Beacon Hill, Ellesborough, Bucks plus Ewelme Church

In my walk along the Ridgeway from Princes Risborough to Wendover earlier this year, I noticed on the OS map Beacon Hill, an outlying 'summit' on a spur from the main Chiltern scarp. It looked like it might make an interesting excursion from the Ridgeway trail. I didn't have the time or energy on that day, but made a mental note to return. I did that today, which turned out to be a lovely sunny late Autumn day, albeit with a strong cold wind. I concluded it would be well worthwhile to make the excursion from the Ridgeway to Beacon Hill, a total round trip of about 2.5 miles and 90 minutes.

On the way back home, I stopped off to view the tomb of Alice Chaucer, Duchess of Suffolk, in Ewelme Church (Oxfordshire), another piece of unfinished business, this time from my Ridgeway walk from Nuffield to Princes Risborough.

Beacon Hill from Ellesborough Churchyard

The cadaver effigy of Alice, Duchess of Suffolk, stares in perpetuity at frescoes painted on the base of her sarcophagus in Ewelme Church

Here's a map of my route. I have added the GPX for the walk as the RED line to the map of my Ridgeway walk (BLUE line). (NB This Beacon Hill should not be confused with Beacon Hill adjacent to the M40, nor with Ivinghoe Beacon.)

NB (1): The map shows my route, with various diversions and excursions which you may not wish to follow precisely. You can download the Google map info, as a KML/KMZ file, then convert to GPX using a site like GPS Visualiser. 

NB(2): For details all my walks along the Ridgeway east of the Thames see this page.

I parked in a dirt layby on the road near Ellesborough church, a fine building with an imposing tower. The footpath starts immediately opposite, with Beacon Hill an obvious grassy prominence ahead. The path rises across a field and through a hedgeline. The official right of way skirts the Western flank of the hill, but you can climb to the top of the hill. The direct ascent is quite steep: I skirted around to the East to join a less steep track which emerges on the top, which is occupied by the remains of a bronze age barrow, enclosed by a fence. The view did not disappoint, and is better than the views from much of the Ridgeway East of the Thames, which are generally obscured by trees and hedges. Prominent in the foreground lies Ellesborough Church, to the East is the monument on Coombe Hill, to the West, the Chilterns scarp, and Northwards the plains of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

I then walked Southwards along the grassy spur, hoping to find a way directly to join the Ridgeway, but I encountered a fence with notices warning that entry is prohibited under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, 2005. No, it isn't a secret drugs stash, it's part of the estate of Chequers, the Prime Minister's country home. Ignore the signs at your peril. So I made a steep and potentially slippery descent to the proper path and climbed through the woods, steeply on steps at first, to join the Ridgeway above Kimble Warren.

I returned on the same path, except I descended to look for Cymbeline's Castle, a motte and bailey structure shown on the OS Explorer map. However, such remains as there are are overgrown by trees and scrub, and fenced off. 

OS Explorer Map

On the way home, I took the opportunity to drive along to the village of Ewelme, to see the Church of St Mary the Virgin, which I read about when doing my Nuffield-Princes Risborough walk (not to be confused with St Botolph's Church on the Trail near Ewelme Park). The church is about three miles off the Ridgeway route, and is notable for the magnificent tomb of Alice, Duchess of Suffolk (died c1475), a granddaughter of Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the Canterbury Tales. Her alabaster effigy lies on the top of the tomb, but, as described by Adam Nicolson, the tomb includes at ground floor level 'a shrivelled, ghastly, skin-and-bones carving of the proud Duchess in death, an image of undiluted horror'. The cadaver's eyes are open, presumably so that she may stare for eternity at the frescoes painted on the underside of her sarcophagus. 

St Peter and St Paul's  Church, Ellesborough

Footpath up Beacon Hill

Looking back to the Church

Path up to Beacon Hill summit (easier gradient than the direct approach)

Remains of a bronze age barrow atop Beacon Hill, enclosed by a fence

View from Beacon Hill over Buckinghamshire, Ellesborough Church in foreground

View West along Chilterns Scarp

View east to Coombe Hill Monument

The grassy spur of Beacon Hill

Copse with fence

Looking back along the spur of Beacon Hill

No further! Must return to main path along Western side of Beacon Hill

Steep descent to main path

Beacon Hill main top at left end of the 'ridge'

Steps on path climbing to the Ridgeway

Beacon Hill from the South: a direct approach from this side is not possible because entry is forbidden to the surrounding field

View to Chequers from the Ridgeway

Kimble Warren info board

Fine trees

Returning on the path along the side of Beacon Hill

Path descending to Cymbeline's Castle (which is in that wood at the bottom)

Cymbeline's Castle is overgrown, fenced off and inaccessible

Ewelme Church

Tomb of Alice, Duchess of Suffolk. The cadaver effigy is behind the tracery beneath the sarcophagus.

Effigy of the Duchess, in life

Effigy of the Duchess, in death

The cadaver effigy stares in perpetuity at frescoes painted on the base of her sarcophagus