Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway
Address
Station Approach,
Station Rd,
Chinnor
Oxfordshire
South East
OX39 4ER
Station Approach,
Station Rd,
Chinnor
Oxfordshire
South East
OX39 4ER
About
Our driver waits in eager anticipation. The signal clangs, the guard shows a green flag and with the all clear given, our driver gently eases the regulator open and almost imperceptibly, we are off! We now settle down to enjoy the seven mile round trip and as the engine strains to its task, the outskirts of Chinnor are soon reached.
Views open up on both sides of the line. To the right a footpath parallels the ancient Upper Icknield Way, whose green route almost certainly predates the Romans: William the Conqueror purportedly travelled along it on his way to London and you can follow in his footsteps.
We cross the road at a sedate pace. You will next see a stud farm immediately to the right and further on, to your left, some poplar trees and a small pond indicate where a Romano-British Villa once stood. The train continues to descend through a cutting, with Bledlow Cricket Club on your left, where matches often take place on lazy summer Sunday afternoons. Give a wave if you see them, as they are good friends of the railway.
Views open up on both sides of the line. To the right a footpath parallels the ancient Upper Icknield Way, whose green route almost certainly predates the Romans: William the Conqueror purportedly travelled along it on his way to London and you can follow in his footsteps.
We cross the road at a sedate pace. You will next see a stud farm immediately to the right and further on, to your left, some poplar trees and a small pond indicate where a Romano-British Villa once stood. The train continues to descend through a cutting, with Bledlow Cricket Club on your left, where matches often take place on lazy summer Sunday afternoons. Give a wave if you see them, as they are good friends of the railway.
Then we go over Perry Lane Bridge. After which you will see the closed Bledlow Bridge Halt on the left and there are now good views across open fields on both sides of the train. On the right you can see in the middle distance Whiteleaf Cross, etched into the chalk hillside: its origins are believed to date back to the Middle Ages or earlier, and it is thought to have been intended to act as a marker for the old salt route from Droitwich to London.
The guard now screws down the handbrake. This is done to make sure the coaches do not move whilst the locomotive detaches and then it's time to run-round to the other end of the train, where the locomotive is attached and made ready for the return journey. Whilst waiting for the train to depart, you might ponder that you are just half a mile away from Princes Risborough station, which is where the railway hopes to run its trains to fairly soon, eventually for mainline connections and much more!
For full information on opening hours and prices please see the Chinnor Railway website.
