Buckinghamshire/Hertfordshire: Wilstone-Aston Clinton (Aylesbury Plain)

22 March 2011                           OS  Explorer 181 Chiltern Hills North
Length: All day

This walk focuses on early spring flowers – black poplar Populus nigra, cherry-plum Prunus cerasifera, few-flowered garlic Allium paradoxum, and winter aconite Eranthus hiemalis.  It covers part of the Aylesbury Plain just north of the Chilterns escarpment and lies in Hertfordshire for most of the morning.

We parked in the car park at Wilstone Reservoir SP904135.  At the corner of the car-park by the exit a large cherry-plum was in full flower with flowers up to 25mm across (up to 15mm in blackthorn), appearing with the first leaves on green twigs.  On the bank underneath was a cluster of sweet violets Viola odorata (violet-coloured).  We walked a short distance left along the road (Lower Icknield Way) to the first bend where a footpath left it.  Daisies Bellis perennis, dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis, coltsfoot Tussilago farfara and celandines Ficaria verna were all flowering.  We took the path towards Manor Farm, disturbing a pair of mistle thrushes foraging in the grass, but turned left along a track at the end of the field, beside a stream where there were two large black poplars.  The buds were just beginning to open, showing the red flowers, although few were yet hanging down as catkins.  A path off on the right was signed as Black Poplar Way and crossed a field where about 15 black poplars, mostly pollards, could be seen around the edge, with a large oak Quercus robur in the centre.  

This area has one of the greatest concentrations of Black Poplar Populus nigra var betulifolia in the country, although they are frequent beside numerous streams all across the Aylesbury plain between here and Aylesbury to the west.  We were able to examine the distinctive young yellow twigs, which give the trees a characteristic hue from a distance, and large buds at the end of grey branches that arch downwards and then curl upwards again at the end.  The distinctive fissured bark and distorting bosses were easy signs when not obscured by growths of ivy.  Some similarly-aged ash trees mirror the drooping upturned branches but can be easily separated even in winter by the black buds and much less fissured bark.  On the buds of one of the black poplars we found a small brown weevil with a conspicuously long curved black nose, a female Dorytomus longimanus, which feeds entirely on the catkins of black poplar.

Black poplar tree with pinkish winter twigs

Bole & bark of black poplar

Emerging catkins on black poplar

Row of pollard black poplars

Typical turned-up twigs on black poplar

At the far corner we crossed a stream to a lane into Wilstone (which leads to the village hall and a display board about black poplar), but here we turned left along a path following a stream as far as the Grand Union Canal (Aylesbury Arm), where the path crosses over a bridge and continues north (right fork), past more black poplars and then across Watery Lane past Astrope to the lane leading towards Long Marston. 

Watery Lane

We crossed the road to the path going west towards Manor Farm and Puttenham Parish Church, whose walls have an attractive chequered effect by using different stones.  The churchyard, unfortunately, is too manicured to have much botanical interest. 

 Puttenham Parish Church

Puttenham, however, has a long history, as the following extracts from its website show:

“Domesday account: "In Treung Hundred the Bishop of Bayeux holds Puttenham. It is worth 60ƒ. In the time of Edward the Confessor £4 Earl Lewin held the manor" (Lewin was brother to King Harold and the Bishop of Bayeux brother to William the conqueror ~ so the parish had royal connections, and to this day the Rector is a Crown appointment ~ in fact made by the Lord Chancellor.

The present church building is probably the third on the site, the first two being built chiefly of wood. It dates from the XIV Century (C14th), the excellent nave roof can be dated to within ten years of 1426. The tower dates from about this time too. The large blocks of stone came from Ketton, Rutland, and flint ready to hand in the Chilterns - so the chequered affect may well have been decided on for economy.
The pulpit is early XVII century (C17th). Notice the big fish in the carving, reminding one of Jonah being sent to preach repentance to the Ninevites - and also the fish is a very primitive Christian symbol. A return by Edward VI's commissioners (1553) shews Puttenham having quite rich furnishings, including a silver "challise" which is probably the same one in regular use now.

Returning east past Potash Farm we reached a house with remains of an old orchard and beautiful flowering cherry-plums, after which the path crossed the Astrope road and we took the right hand path signed as the “Aylesbury Ring”.  A great spotted woodpecker was making a loud noise, clinging vertically high up on the trunk of a black poplar.  Eventually the Puttenham road was reached, just after another large poplar, near a lock-keeper’s cottage and a bridge back over the Grand Union Canal. 

Grand Union Canal and boatyard

The Aylesbury Ring is now signed along the south bank of the canal, but we continued the former route south, past two hares chasing each other, over a stream, and then come face to face with the new Aston Clinton by-pass, unmarked on our map.  The only way through is by a small drainage pipe beneath it, so we had to continue almost back the way we had come along a boring concrete path.  This passed a newly constructed pond where coots swam by a large patch of marestail Hippuris vulgaris with fuzzy green leaves on red stems standing up like Christmas trees. 

We could only cross the by-pass when we reach the Buckland Road (crossing into Buckinghamshire for the first time) which the new Aylesbury Ring now follows.  There is a new path constructed to take one back to the old route but this is muddy, bordered by barbed wire on each side, and uninteresting, although we saw a pair of long-tailed tits.  The whole diversion is over a kilometre, so it is probably better, with hindsight, to follow the new Aylesbury Ring signs from the canal to the Buckland Road and then walk along there into Buckland.  Our path continued south to Buckland, passing right into the churchyard there, which is again meticulously manicured and uninteresting.  Coming into the main village lane we returned NW a short way to the village hall, opposite which was another good display of cherry-plum.  Failing to find the footpath west, we had to take the New Road (actually a track) west to the edge of Aston Clinton and turn south along another road until a footpath took us the rest of the way along the edge of the village to the Lower Icknield Way once more. 

Just a few paces down here we reached the A41, with a Thai Restaurant on the corner.  Outside here was a bed of marble chippings with numerous clumps of chives Allium schoenoprasum coming through like weeds!  We proceeded west along the A41 until we reached the Bell, where we could get a drink and decent meal in relaxing surroundings.  During the morning there had been many 7-spot ladybirds emerging from hibernation and sunning themselves on many of the plants, but we only glimpsed the odd butterfly, a brimstone and a comma.

We continued from the Bell along the main road just a little way until a footpath came off to the south and then west as far as Aston Clinton churchyard (St Michael & All Angels, 1232).  This has some good patches of primroses Primula vulgaris, several old yews Taxus baccata, and sweet violets.  Leaving by the west gate we turned SW along a muddy track rutted by builders’ vehicles and past piles of rubbish, but, after two right-hand turns, eventually continued SW, passing agricultural fields with isolated trees, park-like, once part of Aston Clinton House estate (now Green Park Conference Centre).  This led to an airfield where a glider was being taken up by a light airplane, explaining why we had noticed these planes with gliders in tow several times this morning.  We turned south along the edge of the airfield, which was once the boundary of the estate, but the original hedge has been destroyed.  We were hoping to find old cherry-plums reputedly planted by the Rothschilds when they occupied the estate to mark their boundaries.  Only after the airfield, with a secondary woodland on our right, did the original hedge appear on our left.  The shrubs here were still only in bud and were all blackthorn Prunus spinosa. 

We then reach an old sewage works and continued on towards the Grand Union Canal (Wendover Arm).  Evergreen oaks Quercus ilex were frequently planted in this area of old country estates and a fine old specimen (now partly collapsed) can be seen by the footpath just before Harelane Bridge over the canal.  Lots of traveller’s joy Clematis vitalba shows a calcareous influence here.  We did not cross the canal here, but continued west along the path beside the north bank, which does not have a towpath.  On the bank was a good bush of spurge-laurel Daphne laureola, with several smaller ones further along.  Other plants here include red currant Ribes rubrum, lesser celandine, and meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria.  We passed a pair of mandarin ducks on the canal.

Spurge-laurel by canal

The path took us to the Halton road, where we could cross the canal, walk up the road a little way and enter the churchyard of StMichael and All Angels (1813).  Here large common lime trees Tilia x vulgaris were covered in mistletoe Viscum album.  In one tree the mistletoe, which almost completely coated it, was hanging within reach.  Beneath were lots of celandines, sweet violets and a Siberian squill Scilla sibirica.  A patch of winter aconite grew on one old grave-plot near the church.  The church is of white stone with the mortar decorated with pieces of black flint to give a decorative effect.  The walls have several typical ferns – Maidenhair and Black Spleenworts (Asplenium trichomanes  and A. adiantum-nigrum), and Hartstongue Phyllitis scolopendrium - as well as the introduced Adria Bellflower Campanula portenschlagiana.

Mistletoe on lime, Halton churchyard

We then returned to the towpath on the south side of the canal and followed this all the way to Drayton Beauchamp.  We passed a pair of mating frogs, and a mallard with one frog in its bill.  Further on were many mature Yews Taxus baccata in full flower, these having been planted by a one-time owner of the estate before it was bought by the Rothschilds.  These yews, on the site of old pits (Cobblers Pits) are now protected by the County Council.

From the Information Board:

Cobblers Pits – A Yew Woodland in Disused Quarries

 “Pure stands of yew are unusual but serve well as a screen for a redundant quarry. Commonly planted around country houses in the 18th and 19th centuries, are they the work of Lord Lake, owner of the pre-Rothschild Aston Clinton Manor. Whatever their origin, the tree are now being managed by Buckinghamshire County Council to replace the recent storm damage [probably referring to 1987] and ensure their long-term well being.
“Light and Dark .... Walking along the sunken lane the gloom of the closed canopy, familiar to travellers of old, is suddenly broken by a flood of light where the ageing trees on the pits' thin soils have been torn down by recent storms. The light brings with it opportunity and abundance as the sparse undergrowth of shade tolerant ivy under the yews is swamped by a multitude of light loving grasses, herbs and shrubs, taking advantage of the newly created open space. As the current tree planting grows up, and shade returns, the ivy will re-establish itself whilst the invaders await the next storm.”

At Buckland Wharf, rising to the road, we passed a flock of goldfinches and a magnificent group of old cherry-plums covered with white blossom like snow.  A mallard was sitting on a nest on the bank beside the path here. 

Dense flowers on cherry-plum at Bucklands Wharf

Across the road the towpath continues on the north side of the canal, with less than a kilometre to go to Drayton Beauchamp.  At the beginning of this towpath there was an isolated clump of few-flowered garlic, well removed from the main site at Drayton Beauchamp.  As we met a woman who admitted she used the garlic in salads, this clump probably results from a bulb dropped here after collecting.  A heron rose from the water as we approached the dreaded by-pass once more, but here a walkway has been built underneath the bridge, albeit with no protection from falling in the deep water!  A red kite soared overhead.  There were some cowslips Primula veris already flowering on the sunny bank. 

Canalside, Drayton Beauchamp, evening light

When we reached the isolated churchyard of Drayton Beauchamp (quite distant from the village), masses of few-flowered garlic were found covering the banks outside the churchyard along several tens of metres of the canal, with occasional clumps of stinking iris or gladdon Iris foetidissima, their old dried seed-pods open to reveal the orange-red seeds, and white sweet violet in the shelter of bramble.  One small daffodil, apparently the native Narcissus pseudonarcissus, was poking through the mass of garlic leaves.  The bank is otherwise ivy-covered.  Most of the garlic was unfortunately still in bud and just a few had developed their first flower, while none yet had all their flowers released from the terminal bud.  In shadier places, including the churchyard, from which they have escaped, many had yet even to produce buds.  The south side of the churchyard is dominated by the plant.  This is one of the classic sites for few-flowered garlic in this country, possibly the most extensive population. 

Few-flowered Garlic (taken in April)

Also naturalised in the churchyard are large patches of snowdrop Galanthus nivalis and winter aconite, both now going over.  (Early March or late February is the best time to see them.)  The aconite is concentrated in the SE corner, their large yellow flowers subtended by conspicuous green ruffs, contrasting with the grey leaves of the snowdrops.  Cultivated Daffodils Narcissus sp and more lesser celandine added to the colour, although there were surprisingly few crocuses.

Winter aconites, Drayton Beauchamp churchyard (taken on 2 March 2011)

          The Church of StMary the Virgin SP902119, a Grade I listed building, has a chequered pattern using black flints interspersed with white stone.  To quote from its website:

“The present church dates from the 15th century when it was restored and partly rebuilt from materials used in the earlier structures.  The north door still remains with its continuous moulding dating from the 15th century, while the Norman font, with its beautifully preserved moulded arches, dates from the 12th century. The east window, with ten of the Apostles in beautiful stained glass of the 15th century, is greatly prized. On the north side of the chancel is a large marble monument to the memory of William, Lord Cheyne, Viscount Newhaven – the last of his ancient and noble family, who died in 1728. This masterpiece of monumental statuary is the work of William Woodman the Elder b.c.1654, d.1731 (?) and is regarded as one of the most outstanding monuments in England. In the south aisle are boards with the names of the rectors of this church for over 700 years. Among them will be found that of Richard Hooker, the celebrated author of The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, who was presented to the living in 1584. Early in the 13th century, William de Beauchamp (or de Bello Campo) held the Manor of Drayton and was patron of the Rectory, and although the Beauchamps held a portion of the Parish for only two generations, it was from them that it received its present name of Drayton Beauchamp.  In 1377 the Manor came into the possession of the Cheyne family and continued with them until 1728.”

Drayton Beauchamp Church

We left the churchyard on the northern side along a drive bordered by an old sycamore and two old horse chestnuts.  The walk to the village, half a kilometre away, is diagonally across a large pasture, leading to a lane just south of the village.  Lesser celandines were flowering beside a stream, rooks gathering noisily in the tops of trees, and birds singing all around, celebrating spring.  Aspens Populus tremula bordered the lane.  Almost opposite is a footpath north to Wilstone Reservoir, which feeds the canal and is now a nature reserve for the waterbirds which it attracts in large numbers, along with scores of birdwatchers.  Although it is an artificial lake, it is fed by natural springs, and is surrounded by old marshes, reed-swamp and willow carr.  Managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and owned by British Waterways, the reservoir became famous in 1918 for the first nesting in this country of black-necked grebes and later in 1938 for the nesting of little ringed plovers.

There are hides where the path meets the reservoir, in a copse where the distinctive shapes of sanicle Sanicula europaea leaves carpet the ground.  We walked the SW embankment, seeing many coots, grey herons, and pochards.  In the fields to our left was a flock of greylag geese, beyond a hedgerow (with hawthorn reminding us of the origin of the name Wilstone as Wivelestorn or “Wifel’s thorn tree”) where long-tailed tits patrolled.  Turning a right-angled bend we continued along the NW embankment back to the car park, seeing on the water tufted duck, the males displaying, a few mallard and great crested grebes.

Wilstone Reservoir, evening light