This is St John the Baptist in Little Missenden, which ranks as the ninth most distant, but it is the first to be open when I arrived, without a service under way. So it is the first that I have been able to look around without seeking out a key.
It was well worth it. It's a lovely church, with a core that goes back at least to the twelfth century, and according to the plans in the church, to Saxon times.
Despite the grey skies and a fair amount of wind, the ride out was quite pleasant, with no rain, and the wind mostly urging me on. As soon as I left the church, though, things began to change. The rain built up, and the wind was pushing me back. By the time I was approaching High Wycombe it had really turned quite unpleasant, and a fast descent into Hughenden valley, through driving rain, was getting quite exciting.
I don't know a nice route into the centre of High Wycombe from the north-west, but I now know how to find the good cycle route from High Wycombe out to Loudwater. By this stage the weather had eased up a bit, and despite a continuing headwind it really wasn't too bad completing the loop back to home.
Little Missenden was definitely the highlight of the day, but I also managed to climb the hill from Wooburn Green to Beaconsfield without getting off the bike. It was all in bottom gear, but I'm still quite pleased with myself. I think it is called Glory Hill, because that's the name of the farm at the top, but in any case, I will think of it as Glory Hill from now on. Glory, hallelujah!
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