From the National Trust

Do you like a good healthy walk in one of the most picturesque parts of the English countryside? If you do you will be delighted to hear that The National Trust has just launched a brand new pocket-sized walks leaflet for the way-marked woodland walks around the Hughenden Manor Estate.

The leaflet is available free of charge and can be obtained from the Booking Office in the Stables Courtyard and also from many of the local shops and public houses in the vicinity. You can even find supplies at the Doctors’ Surgery and also the Hughenden Community Shop. Click on the image to view or download the leaflet.

This leaflet is the brainchild of a Hughenden Valley resident Paul Cawte, who you may recall was until recently the Chairman of the Residents Association and has been a Volunteer Warden at the National Trust for the past four years. “My responsibility is to patrol designated footpaths around the woods assisted by my buddy Jules Birch, to make sure that they are safe for walkers and do not become obstructed by fallen trees or other debris.” explained Paul. He continued “I always carry a small digital camera to take photographs of remarkable of interesting sights that I discover on my patrols. A number of these photographs have now been included in the new Hughenden Woodland Walks leaflet along with a comprehensive map and sets of descriptions of the four main way-marked walks.”

Paul, who is also a member of the Volunteer Council at Hughenden Manor, was asked by Jim Foy, the General Manager, to pull together a small team comprising volunteers John and Wendy Riddell and Hazel Clarke. Also part of the team was local designer Stephen Prickett, who produced the finished design for the leaflet. Together, they worked alongside Steve Kirkpatrick, the Hughenden Warden, to arrive at what is an attractive and very useful guide to one of out most treasured local amenities.

Paul and his colleagues at the Trust say that they would like to see as many Hughenden Residents as possible this year taking advantage of the opportunity to take regular healthy walk and enjoying the sights and sounds of the countryside. “It is free and there is a very good restaurant at the Stables Courtyard, and also a well as a well-stocked National Trust shop and a second-hand bookshop, so why not try it? – you can’t go wrong.” say Paul.