Tube To Trail: Metroland Meets Chilterns Autumn Colours 🍂

Location

Amersham, South Bucks

OutdoorLads shares the exact meeting point with people who have signed up, closer to the date. See the OutdoorLads listing for details.

About this event

Beauty Sleep: ⏰ Bonus lie-in alert! This walk takes place on the first day of GMT, so the clocks go back and you get an extra hour in bed beforehand. Enjoy it — but don’t forget to set your alarm and join us on time for the adventure! The downside is that it will be getting darker earlier in the evenings! Please note that capacity for this event will initially be set at 20, but if there is sufficient demand and a co-leader option is available then I may expand up to 25. Overview: Leave the Metropolitan line behind and swap the city for a fine Chilterns autumn hike. From Amersham Station we'll first navigate towards Old Amersham, with its colourful and historic High Street before heading out into a landscape of rolling hills, woodland and small villages, when hopefully late October will be putting on quite a show.After a steady ascent out of Old Amersham, with views across the Misbourne Valley and a number of fields to traverse, later our route winds through the magnificent Hodgemoor Woods, passes the pretty hamlets of Winchmore Hill (where we will stop for lunch) and Penn Street, and follows a network of leafy paths, quiet lanes and open countryside that's made for crisp autumn walking. Expect crunchy leaves underfoot, woodland colours at their best and plenty of opportunities to stop for those obligatory "look at that tree!" moments.Towards the end we'll stroll back through the historic High Street of Old Amersham, with its timber-framed buildings and coaching inns, and drop into one of the pubs for a late afternoon drink before one further mile and one final uphill climb back to the station.At 11.6 miles with around 300 metres of ascent, this is a moderately challenging walk with enough hills to earn your lunch, plenty of beautiful scenery to distract you from them, and, as always, great company throughout.The Route:The route can be found here:The Sites:Metroland: is the name given to the leafy suburbs and towns that grew up along London's Metropolitan Railway in the early 20th century, promoted as offering the perfect balance of country living and an easy commute into the capital. Amersham marks the northern edge of this historic "Metroland", where the suburban landscape gives way to the rolling hills, ancient beech woodlands and picturesque villages of the Chilterns, making it the ideal gateway from town to countryside.Amersham-On-The-Hill & Old Amersham: The town has two distinct parts set apart from one another. Amersham-on-the-Hill grew with the arrival of the Metropolitan Railway in the early 20th century and became part of the commuter belt. Old Amersham is the historic heart of Amersham, centred on a beautifully preserved High Street lined with timber-framed buildings, Georgian townhouses and traditional coaching inns. Once an important stop on the main London to Aylesbury route, it retains much of its medieval character, with landmarks including the historic Market Hall and the impressive St Mary's Church, parts of which date back to the 13th century. Today, its bijou independent shops, cafés and pubs make it one of the Chilterns' most attractive market towns.Hodgemoor Woods: has ancient beech, oak and hornbeam trees which if we are lucky with autumn colours turn into a display of gold, copper and russet colours.Winchmore Hill: is a small English village with a village green. Penn Street: is a hamlet village surrounded by rolling hills, ancient woodland and some of the finest countryside in Buckinghamshire.Dogs: Well-behaved dogs are welcome, there will be a few areas where we are walking along or crossing roads but the majority of the walk is in open countryside where dogs can be let off the lead. Please abide by the Countryside Code (https://tinyurl.com/rlqvp3h) and remember not everyone loves dogs as much as you do so be mindful of other members.Photos: All photos the leader's own (taken in Sept 2026), with permission given to OutdoorLads for use.