ノースチャーチのおすすめライド

Fabulous morning weekday ride.

Great Incline to the top

Beautiful forrest vibe lane. Makes you feel close to nature. Watch out for the potholes, especially if you don't have a photochromic lenses as it gets darks with tall trees around.

This was on my route unexpectedly. Left my mouth open for a bit. Very beautiful.

This stretch of road is called Park Gate. From the top of Park Gate you have extensive southerly views to Mentmore ridge, Mentmore Towers (1850s) and beyond to the Chiltern escarpment are spectacular. Park Gate is set within former parkland of Wing Park which also housed extensive gardens of a lost mid-16th century manor house.

The history of the village of St Leonard's is tightly connected with the chapel of Leonard's - and this dates back to the 12th century. The present church, however, was built in the 15th century. As many such places, it has had a tumultuous history. For instance, after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the chapel continued being used and Queen Elizabeth inquired in 1586 into why the chapel and the lands had not reverted to the Crown. The church feel into disrepair in the 17th century. What can be seen today is in the simple Queen Anne style, and was rebuilt around 1700s. The whitewashed walls are striking and give the church a unique look. In the winter, it can look brilliant after snow, and in the spring, when the snowdrops come up (plenty of them in the church grounds), it also looks terrific.

As English villages in the Chiltern Hills go, this one is one of the most attractive. This is the kind of place I tend to think of when I read Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. The village name is Anglo-Saxon and means "a woodland clearing". Another little fun fact: Sir Arthur Lasenby Liberty (1843–1917), proprietor of the famous Regent Street (London) store, Liberty & Co., lived here and built a Manor house here in 1900. He was associated with the Art Nouveau style.

Short and steep.