Wicken - Leckhampstead - Akeley Wood - Wicken

Dennis Jeanes

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Although near to Milton Keynes, the villages of Wicken and Leckhampstead are very quiet and remote. In fact access roads are twisty and even very narrow in places, but it gives the walk an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity. There is no roar of traffic and very few walkers.

The two villages with their historic churches are both picturesque. Yet Wicken has a fascinating history, see 'Additional Information'. The name Leckhampstead derives from the old english leac-ham-stede and means 'leek-homestead'. The walk begins in Northamptonshire where Wicken is and crosses into Buckinghamshire, where Leckhampstead is situated and back into the former county. The boundary is crossed at Waymarks 3 and 12.

Although the start is flat the walk develops into gentle hills and the total height gain is just over sixty metres, which means that some stamina is needed to enjoy it to the full. All the paths are clearly marked by the farmers, so there are no difficulties over finding the route. It is a wonderful walk in spring, summer and autumn although it can be muddy in winter, but not impassable. You will notice that the photos have been taken at different times of the year.

England - Central England - Buckinghamshire - Aylesbury Vale

Features

Church, Great Views, Pub, River, Toilets, Woodland

5/20/2018 - Dennis Johnson

Certainly not a walk to tackle in the winter as I would imagine it gets pretty boggy with all the trudging across some of the fields. Some footpath signs either missing or easy to miss with many tucked behind overgrown bushes all be it the footpath at Waymark 4 wasn’t too difficult to locate as it seemed the obvious path to follow. Whilst a pleasant walk I have to say on the whole I found the whole route to be a little dull and featureless

6/25/2012 - Paul Smith

We were unable to find the continuing footpath through the field at Waymark 4. (SP 734395) The field was planted with a thick brassica type crop (?overgrown broccoli?) which was inaccessible. We tried going round the edge of the field, but were unsure where we were once we'd reached a further junction. There was no signposting for an alternative route. We were forced to abandon our walk and returned to the start point. (23rd June 2012). I have reported the problem to Bucks County Council. Unfortunately I did not have a camera with me to take a photo of the obstruction.

4/23/2011 - John Habgood

Excellent walk with largely clear instructions. The alternative route described in 12 where the hedge turns left was not clear, perhaps due to new fencing, but in any event we continued down through the farmyard and back to Wicken by the road as the field was full of new-born lambs and pregnant ewes that we did not want to disturb too much.