Thinking of walking in the Chilterns this Easter weekend? Well, it won’t be easy…
Firstly there are no trains between Euston and Milton Keynes, so nothing to Berkhamsted, Tring etc.
The Metropolitan line is only slightly better - no trains between Aldgate and Harrow-on-the-Hill over the Easter weekend. But, trains are running north of Harrow to Chesham and Amersham. So you could get the Bakerloo line to Kenton and walk or get a bus to Harrow-on-the-Hill. Another (slightly convoluted) alternative would be to take the Piccadilly line to Rayners Lane and then Metropolitan back to Harrow. There are lots of local buses to Harrow-on-the-Hill too, of course.
Things get really complicated when we come to Chiltern Railways though.
Because of the closure to Euston, Chiltern railways are running extra trains to Birmingham. Their communications boast that they are running an “enhanced service” over the weekend.
An enhanced service sounds great. What they aren’t mentioning is that there are no trains at all between Marylebone and Aylesbury (via Amersham). That means no trains to Great Missenden or Wendover.
The amazing thing is that, at the time of writing, there is no direct mention of this on their website - just a reference to running the enhanced service and “minor changes” to their service. They text says:
“Beaconsfield - Amersham - Great Missenden - Wendover - Stoke Mandeville - Aylesbury - Aylesbury Vale Parkway. For journeys to/from London, connecting trains should be used between Marylebone and Beaconsfield.”
No idea what that is supposed to mean.
Anyway, there are trains to Beaconsfield, so that is your best option for walking in the Chilterns this weekend.
Enjoy!