Buy the OS Route Map and instructions for this route

The Chiltern Hills are riddled with tracks and trails crying out for some knobbly tyre treatment. Most of the more popular routes in the region are on the compact side, linking just a few of the many bridleways to make tight, twisty, undulating loops that thread their way through acres of deciduous woodland.
But there’s also plenty of opportunity for longer outings, throwing off the shackles of the shorter circuits and really getting some kilometres in. This 50km hack around the southern end of the region is a fine example, and doubles as an excellent introduction to the area.
Like most Home Counties routes, the highlights tend to be on the short side, but fear not, they’re in plentiful supply. Climbers will get their kicks in the middle stages, first on the rather brutal pull up from the Ridgeway to Hailey Wood and then on the longer but more drawn-out affair to Northend.
Technophiles and downhillers will revel in the woods early on around Stoke Row, and later in the rather grand Wormsley Estate, where a steep and tricky singletrack plummets from the banks of the M40 down into the impressive grounds.
But for the most part, this route is defined by mile after endless mile of sweet flowing singletrack that demands just a little concentration and will reward you with a huge grin.
Kingwood Common, Ewelme Downs and the Wormsley Estate all fit the bill perfectly, but there are plenty of other enthralling sections to check out too.
Finally, a word of advice: navigation is tricky on this kind of route, with an almost never-ending list of complex directions to follow. If ever there was a good place to take a GPS, this is it.