Epic Adventure to Sniggs Alley & the Oldest Pub in England (4K)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- Great walk to find a location from best-selling author Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books nestled in the Chilterns countryside close to where Pratchett grew up - and also my childhood home. Sniggs Alley is a place in Ankh-Morpork on the Discworld. It's also an ancient footpath that runs from Loudwater to the village of Penn in Buckinghamshire. Our quest to find Sniggs Alley starts in High Wycombe and we walk along the A40 London Road to Loudwater before walking into the Chiltern Hills. We then turn towards Forty Green, near Beaconsfield, where Terry Pratchett grew up. At Lude Farm we pass the field where a B17 bomber crashed on 12 August 1944 www.pennchurch...
At Forty Green we stop for a pint on the Royal Standard of England, which is the oldest free house in England and has existed for over 900 years. The final part of the walk takes to Beaconsfield Library where Terry Pratchett spent much time reading and studying.
“Every town on the multiverse has a part that is
something like Ankh-Morpork’s Shades.
It’s usually the oldest part, its lanes faithfully
following the original tracks of medieval cows going
down to the river, and they have names like
Shambles, the Rookery,
Sniggs Alley ...”
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
Wycombe videos:
A walk along the River Wye • The River Where It All...
Back to my Roots - High Wycombe to Beaconsfield - Episode 100
• Back to my Roots - Hig...
Chilterns Walk from Wycombe to Wooburn • Chilterns Walk from Wy...
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I first met Terry when our local am dram group put on the stage version of The Wyrd Sisters. Terry came along and stayed on after the performance. We talked at length about World Of Warcraft, a game we both played at the tme. We spoke for nearly half an hour. Five years later he was doing a book signing and when I approached him he remembered my name on greeting. I was gobsmacked. A lovely lovely man.
Lovely story - thanks for sharing
Don't you apologise for coming over all nostalgic. That was a lovely trawl through your past and we're glad you shared it with us.
A reminder of just how beautiful England is. The scenery was breathtaking.
I grew up reading the discworld series. I would lose myself imagining I was Rincewind on my own adventures. It was like losing a distant eccentric uncle when he passed away . Awesome walk John
Well yet another place I want to wander for days
I lived in Chesham for 13 years, moved away in 2021 and I miss the south Bucks countryside so so much. It is so beautiful.😢
Maud Milton’s mosaic was a real labour of love. What a fun walk thank you.
Pratchett, a lasting hero of literature and not just for Disk World but many other offerings.
Admitted, Disc World IS the major and most satisfying for it's longevity and mass.
Wonderful.
Terry called me a bastard once. It was in the Discworld Emporium, Bernard "The Cunning Artificer" Pearson's shop in Wincanton, Somerset, the only Discworld shop in the world. Bernard had just opened up and intoned (in his inimitable Bernard way) "Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, the shop is open, the tills are ready!" and Terry (who was in there with the rest of us costumed loonies) said "Ah yes, open your wallets and repeat after me 'Help yourself!'" and I immediately turned to him and said "Goon Show! Bloodnok to Seagoon and Eccles! Dishonoured!" and he looked most put out and went "You bastard! You know it!"
He loved making obscure references but really hated it if you called him out on them. Happy days...
PS. Wincanton is twinned with Ankh-Morpork, as far as I know it's the only place in the UK officially twinned with a fictional city.
PPS. Thank you for this. Fantastic walk.
That’s a fantastic story Andrew - thanks
You lucky lucky
@@Michaeluk61 Indeed! Amongst the fandom it is considered to be quite the honour. Alas that there will be no new recipients. I miss him.
@@Michaeluk61 Well that's very Life of Brian😅
@@sparagmos4748 In truth I was very very lucky to be around at the right time; to read the books, be involved with the fandom in its golden years and to actually meet Terry numerous times. I met my wife at the London Pratchett meet-up group "The Broken Drummers" (who still meet on the first Sunday of every month at The Monkey Puzzle, Sussex Gardens, Paddington, she runs it now) way back in 2005. Been married 15 years this September.
Oh, what a magical walk! One of your best. I didn't get around to reading Terry Pratchett until my 30s...
I have a Bulgarian friend who learned English from reading Discworld books, must be where he got his sense of humour from!
The older I get the more I feel the need to visit those places from my formative years. What a beautiful place to grow up in, I feel a visit and a wander is in order.
Wonderful -
Ive had Pratchett in my life since '94... I still read his work. Burst into tears when I read his last book, "The Shepherds Crown". Profound moment, profound scene, and profound characters.
Great video to watch on a Sunday evening.
Hello John … I’m really glad you found Sniggs Alley … Another great video …Thanks !
I love these country walks.
Thank you John, I look forward to joining you on your walk wherever that maybe. :)
Thanks Indica
Born and brought up in High Wycombe.. I live in the US now. Still have family there and in Beaconsfield. Miss it so much. Beautiful countryside, quaint towns and villages. The Royal Standard was my late dad’s favourite pub. Thank you for taking us down memory lane, very nostalgic
I remember visiting a Model Village in/near High Wycombe as a child. Must have been around ten years old.
Beaconscott !
@@lesliegprice6652 Bekonscot, to be precise!
Wonderful! I'm from South Bucks and watching this takes me back to my care-free youth, walking wherever and whenever. Thank you for this 😊
Coming from Flackwell Heath I’m reliving all of my old haunts on this wonderful walk. Been there done that moments! As for the B-17 my father found a piece of the plane in his youth! Thanks for another great walk!
Many thanks- surely not Mark Chennell?
@@JohnRogersWalksNo Chris Chennell
Wonderful you old romantic, great work.
thanks Kenneth!
Love your High Wycombe videos John. Haven’t been back there since I was a Uni student in 1996, so these ones bring back great nostalgia. Thank you!
You've hooked me in from the beginning😊
What a great introduction to the power of the imagination, and to the power of reading. Maybe i will give Terry Pratchett a try... always an excellent walk 🚶♂️John.
I just started reading Pratchett's The Wee Free Men yesterday.
You're in for a treat. Make sure you read the whole Tiffany Aching series.
Better late than never. A great series.
That was the first Pratchett I read. I found it hysterically funny. His gift for dialogue was just genius level😊
Another tremendous video, John. Always enjoyable. Take care of your back. Dave and Katie x
Thank you for this lovely video. Very calm and relaxing. Helped me unwind after a hectic day
My pleasure- great to hear
Beautiful.... Sniggs Alley has a look of a Holloway about it! #magical👌😉⭐
I thought of that too.
Beautiful video. Thanks John.
Ankh-Morpork is like Budapest - two cities, one on either side of a river. Morpork is the rougher area, including the Shades. Ankh is more well to do, where people like Lady Sybil lives
Ah thanks for that
What a beautiful walk at the perfect time of day, you just can't beat this green and pleasant land of ours , just wonderful, just magical......
Magical walk, John! ❤
Thanks Ashley
I had a terrific time coming along (virtually) on your Pratchett wanderings. What beautiful countryside! I live in Stratford, Ontario in Canada, but I love England and have lived there twice during my uni days, and travel there as often as time and budget allows. A good friend of mine resides in Loudwater, and he is always trudging or biking around the Chilterns (who know? Maybe it was Peter biking down through that meadow with his friend!). He loves the Royal Standard of England pub and visits it often. Oddly enough, my parents were living in Beaconsfield, Quebec when I was born. Thanks, John! As always, I'll see you on the next walk... wherever that may be.
Ah what lovely connections - I travelled from Stratford to Beaconsfield on the day of this walk
Fantastic walk as always John, thank you for taking us on the journey
Met Terry Pratchett at a book signing for Small Gods, really nice funny chap.
Really enjoyed that walk...thanks John !
Many thanks for watching
It's a bit tantalizing to see scenes of the countryside where some of my ancestors came from. Living on the opposite side of the planet, it's hard to visualize the area, so this really helps.
This is my favorite walk for such a long time. Nothing wrong with the others but all that lovely green was just what I needed in my big grey city life. Thanks John.
Lovely - it's great to get out into the hills regularly - I don't do it nearly enough
such a great energy and such a a great video !
Superb as always...
Thanks
Fantastic views along with the listen, thanks John.
Regards
many thanks
Lovely walk John!
Taking the road less travelled, that has to be a good omen!
Cheers!
Wonderful John
thanks Darren
Fantastic that John. Reliving a bit of personal history is magical and I always think you have to move away and then revisit the places of your youth to truly appreciate them. Wonderful personal memories. You are indeed a Wycombe Wanderer! 😉👍
Thanks Steve - I think you’re spot on, I saw it all with fresh eyes after travelling for a few years as well
Pheasant! I lived opposite The Pheasant in Amersham (now flats). As well as Wycombe there was also one in Chalfont, now a vets i think
Great walk John, you walked past my yard at Lude Farm, right by where the bomber came down.And I had my horse's at Pheasant Eye Farm by the Standard (I had a few Owd Rogers in there in my youth!) and Roundhead Farm where the double fence footpath runs down to Hogback.
It was a sad do about the bomber coming down. Stan Howard (your dad must have known him) told me that his old man shouted him that a plane was crashing. We were always digging up live and spent shells when we carried out any digging around the farm.
Oh and btw, you went to school with my mate, it's a small world! 😊
Many thanks for that comment- I’ve sent to my Dad. Yes he knew all the people at Lude Farm and around the area. I read out the blog post about the memorial service to him today and we had a chuckle at the mention of Rev Oscar Musprat - Dad did his garden and bought an Austin Marina from him. One night he needed a hand very late as he was burying the Cambridge Spy Guy Burgess by candlelight in Penn churchyard (who by an odd coincidence was played by my brother-in-law in a recent TV drama).
It’s a very sad and powerful story about the crash, Dad was there soon after. I remember growing up with the story myself.
@@JohnRogersWalks excellent, thank you. I used to help Stan connect up ploughs up to his tractor when his hand got so bad with arthritis.
He was a lovely old boy, I know most of the Howard's, Richie used to drive a bulldozer for me year's ago. Sadly he was one of the victims of the blood transfusion scandal and caught Hepatitis C which he sadly succumbed to.
Great story about Penn Church, there's a lovely memorial to Tomahawk Warrior's crew in the church.
A lovely walk! Just goes to show, you've not to stray too far from central London before you hit the bucolic stuff, and there's usually a good selection of fine ales to be had here and there along the way.. I must try again with Terry Pratchett, so many friends I have who love his work, but I didn't click with him when I tried.
Nice one John! 🌟👍
Thanks William- people recommend starting with Guards! Guards!
What a great video. A combination of your brilliant walks and interesting facts about one of my favourite authors.
MANY thanks John.
Cheers Anthony
Another wonderful video John lovely to see you out in the summery weather and the marvellous Chilterns, great to think that Snicks Alley resonates both here and in Ankh Mor Pork too , I first read Terry Pratchett's books mid eighties I guess , I remember Guards Guards and the wonderful Sgt Vimes and his Nights Watch , also Colour of Magic and Rinnswind and the Orangutan that was the university librarian, there was also the one about the Discworld Film industry where the camera contained magical imps who draw the pictures , everyone was funny but there was always some biting satire too , I see him as a cross between Louis Carroll and Hogarth 😊 but favourite has to be his collaboration with Neil Gaiman Good Omens ,loved the TV series as well ! Only went to Beaconsfield once back in the sixties to see the model village ,I remember it was a long walk from the station ,Thank you for a magical half hour , see you soon 💕🌈
Thanks for those memories Leslie
Amazing!Always learning with you!Thank you,cheers from Argentina!
Such an enoyable walk John . Thanks for sharing . So great to be able to set off late afternoon at this time of year and get a really decent walk in before sunset ✌️
That path is a big favourite of mine, but I didn’t know it was Sniggs Alley! How awesome!
In Brisbane the theatre has produced many of his plays 🌹
As a former native of HW I really enjoyed this video. So many memories.
I am not familiar with Discworld but did enjoy this walk. I find it amazing that these rural-looking walks are so close to London.
Don't like bees lol lent back on one when driving done me in the back lol.did panic set in! Love the walk
I was also reading the David Eddings books around then , had ne hooked.
I once packed greetings cards on the Cressex Industrial Estate at Wycombe
I worked in the Argos warehouse on that estate - still one of the best jobs I’ve had
I LOVE Discworld books! I am reading one at the moment!
That was very interesting indeed, Thanks John.
Cheers Richie
Hi John, I wasn't sure where else to post this comment. I accidentally cut short a message on IG, and I didn't want you to think I was a bot or anything...
Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for these video. You are consistently engaging, humble, unpretentious, free of typical TH-camr desperation, genial, affable, and welcoming. I signed up as a member recently; I think you deserve the support. Like you, I am fascinated by London, I love the writing of Iain Sinclair and WG Sebald and others, and feel a deep attraction to the city. I was able to visit London in April last year, but was only there for a few days (not nearly long enough, as you know). I can't wait to return one day. Amazing place.
Thanks again for this fascinating look at London and its surrounds.
Cheers from Toowoomba, Queensland, Aus
Thanks so much for that kind comment David, and massively appreciate your support. Give my regards to Queensland
Just lovely John as usual...a glorious treat, thanks Helene 😊
Thanks Helene
Thank you - that was a great walk. You should definitely do more of them around the Wycombe area and along the Wye towards the Thames, maybe. Maybe that bee was looking for Sniggs Alley.
many thanks Malcolm - you might enjoy this walk along the course of the Wye to as close as I could get to the Thames th-cam.com/video/BytLWHYZadU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=6FQ8CH-ONXjFpdjP
@@JohnRogersWalks Thank's John, I remember now watching this excellent walk. It was a pleasure to be rememinded and to watch it again.
That was a LOVELY walk,thank you for sharing it. In July 2023 I stayed one night at Slough on my way home from London,just because I'd never been there. And I found out Slough is in Bucks,not Berks as id always thought but further on the map I saw I was near Stoke Pages where that poet wrote his famous poem,so I went there.
Thank you so much John for taking on that brilliant walk. I really appreciate you sharing your stories and memories. That pub and wall plaque was a pleasant surprise. I've been a walker from an early age but ill health has recently scuppered my long jaunts. Instead, I get the old feeling of adventure through your videos. Long may you march.
Thanks for that Billy - sorry to hear you can’t get out there but glad you can join me on these walks
This is exactly what I needed this morning, thanks John!
Brilliant- my pleasure
Thanku John for another intresting video. 👍🍺
Thanks for watching Michael
Wonderful, entertaining,feast for the soul.
Thanks Keith
What an absolute treat for a Sunday evening. An Old Skool banger of a JR videos. 30 minutes of pitch perfect viewing. On seeing the title Sniggs Alley I immediately envisioned some dark, dank ginnel stinking of piss. How wrong could I be. What a delightful path through the stunning Chilterns landscape. Please can we have more Old Skool wandering videos. One every 2nd or 3rd season would be perfect. Thanks for making and posting it.
so glad you enjoyed it Ian - it was a great day that will live long in the memory. And yes there will be a healthy dose of the old skool wanders throughout the year
The jungle you walked through was Giant Hogweed, so don't get the sap on your skin, as it is an irritant.
Ah, I did wonder
Oh gosh I thought it was I was singing the Genesis song , Attack of the Giant Hogweed 😊
It's a part of the world I know so well - played rugby at Wycombe Rugby club - but this is a unique view - a completely different perspective
Great interesting video.
Got to know him really well.
But, sadly quite a lot of the family moved in different directions.
Some to Kings Langley. But most of section of my family ended up around the Portobello Area.
Thanks for sharing that Graham
Great vid John - wading through those plants in your shorts (and spotting a deer!) did make me worry about whether you had a strong tic/insect repellent on! Given you were later “visited” by that bee made me think not! Also I must remember that bee excuse next time I’m caught ripping my clothes off in public....😊
Ha, thanks Jezzy. I got lucky with both those encounters
Good video! Fan of the Belgeriad series!
Thank you John. Lovely country walk with good weather for a change. It did look a bit weird not seeing any red kites.
I was very surprised by the absence of Red Kites Sue
Thanks John for another great walk. Beaconsfield should always be pronounced as in Bekonscot, of model village fame.
John, not connected before on your videos but been enjoying them hugely for many years. Todays walk through Hogsback wood and the adjacent suburbia in Beaconsfield new town just brought back my childhood as the wood was where my cousin made me a Bow in the late 1960’s ! The Royal standard was a stopping point on my childhood walks as well and we used to have to wait outside in those days. The woods were where we would spend the summers and the footpath was our route to the forest !
In those days you could also get to the wood along the top of the railway embankment behind the suburban frontages
The library was there at least in 1971 so perhaps that is the building Terry referred to.
Thank you
thanks for sharing those great memories Andrew. Maybe the library's older than I thought then - it's at least as old as me!
What a great video John. Love the Disc World connection it’s great to travel parallel worlds with you. High Wycombe and it’s environs looks fascinating. I have explored the nearby Hellfire Caves and the Dashwood mausoleum in the recent past which was a great day out.The layering of fiction and fact is such a compelling idea - I am tempted to dip into Pratchett on this recommendation. The video effect in Sniggs Alley is entirely appropriate.🙂
Thanks Mark - so much to explore in that area
Thanks John, love discworld..!
Gauranga
I lived in Wooburn Green for a few years, very nice area.
I loved this, John. I grew up in Hazlemere and I suspect I frequented the same pubs as you in Beaconsfield, in the late 80s and early 90s. Charles Dickens, the Old Hare (knackered rabbit as we called it), etc. I now live in the US, and it's nice to be reminded of how beautiful the countryside is in that area. Great video.
Thanks Mac - yes I did drink in those pubs - GKs and the Swan were my regulars
Delightful!
A wonderful walk, love Terry Pratchett, so apt I thought when he was made a Sir 😅sadly bad memories of High Wycombe as just a couple of yrs after our move to Windsor my partner suffered a heart attack between Xmas and New year and was taken to special heart unit there, a nightmare 3hr journey by public transport for me for several days running, as I don't drive, so bus station is about all I remember of the place! Beautiful walk though and the pub looks wonderful, didn't know Terry was a local resident 😀
Nice pint of Owd Roger in the Standard - the wonky beams add to the sense of intoxication. Good Omens was a book that made sense: something about the M25 (or was it Milton Keynes?) shaped after the Devil's pentangle. Early psychogeography. Thanks John. Best.
I’d forgotten about Owd Roger - I seem to remember there was some sort of challenge
@@JohnRogersWalks Standing straight and true was one of the challenges. I'm sure it's a worthy research topic John. Best.
My husband used drink Owd Roger on tap in the 70’s in Hampshire, can you still buy it on tap nowadays
@@juliajoyce4535 Great taste Madam. Article (2006) in Bucks Free Press 'Owd Roger returns after long wait.' I definitely drank the 10% proof version on tap. AFAIK only bottles now.
Thanks again John in Chicago
cheers John
there is a Pub in Nottingham, the Trip to Jerusalem which claims to be the Oldest in England...how are these claims measured ...a Pub that exists today on the very site of a Pub that has existed continuously from the Earliest Claimed Date seems obvious, anyway, Fascinating ! as Spock of Star Trek Fame might of put it....another triffic video John, living in Thailand its Great to see the Seasonal changes throughout your Walks.
It’s a good question and I’ve heard about that pub probably every time I’ve mentioned the Royal Standard. It’s similar when asking which is the oldest pub in London
Morning John. Thanks for the vid. Beautiful places. Though not London galaxy, yesterday was in Ufton near Leamington Spa… check White Hart pub there with stunning views all around. All the best. ☀️
I was 10 in 1987 and I was trying get spiders to fight eachother.
I think this was the occasion an American bomber was trying to land in a field but there were children in the field. The crew gestured to the children to get them to move but the children thought they were waving. Tragically the plane couldn't land and hence the crash.
Always enjoy your Bucks walks, grew up in Amersham and Chesham and in later years lived in High Wycombe (Peterborough Avenue) and worked at Gomme's and Ercol's. I assume you were born at 'The Shrubbery' just up the road on the other side of Amersham Hill. I live near Shrewsbury now so it's great to see Wycombe and the surrounding area on your walks. With reference to the B17 my Mother told the story of how my Grandfather ( a lay-preacher) was cycling to church that morning early doors and watched the bomber struggling then come down, the force of the explosion blowing him off his bike and into a ditch..
I was indeed born in the Shrubbery Ian. Thanks for sharing that story about your grandfather
Cosmic says Granny Weatherwax / Tiffany depending who’s calling me xxx
Its official John has called it Summer!
Nice one john, i consumed the belgariad too. Did you find the individual stories of Belgarath and Polgara ?
Terry pratchett ,? Amazing author , what an imagination.
A Crow in a crowd is a Rook. A Rook on its own is a Crow...I think...
Thanks Simon - the second part sounds familiar
There is a Spriggs Alley near Chinnor about 10 miles west of Wycombe. Almost a coincidence.
John, the plant that you sort of had to skirt around, i think, is giant hogweed. It's recommended that you give it a wide berth, especially when the umbrella white florets form, and during summer heat. It is part of the wild carrot family, I believe, and can cause long- lasting irritation, blisters, and burning sensation. I could be wrong as it didn't seem to cause any skin issues with you. I do believe it's toxic, at least in North America, where we might have a different strain. Great walk 🚶♂️ . Always enjoy your walking and decision-making headspace
many thanks for the advice Sian - the consensus in the comments is that it is indeed Giant Hogweed and I have heard the horror stories. I believe the local authority or the Environment Agency remove it when reported
Maybe the bee was Terry!!
i love the Chilterns
Another wonderful walk, and story…
I’m sorry if you’ve answered many times, but do you have a viewable route of this walk please? I might do it this Sunday! 😊 Thank you!
Many thanks. I don't I'm afraid but I've marked the locations in text throughout the video and the maps at around 17:33 show the location of the footpaths and the names of landmarks.
But the route is very straightforward to Sniggs Alley:
- just go straight along the A40 to Loudwater.
- take the footpath beside the houses opposite Tesco
- follow the footpath over the railway line
- carry on straight ahead following the marked footpath
- keep on the path to the right of Derehams Farm and you'll find yourself on Sniggs Alley
- to take the footpath to Forty Green as I do in the video just look for the path that leads away to the right up the hill.
A simpler route might be to turn up Derehams Lane from the A40, before reaching Tesco, at the junction with Station Road Loudwater. maps.app.goo.gl/G3iBTVxa5i59yAoZ8
I'd strongly recommend getting the OS Explorer Map 172 Chiltern Hills East if doing this walk.
Hope this helps
@@JohnRogersWalks That’s so kind of you John. Thank you. I’ve screen grabbed your reply and will use it to find my way. I’m based in the Chilterns, so have that OS Map. I look forward to walking it. 😊
Hey John, back in Merrie Olde Wycombe again :)
Do you happen to remember 'Not Just Stamps' on Crendon Street, just down from and on the opposite side of the road from the Train Station?
Really good for Dungeon & Dragons and all types of Tabletop Gaming stuff.
A shame that closed.
Ha yes I do now