Today’s walk has a bit of a James Bond theme to it. Not, I hasten to add, because of any secret agent actions on my part. You know how clumsy I am, give me a gun and a license to kill and there would be a bloodbath, if I didn’t shoot myself first. No, I’m just here to walk on this sunny afternoon in a quiet corner of Buckinghamshire.
The area has played host to 007 on many occasions due to the fact that Pinewood Studios is just a few miles down the road. Yes, the James Bond films are known for their exotic locations, but the crew also popped out to not-so-glamourous Stoke Poges on occasion, as you will hear.
I park my car near the Memorial Gardens and head off down the road. I’ll be back to explore them later, but for now I’m heading cross country past the Wexham Park Hospital. I have to politely ask some nurses to move, as they’re sitting on my stile. Hope they’ve washed their hands, I think, as I grab the timber and hoist myself over, down the pathway towards Bell Farm.
I turn left into the rather grandly named Gallions Lane, which is actually just a bridle path through some woodland. It’s quite lovely today with the dappled sunlight coming through the canopy above.
Left over a footbridge and I walk out onto the Wexham Park golf course, rather to the surprise of two golfers. I think I may have ruined a shot there by emerging unexpectedly from the trees. Sorry gents! As golf has just been reintroduced onto the list of permitted pastimes, the course is busy with middle-aged men who’ve gleefully grasped the opportunity to get away from home schooling for a while.
The course is beautifully landscaped and full of smiling faces. I’m enjoying this walk so far.
Out on the road, I pass yet another of those pubs I could have visited were times more auspicious. It’s a hot day, and the Plough looks like a great spot for refreshment as I trudge past and head along the lane instead. The building is Grade II listed, so it’s been serving drinks to the locals for many years. Let’s hope it continues to do so after the current lockdown is over.
The footpath at the end of the lane runs behind the grounds of Sefton Park, an 18th century manor house. Originally a ferme ornée, or ornamental farm, it’s now unfortunately offices. How very mundane.
Hitting the road, I turn left and head back towards Stoke Poges on a footpath towards the Clock House, a manor with adjoining chapel and almshouses built in 1765. The helipad is a more recent addition. It’s only just visible through the trees, but I’m more interested in a lone deer happily grazing over to my right. I can’t get close enough for a decent photo, sadly, but wildlife sightings always make me feel good.
I reflect on the fact that this very deer could be a descendant of the model for Sir Edwin Landseer’s The Monarch of the Glen. Landseer was a frequent visitor to the Manor House at Stoke Park and is said to have used the deer in the park to create his famous image of Scotland. Sneaky!
On the next stage of my walk I enter land owned by the National Trust – Gray’s Field. It’s named after the poet Thomas Gray who composed his famous poem Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard here in Stoke Poges. A rather impressive monument to him stands in one corner of the field.
You’ve been very patient, so I’m pleased to say that we’ve reached our first James Bond location, in the churchyard of St Giles’ Church where Gray wrote his most famous lines.
It was here that James Bond (Roger Moore) placed flowers on his wife’s Tracy’s grave in For Your Eyes Only in 1981.
Obviously, the grave was just a prop, but the church itself is lovely and has a useful gateway leading through the Memorial Gardens to the Manor House and lake beyond.
The Manor House dates back to the 11th century, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book. Elizabeth I visited here in 1601, and Charles I was imprisoned here in 1647, shortly before he was executed, so it’s witnessed the highs and lows of the monarchy. It was also the scene of Carry On Dick so it’s witnessed some pretty dodgy acting by Sid James and Barbara Windsor.
In the 18th century the Manor came into the possession of the Penn family, who founded the US state of Pennsylvania. They used much of the £130,000 compensation paid by the US government in return for their 26 million acres of land to purchase and improve the estate, including building a new mansion across the lake.
Turning around, the view across the lake to Stoke Park is stunning, and provided the setting for a classic Bond scene – 007 versus Goldfinger on the golf course. Inside the mansion, now the Clubhouse, the ballroom also appears in Tomorrow Never Dies.
Daniel Craig visited to film Layer Cake in his pre-Bond days and Bridget Jones’ Diary was also filmed here. Built in 1788, Stoke Park is now one of the UK’s premier country clubs, so you can follow in the footsteps of Sean Connery and Renee Zellweger and stay here in the lap of luxury if you so wish. Not a bad idea, is it?
I walk back through the beautifully serene Memorial Gardens to my car. Another afternoon of discovery, proving that you don’t have to travel far to escape the norm.
Steph's Travels 