted by a quintessentially English vista, a meadow, gently rolling hills and an old English Manor House.

Again showing our age and that we truly are children of the 70's we reminisce about our Cycling Proficiency Tests and the unforgettable icon that is Tufty Fluffytail. For those that have never heard of Tufty and The Tufty Club we direct you to https://www.rospa.com/about-us/histor... As an aside you also need to check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley...

Finally arriving at the River Chess we have a fantastic view of The Neptune Waterfall close to https://www.devere.co.uk/latimer-estate Walking along the beautiful chalk stream River Chess we saw a Cricket (later confirmed by t'internet) sunbathing on a fencepost but also a strange alien looking creature on the neighbouring fencepost...

Upon entering a wide open meadow the shadow of a Red Kite (wrongly identify at the time as a Buzzard) caught our eye and we admired this magnificent bird soaring effortlessly on the afternoon's thermals.

Crossing the road to Latimer Bottom we were startled to discover our Southern Cousins are somewhat more radical with their 'Keep Dogs on Leads' sentiment...

Due to our lack of waders and at times flippers a diversion to visit the ruins of a Church within a modern day Nature Reserve was abandoned and we returned to the relative dryness of the path.

Watching The Hiking Seniors is a Relaxing Natural Therapy, it encourages slow deep Belly Breathing, helping you shift your focus from stressful Mind Chatter. As humans, we are hard-wired to respond to behaviour we observe in others - this vicarious observation sparks our Mirror Neurons which stimulate the Vagus Nerve (VN). Known for its numerous health benefits, stimulating the VN elevates Mood, increases Brain Function, reduces Inflammation and lowers Heart Rate - greatly improving Quality of Life.

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