Posts tagged Hertfordshire
Chiltern Walks: Sandridge and Heartwood Forest

Edge of Heartwood Forest, towards Childwickbury

Start & Finish: Nomansland Parking, Ferrers Lane, St Albans, AL4 8EG
Distance: 12.3 km (7.7 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 106m
Hertfordshire Way section covered: Chilwickbury to Hammonds House Farm: 5.5 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Hertfordshire Way, The Romans and Nomandsland, Ver Valley Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 6
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several pubs and a cafe in Sandridge at 8 km in.
Map: St Albans & Hatfield Map | Hemel Hempstead & Welwyn Garden City | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 182
Links: Childwickbury, Sandridge, Heartwood Forest, Nomansland Common

The Hertfordshire Way offers an incredible opportunity to circumnavigate one of England's home counties, revealing its hidden charms and surprising variety. This circular long-distance footpath, stretching around 273 km (170 miles), guides walkers through the county's most picturesque landscapes, proving that green spaces are never far, even in this area close to London. We walked the Chilterns part of the Hertfordshire Way in 15 sections over a couple of years. We used my “Greater Chilterns” definition that takes the trail from the River Lea near Wheathampstead to the River Colne near Garston. This route is one of those 15 circular walks.

The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

For this walk we parked at the free parking area on Nomansland Common off Ferrers Lane. Take the footpath heading west from the parking area and, after approximately 800m, take the southern footpath through the woods towards Round Wood. Keep heading in a south-westerly direction along the field edge until you reach the railway embankment. Take a right to follow the right hand edge of the railway until you reach Ayres End Lane. Take a left to pass under the railway line, then the first path on the right to follow a path that bypasses Ayres End Lane and joins the Ver Valley Walk.

Follow the Ver Valley Walk in a south-westerly direction. Carefully cross over the A1081 Harpenden Road and take a right into Childwickbury. Here you’ll join the Herfordshire Way. Take a left in Childwickbury village to follow the Hertfordshireway back to the A1081 Harpenden Road. Turn right onto the A1081 then carefully cross over to follow the Hertfordshire Way in an easterly direction to Sandridge.

Sandridge village is a good place to stop for a rest at 8 km in. There’s a few pubs and a cafe so it’s well-served for a small village. After Sandridge continue to follow the Hertfordshire Way in a north-easterly direction until you reach the junction with the Romans and Nomansland trail at Hammonds House farm. Leave the Hertfordshire Way here and follow the Romans and Nomansland trail in a north-westerly direction through the farm. Eventually you’ll cross the Wheathampstead Road back onto Nomansland Common and the final short section back to the car park.

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Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Chiltern Walks: St Albans and Childwickbury

St Albans Cathedral

Start & Finish: Verulamium Car Park, 39 St Michael's Street, St Albans, AL3 4SW. Alternative parking and public transport options in St Albans
Distance: 14.3 km (8.9 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 122m
Hertfordshire Way section covered: Redbournbury to Childwickbury: 10.6 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Hertfordshire Way, Ver Valley Walk, River Ver Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 6
Pubs / Cafes on route: Many in St Albans Town Centre
Map: St Albans & Hatfield Map | Hemel Hempstead & Welwyn Garden City | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 182
Links: Redbournbury, St Albans, Childwickbury, River Ver, Gorhambury Estate

The Hertfordshire Way offers an incredible opportunity to circumnavigate one of England's home counties, revealing its hidden charms and surprising variety. This circular long-distance footpath, stretching around 273 km (170 miles), guides walkers through the county's most picturesque landscapes, proving that green spaces are never far, even in this area close to London. We walked the Chilterns part of the Hertfordshire Way in 15 sections over a couple of years. We used my “Greater Chilterns” definition that takes the trail from the River Lea near Wheathampstead to the River Colne near Garston. This route is one of those 15 circular walks.

The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain. For this walk we parked at the Verulamium Car Park on the western edge of the town. The location is great for the walk but it’s also expensive. There’s other parking and public transport options in St Albans though.

Most of this walk is in the countryside to the north of the city, however there’s a “bonus” loop of 2.5 km that takes in St. Alban’s Cathedral, Fishpool Street and Verulamium Park. It’s worth doing but if you want to skip it the main section of the walk is around 11.5 km. My advice is to do the main section first then have a rest in one of the city’s pubs and cafes then do the small loop before returning to the car park.

For the main section of the route, exit the car park on the western side onto St Michael’s Street then take a right onto the A4147 Hemel Hempstead Road. It’s a busy route into the city but the pavement is safe enough and it’s a short distance. After the roundabout carefully cross over and take the first lane on the left heading into farmland in a north-westerly direction. Follow this path through fields, woods and a golf course to the small village of Childwickbury.

Continue through Childwickbury until you reach the A1081 Harpenden Road. Take a left onto the A1081 and follow the pavement for 1.2 km then take a left onto Beesonend Lane. Follow the lane for 2 km in a south-westerly direction until you reach a T-junction with a path that runs parallel to the river Ver. Take a left to follow this path in a southerly direction to the A5183 Redbourn Road.

Cross over the road and enter a gate into the Gorhambury Estate. Follow the path through the estate until you reach the A4147 Hemel Hempstead Road. Cross over the road to return to St Michael’s Street and the car park. Note that Gorhambury is a private estate with permissive paths running through it. The gate from the A5183 was locked when we were there so we had to take a less interesting diversion along the A5183. Check their website linked about for details of any closures.

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Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Chiltern Walks: Redbourn and Redbournbury

Farmland south of Redbourn

Start & Finish: Free car park on West Common, Redbourn, St Albans AL3 7ND
Distance: 9 km (6 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 74m
Hertfordshire Way section covered: Redbourn to Redbournbury: 4 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Hertfordshire Way, Chiltern Way, Ver Valley Walk, River Ver Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): Nickey Line
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Cricketers of Redbourn at start and end
Map: St Albans & Hatfield Map | Hemel Hempstead & Welwyn Garden City | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 182
Links: Redbourn, Redbournbury, Redbournbury Mill, River Ver, Nickey Line

The Hertfordshire Way offers an incredible opportunity to circumnavigate one of England's home counties, revealing its hidden charms and surprising variety. This circular long-distance footpath, stretching around 273 km (170 miles), guides walkers through the county's most picturesque landscapes, proving that green spaces are never far, even in this area close to London. We walked the Chilterns part of the Hertfordshire Way in 15 sections over a couple of years. We used my “Greater Chilterns” definition that takes the trail from the River Lea near Wheathampstead to the River Colne near Garston. This route is one of those 15 circular walks.

The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

For this walk we parked at the free car park on West Common near the cricket club. Walk along the tree-lined avenue in a south-westerly direction then take a right onto Flamsteadbury Lane. Take a left onto Ben Austins (road) and then a right onto the footpath next to house number 13. When you reach the field corner take a left to follow the Hertfordshire Way in a south-westerly direction along the field-edge. Keep following both the Very Valley Walk and Hertfordshire Way to pass through the grounds of St Mary’s Church, across Hemel Hempstead Road and onto the Nickey Lane disused railway.

Take a left onto the Nickey Line and follow it for 1.8 km until you reach a path junction just after crossing over the River Red. Take right at this path junction to leave the Nickey Line to stay on the Hertfordshire Way. Follow the Hertfordshire Way in a south-easterly direction for 2.6 km as it runs parallel to the River Ver. Approximately 0.5 km south of the Redbournbury Watermill leave the Hertfordshire Way to cross over the River Ver into a cow field. There’s a section of stepping stones where you can cross an arm of the Ver after the footbridge.

Cross the cow field and over the A4183 Redbourn Road then onto Punchbowl Lane. Follow Punchbowl Lane in a south-westerly direction for 3.3 km then take the footpath on the right to follow the Ver Valley Walk across fields in a northerly direction. Keep on the Ver Valley Walk heading north for approximately 3 km back to the start at West Common.

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Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Ales & Trails Creative Juices 10k

When: September 21st 2025
Where: Creative Juices Brewery, Woodoaks Farm Cottages, Denham Way, Maple Cross, Rickmansworth WD3 9XQ
Organiser: Racing Line Running
Distance: 10 km
Elevation: +/- 189m
Course: 3 loops either side of the M25 starting at Woodoaks Farm and reaching to Philipshill Wood
Other routes touched (Walk): Chiltern Way, Chiltern Heritage Trail
Other routes touches (Cycle): Chiltern Heritage Trail Milton Route
Finish time: 1 hour, 38 seconds

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Richard gowerRun, 10k, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Chiltern Walks: Flamstead and Redbourn

Fields to the west of Redbourn

Start & Finish: Free car park on West Common, Redbourn, St Albans AL3 7ND
Distance: 11.4 km (7 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 98m
Hertfordshire Way section covered: Flamstead to Redbourn: 4.2 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Hertfordshire Way, Chiltern Way, Ver Valley Walk, River Ver Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 57
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Spotted Dog or The Three Blackbirds in Flamstead at 6.5 km in and several options in Redbourn at the start and end.
Map: St Albans & Hatfield Map | Hemel Hempstead & Welwyn Garden City | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 182
Links: Flamstead, Redbourn, River Ver

The Hertfordshire Way offers an incredible opportunity to circumnavigate one of England's home counties, revealing its hidden charms and surprising variety. This circular long-distance footpath, stretching around 273 km (170 miles), guides walkers through the county's most picturesque landscapes, proving that green spaces are never far, even in this area close to London. We walked the Chilterns part of the Hertfordshire Way in 15 sections over a couple of years. We used my “Greater Chilterns” definition that takes the trail from the River Lea near Wheathampstead to the River Colne near Garston. This route is one of those 15 circular walks.

The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

For this walk we parked at the free car park on West Common near the cricket club. Walk along the tree-lined avenue in a north-easterly direction to Redbourn High Street. Cross over onto Watersend Road, following the River Ver Trail as it runs parallel to the River Ver. After 5km you’ll reach the M1 junction. This isn’t a pleasant section and be careful as you navigate the motorway underpass and cross the roundabout on the western side. Once across the junction you’ll be back into quieter farm and woodland on the 1 km section to Flamstead. You’re now over half way into the route and it’s a good chance to stop for a rest in either the Spotted Dog or Three Blackbirds.

At the junction of Flamstead High Street and Chapel Road you’ll pick up the Hertfordshire Way heading south along Trowley Hill Road. Approximately 0.5 km south of the Three Blackbirds you’ll take a footpath on the left as Trowley Hill Road curves to the west. Continue along the Hertfordshire Way initially in a southerly direction then curving towards the east. You’ll cross over the M1 again, but this time it’s a lot easier as it’s over a traffic-free bridge. Continue along the Hertfordshire Way back to the start at West Common, Redbourn

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Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Ales & Trails 3 Brewers 10k

When: July 27th 2025
Where: The 3 Brewers of St. Albans, The Potato Shed, Symondshyde Farm, Symondshyde Lane, Hatfield AL10 9BB
Organiser: Racing Line Running
Distance: 10 km
Elevation: +/- 110m
Course: 2 lap loop of farmland to the north of the Brewery.
Other routes touched (Walk): Hertfordshire Way, The Romans and Nomansland Trail
Finish time: 57 minutes, 43 seconds

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Richard gowerRun, 10k, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Greater London OS Trig Pillars

If you’ve searched for or stumbled across this page then you probably already know what an OS Trig Pillar is. If you don’t then this article from the Ordnance Survey is a good place to start.

There were 30 OS Trig Pillars built in Greater London of which 24 are still in place. Of these some are on private land and are visible from a distance but not reachable. There’s a further 14 Trig Pillars that are outside of Greater London but inside of the M25. Special mention goes to TP9117 North Ockenden which is inside Greater London but outside of the M25.

I completed my mission to visit all accessible and visible Trig Pillars within Greater London and the M25. The definition of accessible is somewhat subjective though as some that I’ve listed as accessible are just off the public right of way. Looking at the logs, there’s others who have successfully bagged ones I’ve listed as inaccessible but I’ve taken a more risk-averse approach and avoided trespassing, causing damage or scaring animals. Always check the logs on Trigpointing.uk to see how easy it is to access a pillar.

The Map

Click on each icon to see the Trig Pillar name and a link to the page on Trigpointing.uk

The Spreadsheet

The Photos: Greater London Trig Pillars

No photo for TP5676 - Riddles Down

The Photos: Inside M25 but outside of Greater London Trig Pillars

The Log Sheet

If you would like a PDF version of my manual Greater London OS Trig Pillars Log Sheet, please BuyMeACoffee and let me know on the Contact Page. It’s a table of all Greater London Trig Pillars, plus a separate page for those outside of London but inside the M25. You can track your date completed and there’s space for your own Notes. It’s simple and you could easily make one yourself, but let me know if you want a copy of mine. 20% of each virtual coffee goes to one of the Causes that I support and the rest goes toward the running of this website.

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Richard gowerTrek, Trig Pillar, London, Middlesex, Kent, Surrey, Essex, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Chiltern Walks: Flamstead and Markyate

Approaching Flamstead with rain clouds behind

Start & Finish: Flamstead Recreation Ground, St Albans AL3 8BS
Distance: 12 km (7.5 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 135m
Hertfordshire Way section covered: Babies Wood to Flamstead: 4.3 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Hertfordshire Way, Chiltern Way, Ver Valley Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Spotted Dog or Three Blackbirds at the start in Flamstead. Several in Markyate, just off route at 2.8 km
Map: St Albans & Hatfield Map | Hemel Hempstead & Welwyn Garden City | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 182
Links: Flamstead, Markyate

The Hertfordshire Way offers an incredible opportunity to circumnavigate one of England's home counties, revealing its hidden charms and surprising variety. This circular long-distance footpath, stretching around 273 km (170 miles), guides walkers through the county's most picturesque landscapes, proving that green spaces are never far, even in this area close to London. We walked the Chilterns part of the Hertfordshire Way in 15 sections over a couple of years. We used my “Greater Chilterns” definition that takes the trail from the River Lea near Wheathampstead to the River Colne near Garston. This route is one of those 15 circular walks.

The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

For this walk we parked at the free parking at Flamstead Recreation Ground off Hollybush Lane. From pick up the Hertfordshire Way on a footpath heading west, just south of Friendless Lane. Follow the path onto Friendless Lane then take a path on the right to cross farmland in a north-westerly direction to Markyate.

The Hertfordshire Way takes a loop around Markyate following Pickford Road and Buckwood Road then takes a southerly course across fields to Roe End Lane. Take a right onto Roe End Lane then a left onto a track to reach Beechwood Park Drive. Shortly after Beechwood Park School take a right to cross fields and woodland in a southerly direction until you meet the Chiltern Way at Gaddesden. Take a left onto the Chiltern Way and follow it in a north-easterly direction back to Flamstead.

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Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Chiltern Walks: Great Gaddesden and Gaddesden Row

Crossing the River Gade at Great Gaddesden

Start & Finish: Hemel Hempstead Garden Centre, Piper's Hill, Great Gaddesden, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3BY
Distance: 9.1 km (5.7 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 116m
Hertfordshire Way section covered: Great Gaddesden to the Babies Wood: 4 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Hertfordshire Way, Chiltern Way
Other routes touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway
Pubs / Cafes on route: Hemel Hempstead Garden Centre cafe at the start and end
Map: Chiltern Hills North Map | Aylesbury, Berkhamsted & Chesham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 181
Links: Great Gaddesden, Gaddesden Row, River Gade, Gaddesden Place

The Hertfordshire Way offers an incredible opportunity to circumnavigate one of England's home counties, revealing its hidden charms and surprising variety. This circular long-distance footpath, stretching around 273 km (170 miles), guides walkers through the county's most picturesque landscapes, proving that green spaces are never far, even in this area close to London. We walked the Chilterns part of the Hertfordshire Way in 15 sections over a couple of years. We used my “Greater Chilterns” definition that takes the trail from the River Lea near Wheathampstead to the River Colne near Garston. This route is one of those 15 circular walks.

The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

For this walk we parked at Hemel Hempstead Garden Centre off Piper’s Hill (road). It’s for customer parking but if you visit the cafe or buy something from the shop and come back before closing time they’re unlikely to mind. The actual start of the walk is at the corner of Piper’s Hill (road) and Church Meadow (road). Just to the south-west of this corner you’ll find a small lane on the left heading in a south-easterly direction. Follow this to cross over the River Gade and the B440 Leighton Buzzard Road. Be very careful on this road as the crossing is on a corner and cars can pass by very fast.

Once over the B440 follow the Chiltern Way in a north-easterly direction through the grounds of Gaddesden Place. If it looks familiar to you it’s because it’s been the location of many films and TV series. Stay on the Chiltern Way until you reach the small hamlet of Gaddesden Row. Shortly after Gaddesden Row leave the Chiltern Way to follow a path heading in a north-westerly direction along the left hand edge of Newland’s Wood and Babies Wood to join the Hertfordshire Way at Beechwood Lane. Be careful here as it’s also the corner of a Hertfordshire Way junction where you have 2 options to follow it. Take the left hand option to follow it in a westerly direction along Dean Lane.

About half-way along Dean Lane take the footpath on the left to keep on the Hertfordshire Way in a southerly direction to Jockey End. Take a left onto Gaddesden Row (road) then a right to follow the Hertfordshire Way in a south-westerly direction back to Great Gaddesden. Again, be careful when crossing back over the B440. After crossing back over the River Gade you’ll reach Church Meadow (road). Follow this in a southerly direction to return to the start.

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Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Chiltern Walks: Phillipshill Wood and Hanging Wood

Highland Cows at Lodge Farm

Start & Finish: Junction of Chalfont Lane and Shire Lane, Chorleywood, Rickmansworth, WD3 5NT
Distance: 8.4 km (5.2 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 87m
Chilterns Heritage Trail Section Covered: Carpenters Wood to Newland Gorse: 3.5 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chiltern Heritage Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): Chiltern Heritage Trail Milton Route
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Chiltern Hills East Map | High Wycombe, Maidenhead & Rickmansworth | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 172
Links: Chorleywood, Phillipshill Wood, Hanging Wood

This is part of a series of short circular walks in the Chilterns. It’s a part of a series of 17 walks that, between them, cover the 83 km of the Chiltern Heritage Trail. Created as a Millennium project, this trail links the towns and parishes within the district, offering stunning scenery, charming villages, and points of historical interest. The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

For this walk we parked at the side of the road near the junction of Chalfont Lane and Shire Lane. Start by walking in a southerly direction down Shire Lane until you get to a T junction in the path after 1.5 km. Take a right then follow the Heritage Trail as it curves up to the north-west. Don’t take the left hand path following the Heritage Trail, instead continue north to a path junction where you can take a left to follow the path through the woods to Nightingale Lane.

Take a right onto Nightingale Lane, then right into Roughwood Lane. Be careful on the short walk along Roughwood Lane as it’s a fast road without a pavement. There’s a wide verge to walk along though. Follow Roughwood Lane to the junction with Burtons Lane, then cross over to follow Lodge Lane to the entrance of Lodge Farm Estate. Take a right into the estate, following the path to the railway line. After the tunnel under the rail line, take a right to follow the path through Old Hanging Wood to reconnect with the Chiltern Heritage Trail. Take a right to cross back under the railway line and follow the Heritage Trail back to the start.

Chiltern Heritage Trail next section clockwise: Chalfont St Giles and Newlands Park
Chiltern Heritage Trail next section anti-clockwise: Little Chalfont and Latimer

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Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment
Walking The Chiltern Way Part 6 - Shrub Hill Common to Chalfont St. Giles

Between Felden and Bovingdon shortly after sunrise

Start: Chaulden Adventure Playground, 106 Long Chaulden, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 2HX
Finish: The Village Green, Chalfont Saint Giles, HP8 4QF
Distance: 22.7 km (14.1 Miles)
Elevation change: +250m / -303m. Net -53m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (walk): Chiltern Way, Red Walk, Hertfordshire Way, Chiltern Heritage Trail, South Bucks Way
Other Routes Touched (cycle): Grand Union Canal Towpath, Chiltern Heritage Trail Milton Route,
Pubs / Cafes on route: Bell Inn Bovingdon (5.9 km in), Green Dragon or Bricklayer’s Flaunden (8.9 km in), Cock In Sarratt (13 km in). Red Lion Chenies (15.1 km in), Cafe at Van Hage Garden Centre (15.5 km in), Merlins Cave (at the finish)
Maps:
- St Albans & Hatfield Map | Hemel Hempstead & Welwyn Garden City | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 182
Links: Chiltern Way (Chiltern Society), Hemel Hempstead, Boxmoor, Bovingdon, Flaunden, Sarratt, Chenies, Chorleywood, Chalfont St Giles

This is the sixth of a series of point to point walks on the Chiltern Way. The full trail is a 134 mile (215 km) long distance path around the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). My friend Brian and I have been doing a section a year on or around the Winter Solstice since 2019. At the current rate we plan to be finished in December 2027. The Chiltern Way is well sign-posted however you should take a map or GPX route to keep on track and be prepared for all weathers. This post isn’t intended as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide.

Brian and I tend to see a lot of each other over the summer months then there’s a gap of a few months when I get distracted by longer holidays and peak busyness at work. The Winter Solstice hike is always a good opportunity to catch up on what we’ve missed in each others’ lives. This year’s Solstice hike was at the midway point between our 50th birthdays. As well as our normal check-in we spent the drive to the start to compare notes on which parts of our bodies were slowing down or wearing out. Fortunately there was nothing too dramatic this year apart from a few aches and twinges.

Picking up from Part 5 at Shrub Hill we headed south through the outskirts of Hemel Hempstead. Our first stop was the obligatory sunrise selfie, albeit not in the most scenic part of this year’s walk.

After 1.6 km we crossed over the Grand Union Canal, last seen at Cow Roast at the start of section 2. After the canal the route ascends up to Boxmoor, also following a section of the Hertfordshire Way until Flaunden. I had marked pub stops on the map at both Flaunden and Sarratt in the optimistic hope that one of them might be open for morning coffee. As per all other Soltrice Walks we were way too early. The first rest and food stop came right at lunchtime at the cafe in the Van Hage Garden Centre off the A404.

For the afternoon section we were in very familiar territory, close to our homes and on very familiar paths. After the A404 the route joins the Chiltern Heritage Trail, heading sound through Chorleywood, along Old Shire Lane and before curving round towards the west to Chalfont St Giles. The Merlin’s Cave pub, with an excellent fish and chips, was our end point for this section.

Previous section: Walking The Chiltern Way Part 5: Peter’s Green to Shrub Hill Common
Next section: Walking The Chiltern Way Part 7: Chalfont St. Giles to Marlow Bottom. Blog post coming in December 2025

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Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, England, CanalComment
parkrun LonDone+ and LonDone ++

“LonDone” is the name for completing the full set of 65 parkrun events in Greater London. There’s 2 other terms: “LonDone +” and “LonDone ++” that have been widely debated in the various parkrun social media forums.

  • LonDone + is generally seen as being all parkrun events within the M25. There are currently 15 parkrun events that are within the M25 but outside of Greater London or a total of 80 events within the M25.

  • Up to now I’ve ignored LonDone ++ as a lot of the definitions have felt a bit arbitrary. However, one definition that I like is that it includes events that are outside of the M25 but have a Voronoi area that crosses inside the M25. This includes a further 9 parkrun events making a total of 89 events that have part of their Voronoi area within the M25. Note that different parkrun apps have slightly different calculations for their Voronoi apps. For this page I’ve used the Voronoi map from the Running Challenges Chrome Extension.

  • LonDone+ and/or LonDone++ are also referred to as “Orbit-All”

See the main LonDone page for details of all parkrun events within Greater London.

LonDone +: parkrun events within the M25

Note that the Egham Orbit course crosses under the motorway with a short section outside of the M25. I've included it in LonDone+ as the start, finish and majority of the course are within the M25.

LonDone ++: parkrun events with a Voronoi area crossing the M25

Event (County, Region)

Notes on recent changes

  • Thurrock’s Voronoi area extended across the M25 before the start of Ingrebourne Hill.

  • Jersey Farm’s Voronoi area extended across the M25 before the start of Oaklands College.

The images below show the Voronoi area for each of the LonDon ++ parkrun events in blue with the M25 as a red line.

More parkrun posts

parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:

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Richard gowerRun, parkrun, London, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Kent, Essex, Middlesex, Buckinghamshire, England Comments
Walking The Chiltern Way Part 5 - Peter’s Green to Shrub Hill Common

Crossing the River Gade

Start: The Bright Star Pub, Kimpton Road, Peter's Green, Luton, LU2 9QP
Finish: Chaulden Adventure Playground, 106 Long Chaulden, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 2HX
Distance: 26.8 km (16.6 Miles)
Elevation change: +288m / -304m. Net -16m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (walk): Lee Valley Walk, River Ver Trail, Hertfordshire Way
Other Routes Touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway, The Nickey Line, River Lea Cycle Route
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several in Redbourn (10.6 km in), including The Hub Cycle Cafe. Three Blackbirds in Flamstead (15.7 km in)
Maps:
- Luton & Stevenage Map | Hitchin & Ampthill | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 193
- St Albans & Hatfield Map | Hemel Hempstead & Welwyn Garden City | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 182
Links: Chiltern Way (Chiltern Society), Redbourn, Flamstead, Hemel Hempstead, River Ver, River Gade

This is the fifth of a series of point to point walks on the Chiltern Way. The full trail is a 134 mile (215 km) long distance path around the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). My friend Brian and I have been doing a section a year on or around the Winter Solstice since 2019. At the current rate we plan to be finished in December 2027. The Chiltern Way is well sign-posted however you should take a map or GPX route to keep on track and be prepared for all weathers. This post isn’t intended as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide.

Having been travelling west to east for the previous 4 sections we had now turned the corner and were heading south, south-west. We were also into more familiar territory as the route covered several trails that we had explored on previous adventures. After 3km from the section start at Peter’s Green the Chiltern Way crosses over the River Lea and briefly follows the Lea Valley Walk towards Harpenden. This section is also on the River Lea Cycle Route.

It had been a while since Brian and I had seen each other and we got so caught up in catching up that we missed the turning off the Lea Valley Walk. After realising our mistake we retraced our steps and followed the Chiltern Way again across to the start of the Nickey Line. This was another familiar section as I had covered it on the Nickey Line, Ayot Greenway and Alban Way cycle ride.

The Chiltern Way follows the Nickey Line for 4.3 km before cutting across the River Ver into Redbourn. We stopped here at The Hub Cycle cafe for a mid-morning coffee and cake. We’d been unlucky on previous Chiltern Way sections finding food as we had either passed pubs before they opened or not passed anything at all. This section passed through more towns so we made a point to stop and eat where we could.

After Redbourn our plan was to continue to Flamstead to arrive there just after 12:00 and in time for lunch at The Three Blackbirds pub. We arrived on time only to find out that the chef was off and they weren’t serving food that day. The nice lady at the bar kindly gave us directions for other places but none were on our route and would have only been practical if driving. We settled for a couple of packets of crisps and had our packed lunch on the move walking out of the village.

The second half of this section is more rural without any towns or villages to pass through. One interesting spot was passing by the front of Gaddeston Place, a large 18th century manor house overlooking the Gade Valley. It looked familiar but not surprisingly as it’s been used as a location in many films and TV series. Coincidentally I saw it again the following evening as it was featured in a movie that I was watching on Netflix.

The Chiltern Way descends sharply down from Gaddeston Place to the B440 Leighton Buzzard Road. be very careful crossing this road as the path opens onto the road at a sharp bend with little visibility. Once across the road the path crosses over the Gade and ascends up the other side of the valley towards Hemel Hempstead.

The end of this section for us was Shrub Hill Common on the north-western edge of Hemel. I had originally planned to finish the section at the Grand Union Canal a couple of km on but parking is better around Shrub Hill.

After a several Winter Solstice dawn to dusk walks we finally got the timings exactly right for this section, starting exactly at sunrise and finishing exactly at sunset.

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Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, England, Disused RailwayComment
Walking The Aylesbury Arm Canal

Bridge 10 between Puttenham and Broughton

The Aylesbury Canal is an arm that branches off from the main Grand Union Canal at Marsworth near the Hertfordshire / Buckinghamshire border. The canal opened in 1814 and was used for the transport of agricultural produce and coal. Unlike the Wendover Canal the whole length is still navigable.

We walked the length of the canal in three sections over the autumn of 2023. Each section was part of a circular walk of around 10k. A single point-to-point walk of the canal is also 10k. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for details.

Section 1: Marsworth To Puttenham

Start & Finish: The Red Lion Pub, 90 Vicarage Rd, Marsworth, Tring HP23 4LU
Distance: 9 km (5.6 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 52m.
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Aylesbury Ring
Other routes touched (cycle): Grand Union Canal Towpath, Tring 5 Cycle Route
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Red Lion (at start and end), The Farmhouse Kitchen at PE Mead and Sons (7.2 km in)
Map: Chiltern Hills North Map | Aylesbury, Berkhamsted & Chesham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 181
Links: Aylesbury Arm Canal (Wikipedia / Canal & River Trust / Aylesbury Canal Society), Marsworth, Grand Union Canal, Drayton Beauchamp, Wilstone

 

For section 1 of the Aylesbury Arm we picked up where we left off on the final section of the Wendover Canal walk. The Red Lion Pub on Vicarage Road is a good place to start as there’s free on-street parking. From the pub walk north to cross the Grand Union Canal and take a left to follow the Grand Union Towpath to Marsworth Wharf. Here you can either cross over the gates on the first lock of the Aylesbury Canal or cross over the Watery Lane bridge. Either way, take a right after crossing the Aylesbury Canal to follow the towpath heading west.

This first section of the Aylesbury Canal towpath is just under 3km leading to bridge #7 near Puttenham. Once leaving the towpath follow the lane in a south-easterly direction to Drayton Beauchamp, crossing over the B489 Lower Icknield Way. Once in Drayton Beauchamp find the footpath on the left that leads to Wilstone Reservoir then follow the northern edge of the reservoir to join the B489 at PE Mead & Sons Farm Shop. There’s a cafe there that’s a good place for a rest before the final section.

After the Farm Shop continue along the B489 in a north-easterly direction to the point where the road curves to the right. Take a footpath on the left of the curve that leads back to Watery Lane in Marsworth, crossing over Wingrave Road on the way. Follow Watery Lane back over the Aylesbury Canal then return to the Red Lion either via the same route as the start of the trip or along Church Lane.

 

Section 2: Puttenham to Broughton

Start & Finish: St Mary’s Church, Church Lane, Puttenham, Tring, HP23 4PR
Distance: 9.8 km (6.1 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 28m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Aylesbury Ring
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Chiltern Hills North Map | Aylesbury, Berkhamsted & Chesham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 181
Links: Aylesbury Arm Canal (Wikipedia / Canal & River Trust / Aylesbury Canal Society), Puttenham, Broughton

 

This section starts at St Mary’s Church in Puttenham which is one of the few places to park near the route. From the church take a footpath heading in a north-easterly direction to connect with the outer Aylesbury Ring. Follow the Outer Aylesbury Ring as it curves to the south-east, connecting with the Aylesbury Canal 2km from the start of the walk.

Follow the Aylesbury Canal towpath for just under 4km to bridge #11. You’re now at the end of this section of the towpath and on the outer edges of Broughton, a suburb of Aylesbury. Cross over the bridge to the southern bank and pick up the footpath that heads east all the way back to St Mary’s Church at Puttenham. Navigation is fairly simple as there’s few other paths connecting with it. It was very overgrown when we were there and having some hedge clippers would have made it easier.

Be careful with this section in damp conditions. It was a very wet October day when we were there and the ground on the northern side of the canal was soaked.

Section 3: Broughton to Aylesbury Basin

Start & Finish: Aylesbury Basin, Aylesbury, HP21 7SH
Distance: 7 km (4.3 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 20m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Round Aylesbury Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: Many in Aylesbury Town Centre
Map: Chiltern Hills North Map | Aylesbury, Berkhamsted & Chesham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 181
Links: Aylesbury Arm Canal (Wikipedia / Canal & River Trust / Aylesbury Canal Society), Marsworth, Broughton, Aylesbury

 

For this final section we started in Aylesbury Town Centre where there’s a lot of options for parking and access by public transport. I tried to plan a full circular walk like for the other sections but couldn’t find a good scenic option around the urban part at the basin end. Instead, the first and last 2km repeat the final part of the towpath.

Start at Aylesbury Basin and follow the towpath on the southern side of the canal to Victoria Park. Leave the canal and cross over the Bear Brook Stream following it in an easterly direction parallel to the towpath. Cross under the A4157 Oakfield Road Bridge into Oakfield Park continuing the follow the Bear Brook as it curves down to the south-east. At around 2.1 km into the trip you can take a left hand path that crosses over the stream and through the Bear Brook Flood Relief Area. This area is (as you might imagine) prone to flooding, so if it’s impassable stick to the path to the right of the Bear Brook up to a crossing to Broughton Lane.

Whichever way you cross the Bear Brook, find the footpath that leads into fields on the eastern side of Broughton Lane north of Manor Farm. Follow the path through the field for approximately 1 km curving up to the north-east to return to the Aylesbury Canal at Bridge 13. This is where section 2 left the canal. Take a left at the bridge to follow the towpath in a westerly direction back to Aylesbury Basin.

The Full Aylesbury Arm Canal Route

The 3 circular route sections shown together. Red = Section 3, Green = Section 2, Blue = Section 3

The 10km point to point Walk from Marsworth to Aylesbury

Details for a Point-to-Point Walk:

Start: Marsworth Wharf, Tring, HP23 4BW
Finish: Aylesbury Basin, Aylesbury, HP21 7SH
Distance: 10 km (6.2 miles)
Elevation change: +18m /- 44m. Net -26m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Aylesbury Ring, Round Aylesbury Walk.
Other routes touched (cycle): Tring 5 Cycle Route
Map: Chiltern Hills North Map | Aylesbury, Berkhamsted & Chesham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 181
Links: Aylesbury Arm Canal (Wikipedia / Canal & River Trust / Aylesbury Canal Society),

The Bridges

There’s no number sign on bridge 13.

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Richard gowerTrek, Canal, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Walking The Wendover Arm Canal

Two sides of the Miswell Bridge. Left: looking west, Right: looking east.

The Wendover Canal is an arm of the Grand Union Canal that branches off from the main Grand Union at Bulbourne near Marsworth on the Hertfordshire / Buckinghamshire border. It was originally planned as a feeder to carry water from springs near Wendover on the northern edge of the Chilterns the main line of the Grand Union. Paul Whitewick’s video tells the story of the birth and decline of the canal and is useful watching before visiting it.

We walked the length of the canal in three sections over the autumn of 2023. Each section was part of a circular walk of around 10k. A single point-to-point walk of the canal is 11.4k. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for details.

Section 1: Wendover to Stablebridge Road

Start & Finish: Wendover Clock Tower, 3 Tring Rd, Wendover, Aylesbury HP22 6DU
Distance: 10.8 km (6.7 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 166m.
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Aylesbury Ring, Outer Aylesbury Ring, Wendover Woods Hillfort Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: Many in Wendover Village Centre, Restaurant at the Chiltern Forest Golf Club (6.3k in), Wendover Woods Cafe (8.4 km in)
OS Trig Pillar: TP2394 - Coombe Hill
Map: Chiltern Hills North Map | Aylesbury, Berkhamsted & Chesham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 181
Links: Wendover Arm Canal (Wikipedia / Canal & River Trust / Wendover Canal Trust) , Wendover, Halton, RAF Halton, Wendover Woods

 

Section 1 starts at the Clock Tower in Wendover Town Centre. From here head north along Aylesbury Road then take a right onto Wharf Road. Here you’ll find the start of the Wendover Canal footpath at the point where Heron Brook passes under the road into the canal. This first section of the path covers 4.5 km, ending at Stablebridge Road. Along the way you’ll pass through Halton village and past the RAF Halton.

At Stablebridge Road leave the canal and walk south along the Outer Aylesbury Ring. Cross over the B4009 Upper Icknield Way and ascend up through the Chiltern Forest Golf Course. Continue along the Outer Aylesbury Ring to the Wendover Woods Visitors’ Centre. Along the way you can opt to take a short-cut across a field to visit the Coombe Hill Trig Pillar.

From the Wendover Woods Visitors’ Centre, pick up the Hillfort Trail to reach a footpath that leads down to Beechwood Lane. Continue in a south-westerly direction along Beechwood Lane, Barlow Road, Hampden Road and onto the B4009 Upper Icknield Way to return to the Wendover Clock Tower.

Section 2: Stablebridge Road to Miswell Farm

Start & Finish: Small car park on western side of Stablebridge Road, Aston Clinton, just south of the canal.
Distance: 8.9 km (5.5 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 157m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Outer Aylesbury Ring, Tring Parish Walk 1: Little Tring
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: Restaurant at the Chiltern Forest Golf Club (6.7k in)
Map: Chiltern Hills North Map | Aylesbury, Berkhamsted & Chesham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 181
Links: Wendover Arm Canal (Wikipedia / Canal & River Trust / Wendover Canal Trust), Aston Clinton, Drayton Beauchamp

 

Section 2 picks up at Stablebridge Road and follows the Wendover Canal for 2.6 km to the wooden footbridge near Misbourne Farm. This takes you to the point where the restored part of the canal finishes. Cross over the footbridge and follow the path in a south-easterly direction. Cross over the B488 Icknield Way, following Miswell Lane and take a right onto Buckingham Lane. Continue in a westerly direction through the residential estate to meet a footpath by the playing fields. Take a left to follow this path.

Continue to follow the path as it curves round to the west, crossing over the A41, Dancers End Lane and then up the hill into the woods. Here you’ll reconnect with the Outer Aylesbury Ring near the Chiltern Forest Golf Course from section 1. Descend the hill in the opposite direction that you took in section 1 (heading north) to return to the canal at Stablebridge Road.

Section 3: Miswell Farm to Marsworth

Start & Finish: The Red Lion Pub, 90 Vicarage Rd, Marsworth, Tring HP23 4LU
Distance: 9.7 km (6 miles)
Elevation change: +/-61m.
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Tring Parish Walk 1: Little Tring
Other routes touched (cycle): Grand Union Canal Towpath, Tring 5 Cycle Route
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Red Lion (at start and end), Waters Edge (0.6km in)
Map: Chiltern Hills North Map | Aylesbury, Berkhamsted & Chesham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 181
Links: Wendover Arm Canal (Wikipedia / Canal & River Trust / Wendover Canal Trust), Marsworth, Tring Reservoirs, Grand Union Canal

 

Section 3 completes the Wendover Arm and gives a tour of Marsworth, the start of the Aylesbury Canal and the Marsworth Reservoirs. The start and end is at the Red Lion Pub in Marsworth village centre where there’s free on-street parking. From the pub follow Vicarage Road heading in a south-easterly direction and take a right onto Church Lane. When Church Lane starts to curve to the right, take a footpath to the left that leads to a bridge that takes the B489 Lower Icknield Way over the Grand Union Canal.

Cross over the Grand Union and take a left into the Startops End Car Park. This is a good alternative place to start the walk but can often be full at weekends. Take the footpath along the north-westerly edge of Startops End Reservoir then cross over Tringford Road to follow the north-westerly edge of Tringford Reservoir. Keep heading in a southerly direction to Little Tring Road to the bridge over the Wendover Canal.

Before the bridge leave the road to pick up the footpath heading (right) in a westerly direction to a dead-end / turnaround spot for canal boats. Continue along the footpath, now in a south-westerly direction to a path junction. Take a right, heading north to return to the Wendover Canal at the wooden footbridge where section 2 left the canal.

After crossing the footbridge, take a right to follow the route of the canal, currently dry and under restoration works. The path will lead you back to Little Tring Road where you’ll need to temporarily leave the route of the old towpath to reach the Little Tring Road bridge again. Rejoin the canal towpath, this time taking a left to head in an easterly direction. Follow the canal towpath for 2.1 km to reach the end of the Wendover Arm at Bulbourne.

To complete the walk, take a left onto the main route of the Grand Union Canal, following it for 1.7 km to the start of the Aylesbury Canal. Cross over the first lock of the Aylesbury Canal and continue to the Long Marston Road Bridge. Cross over the bridge and you’ll be back on Vicarage Road near the Red Lion Pub

The Full Wendover Arm Canal Route

The 3 circular route sections shown together. Green = Section 1, Blue = Section 2, Red = Section 3

The Point to Point Walk from Wendover to Bulbourne

Details for a Point-to-Point Walk:

Start: Wharf Road, Wendover, Aylesbury, HP22 6HF
Finish: Junction with main route of Grand Union Canal at New Canal Cottages, Tring HP23 4NG
Distance: 11.4 km (7.1 miles)
Elevation change: +55m /- 57m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Aylesbury Ring, Outer Aylesbury Ring, Tring Parish Walk 1: Little Tring
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: Many in Wendover Village Centre, none on route
Map: Chiltern Hills North Map | Aylesbury, Berkhamsted & Chesham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 181
Links: Wendover Arm Canal (Wikipedia / Canal & River Trust / Wendover Canal Trust) , Wendover, Halton, Aston Clinton, Tring Reservoirs, Grand Union Canal

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Richard gowerTrek, Canal, Chilterns, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Trig Pillar, EnglandComment
Walking The Ebury Way Disused Railway

The River Chess at the end of the Ebury Way at Rickmansworth. The hotel in the centre is the site of the old Rickmansworth Church Street Station.

Start: Watford Junction Station, Station Rd, Watford WD17 1EU
Finish: Premier Inn Rickmansworth Hotel, Batchworth Lock House, Rickmansworth, WD3 1JB
Return to Start: via #322 bus. Check timetables for details.
Distance: 8.8 km (5.5 miles)
Elevation change: +39m / -61m. Net -22m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Abbey Line Trail, Croxley Green Boundary Walk, Grand Union Canal Towpath
Other routes touched (cycle): Colne Valley Cycle Route, Abbey Way, NCN 6, 61
London Coal Duty Posts: 45, 46
Pubs / Cafes on route: Many in Watford and Rickmansworth. On route: café in the Oxhey Activity Park at 3 km in.
Maps:
- London North Map | The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 173
- Chiltern Hills East Map | High Wycombe, Maidenshead & Rickmansworth | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 172
Links: Watford, Watford Junction Station, London Orphan Asylum, River Colne, Ebury Way, Croxley Common Moor, Rickmansworth

The Ebury Way is a walking and cycle path that runs along the course of the old Watford to Rickmansworth branch line. I have cycled it many times as a part of longer trips but it’s a short trail and it always went by too quickly to fully appreciate it. Having recently completed the Abbey Line Trail from St Albans to Watford Junction, it felt right to continue the rail-themed walk to Rickmansworth via the route of the old line.

Source; Wikipedia - creator Cnbrb

The original rail line followed the current route of the Overground service to Watford High Street Station but then continued to the south-west and split into 2 branches, one to the old Croxley Green Station and the other to Rickmansworth. The route branched again with a short section diverting north to Croxley Mills goods station. There’s an image on the Wikipedia page for the Watford & Rickmansworth Railway that shows the different routes.

The start of the Ebury Way is in Riverside Park just south of the old split to Croxley Green Station. It’s impractical, and not a scenic walk, to follow the old rail route to here from either Watford Junction or Watford High Street stations. A better walk is to follow the route of the Abbey Way / NCN 6,61 cycle route that follows the River Colne. From Watford Junction station you can get to this route by retracing the last 1 km of the Abbey Line Trail down Orphanage Road, Radlett Road and Link Road to Radlett Road Playing Fields. From here you can follow the cycle route to the south.

There’s a few things to look out for on this first section of the walk through Watford. At 1.6 km (1 mile) in, just after the huge brick rail bridge crossing the River Colne you can find a great example of one of the old London Coal Duty Posts. This one is a large stone obelisk, originally positioned on the opposite side of the river but repaired and moved to its current position in 1984.

After the Coal Duty Post Obelisk you’ll be in Waterfields Recreation Ground. At the point where the Colne takes a curve to the left you’ll see a metal sculpture of a man about to dive into a pool. The inscription reads: “In the early 1900’s this was the site of a fresh water Lido, an outdoor swimming pool where Watfordonians could dive and swim in the River Colne”. I hope that the river was a lot cleaner then as I wouldn’t want to get into it now.

After another 200m and after crossing under the A411 you’ll cross over Water’s Lane where there’s a similar sculpture, this time of a man leaning out of a window holding a net. The inscription on this one reads: “In the 1900’s houses on this lane were continuously flooded with stories of locals climbing in through their upstairs window from boats. This is how Water Lane got its name”.

As you cross over Water Lane look to the left across the bridge over the River Colne to see another Coal Duty Post, this one is a good example of the distinctive and more common white Type 2 cast iron posts.

For the next kilometer you’ll pass through the retails parks of the east side of Watford. There’s not much to see here until you cross under the large curved viaduct that carries the Overground from Watford High Street to Bushey. After the viaduct you’ll cross over Thomas Sawyer Way, into Oxhey Activity Park and back to the River Colne.

Follow the National Cycle Route 6/61 in an westerly direction next to the River Colne through Oxhey Activity Park, over the A4178 into Riverside Recreation Ground and then into Riverside Park. The route curves through Riverside Park before connecting with the route of the old railway. An Ebury Way Information Board and a Millennium National Cycle Network sign mark the official start of the Ebury Way. You’ll now be 4 km into the walk from Watford Junction station.

Navigation along the Ebury Way is as simple as you would expect from a disused railway and there’s regular signposts along the way. We noticed a lot of litter on the route which spoilt an otherwise pleasant trail.

After 2 km on the rail route (6 km from Watford Junction) you’ll reach the western edge of Croxley Common Moor, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Local Nature Reserve (LNR). This is also the point where the branch line to Croxley Mills split off from the Watford to Rickmansworth line. If you pass through the kissing gate into the common you can see the a footpath along the western side of the common that follows the route of the old track.

Continuing along the Ebury Way you’ll have uninspiring light-industrial buildings on your left and Croxley Common Moor on your right. At the eastern end of the moor you’ll pass under the railway bridge that carries the Metropolitan Line between Moor Park and Rickmansworth.

The final 1.5 km, after the railway bridge passes through a series of fishing lakes, and over the Grand Union Canal. The Ebury Way ends with another information board before crossing a bridge over the River Chess. This is a nice spot with barges and quirky moorings. Beyond the barges you’ll see the Premier Inn which is built on the site of the old Rickmansworth Church Street Station.

More Disused Railway Posts

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Richard gowerTrek, Railway, Disused Railway, Colne Valley, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Walking The Abbey Line Trail

Ver Valley Meadows

The Abbey Line is a 10 km railway branch line connecting St Albans and Watford in Hertfordshire. The Abbey Line Trail follows the route through local countryside following quiet paths in an otherwise busy area. There’s 5 local stations between the start and end points giving several options to break up the walk into smaller sections.

The whole Abbey Line walking route is 15 km and would be a good 1 day hike in good weather. We did it in the winter and broke it up into 2 sections of around 8.5 km using Bricket Wood Station to access the start & end points.

As well as being a good spot to cut the trail in half, Bricket Wood also marks the end of the River Ver Trail. If you have already completed the River Ver Trail you could skip the first section and complete the Abbey Line from Bricket Wood to Watford Junction.

If you are using the train to return to the start point of your walks, be careful to check the timetable. Trains were running once an hour when we walked it and we missed one by a minute.

Section 1: St Albans Abbey Station to Bricket Wood

Start: St Albans Abbey Station, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 2AY
Finish: Bricket Wood Station, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL2 3PE
Distance: 8.6 km (5.3 miles)
Elevation change: +43m / -45m. Net -2m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): River Ver Trail,
Other routes touched (cycle): The Alban Way, NCN 6, 61
Pubs / Cafes on route: Many in St. Albans, The Overdraft in Park Street (4 km in), Moor Mill Beefeater (6k in), The Gate pub is near the end of the route at Bricket Wood
Map: OS Explorer Map (182) St. Albans and Hatfield
Links: St Albans, St Albans Abbey Station, The Abbey Line, Abbey Line Community Partnership, Park Street, How Wood, Bricket Wood, Bricket Wood Station

 

The start of the Abbey Line at St Albans City Station will be familiar if you’ve done other walks in the area. This is also the end of the Alban Way, a disused rail line, now a walking and cycle path, that connected St Albans to Hatfield. Verulamium Park opposite also marks the start of the final section of the River Ver Trail connecting Kensworth with Bricket Wood.

When planning this trip my first thought was to skip the first section and start at Bricket Wood. The Abbey Line Trail follows the same route as the River Ver Trail for this first section and I initially wasn’t keen to do it again. However, my River Ver walk was an overnight Summer Solstice trip and much of it was in the dark so I decided to re-walk the section in better light. It’s a very pretty and interesting walk so I’m glad I did it again to take in the parts I missed the first time.

From St Albans Abbey Station the trail takes a right to follow the busy Holywell Hill road towards the city centre. After less than 100m you reach the bridge over the River Ver and can take a right onto the river-side footpath on the south side of the river. From here navigation is straightforward as the trail follows close to the river and is well-signed with either Abbey Line Trail or River Ver Trail stickers.

After 1km you’ll pass under the old railway bridge that carries the Alban Way over the River Ver before the old line takes a curve into St Albans City Station.

After 3km the trail passes under the A414 North Orbital Road and through the Ver Valley Meadows. Be careful here as the meadows can be very wet and you might, as we did, have to stay close to the eastern edge of the field to keep dry.

After the Ver Valley Meadows the trail joins the A5183 between Park Street and How Wood. This gives you your first chance to cut the trip into a shorter section and return by train. Unless the weather is really bad or you’re up for a very short trip, it’s worth continuing though. As you walk down the A5183 keep an eye out on the left hand side to see the remains of an embankment where a the Park Street Branch Line went over the road. This was a short section of track that connected the Abbey Line with the Borehamwood to Harpenden line connecting at Napsbury. Another clue to this old track is in the name of Branch Road which you’ll pass on the right before the next bridge over the Ver.

When you reach the bridge over the Ver leave the A5183 and take a right to follow the footpath on the south side of the river. Continue following the trail, passing under the M25 around 1 km later. About 1.5km from the M25 tunnel you’ll reach a bend in Drop Lane as it diverts north away from the River Ver. This marks the end of this first section of the Abbey Line Trail and the end of the River Ver Trail. Continue up Drop Lane for an extra 1km to reach Bricket Wood Station for the return trip back to St Albans Abbey.

Section 2: Bricket Wood to Watford Junction Station

Start: Bricket Wood Station, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL2 3PE
Finish: Watford Junction Station, Station Rd, Watford WD17 1EU
Distance: 8.3 km (5.2 miles)
Elevation change: +46m / -56m. Net -10m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): River Ver Trail, Hertfordshire Way,
Other routes touched (cycle): Colne Valley Cycle Route, NCN 6, 61
Pubs / Cafes on route: Many in Watford
Maps:
- St Albans & Hatfield Map | Hemel Hempstead & Welwyn Garden City | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 182
- London North Map | The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 173
Links: Bricket Wood, Bricket Wood Station, Munsden House, Munsden Estate, London Orphan Asylum, Watford, Watford Junction Station

 

From Bricket Wood Station cross over Station Road and follow Drop Lane back to the Abbey Line Trail at the River Ver. At the bend, take a right to follow the path on the right along the Ver in a south-westerly direction. You’ll reach the confluence with the River Colne and the end of the Ver. The rest of the Abbey Line Trail follows closely to the River Colne until Radlett Playing fields in Watford before taking a sharp turn up to Watford Junction Station.

Navigation is as straightforward as Section 1. The main thing that you need to look out for is where the tail takes a sharp right away from the Colne just after the confluence with the Ver. This takes you across the field and up a small hill where it takes a left to follow the direction of the Colne at a higher elevation.

Much of the first half of this section is through the grounds of the Munsden Estate. It’s a well-maintained private estate with several trails crossing it. As you traverse it you’ll start to see the taller buildings of Watford in the distance. After the estate you’ll cross over the M1 on a bridge then over the busy A41 Colne Way. We were able to cross straight over the A41 in a gap in traffic. Be careful though as it’s a very busy road so it’s safer to cross at the lights just to the north-west.

After the A41 the trail follows the Colne through the outskirts of Watford passing though Knutsford Playing fields. You can keep to the water’s edge here but it can be muddy after wet weather so an alternative is to walk through the middle of the playing fields or along Radlett Road.

Once you get to the bridge over the Colne at Link Road you’ll leave the Colne to head uphill to Watford Junction Station via Orphanage Road. Look out for buildings of the former London Orphan Asylum on the right of the road. These are now private homes.

The trail ends at Watford Junction Station where you can catch the train back to St Albans. If you’re not ready to finish walking, you can pick up the Ebury Way, a disused rail line that connected Watford Junction to Rickmansworth.

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Richard gowerTrek, Railway, Disused Railway, Colne Valley, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Walking The Chiltern Way Part 4 - Streatley to Peter’s Green

Through fields to Lilley

Start: The Chequers pub, 171 Sharpenhoe Road, Streatley, Luton, LU3 3PS
Finish: The Bright Star Pub, Kimpton Road, Peter's Green, Luton, LU2 9QP
Distance: 20.8 km (12.9 Miles)
Elevation change: +223m / -227m. Net -4m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (walk): Chiltern Way, Iknield Way, John Bunyan Trail
Other Routes Touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway, Icknield Way Trail
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Chequers at the start and The Bright Star at the end plus The Lilley Arms (just off route at 8.7 km in) and The King William (13.3 km in)
Maps:
- Luton & Stevenage Map | Hitchin & Ampthill | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 193
- St Albans & Hatfield Map | Hemel Hempstead & Welwyn Garden City | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 182
OS Trig Pillar: TP6734 - Warden Hill
Links: Chiltern Way (Chiltern Society), Streatley, Luton, Lilley

This is the fourth of a series of point to point walks on the Chiltern Way. The full trail is a 134 mile (215 km) long distance path around the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). My friend Brian and I have been doing a section a year on or around the Winter Solstice since 2019. At the current rate we plan to be finished in December 2027. The Chiltern Way is well sign-posted however you should take a map or GPX route to keep on track and be prepared for all weathers. This post isn’t intended as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide.

It had been 2 years since Brian and I had been on the Chiltern Way. An operation had put him out of action last winter so we skipped a year. Our Summer Solstice way on the River Ver Trail was a good test that his body was functioning again and were back on the trail. We finished Part 2 at Chalk Hill on the A5 but had already covered the next section to Streatley a couple of years previously on the Icknield Way. Rather than cover those 17 km again we picked up the trail at the Chequers pub in Streatley.

From Streatley the Chiltern Way splits off from the Icknield Way for 3 km, reconnecting with it on the ascent up to Warden Hill. After 4.5 km you’ll be at the highest point on this section where you can hop over the fence to bag the Warden Hill Trig Pillar. This is also a great spot to get a panorama of Luton town and the rest of the Chilterns the other side of the gap.

Despite being the highest point on this section, Warden Hill isn’t the highest point in Luton as it’s just outside of the town boundary. You’ll reach the Luton High Point a further 2.5 km from the Trig Pillar at the entrance to Whitehill Farm at the end of Butterfield Green Road. There’s nothing of interest here and I forgot to take a photo to mark the spot, but you can get a good view of it on Google Street View.

From Whitehill the route descends to Lilley where you’ll find the first pub on this section after Streatley. We were looking forward to a morning coffee but had arrived an hour too early and it wasn’t open yet. Instead we pushed on a further 4.5 km to Mangrove to visit the King William pub but also found it to be closed. Getting to pubs at the wrong time was becoming a theme for our Winter Solstice walks. By starting so early in the day we were covering a lot of ground before pubs opened. For this trip there were no more pubs or cafes between Mangrove and the finish point so broke into our emergency rations and carried on.

The final part of this section is a curve around Luton airport. It’s a pleasant section through farms and woodland with the occasional jet descending overhead and a a whiff of kerosene.

This was a much easier section than I expected. The forecast was for heavy rain and I was preparing for the sticky mud that we had experienced on previous sections. As it turned it it was a bright, dry day will little mud. This brought us to the end point at lunch time rather than sunset giving us a shorter than expected Solstice walk. We weren’t complaining though as our main thought was lunch at the Bright Star pub. The good news was that it was open. The bad news was that it wasn’t serving food. We returned by car to the Chequers at Streatley, our lunch stop on the Icknield Way for a big plate of fish and chips.

Don’t get put off by this section when you look at it on a map. By being so close to Luton town and the airport you could mistake it for being a less pleasant part of the Chiltern Way. The reality is that the trail keeps to the hills and farms outside of the town.

Whitehill-Butterfield Green

Significance: Highest point in the Unitary Authority of Luton
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Wendover Woods (Haddington Hill), NHN = Dunstable Downs
Historic County: Bedfordshire (of which Dunstable Downs is the County Top)
Elevation: 178m
Date “climbed”: 20th December 2022
Coordinates: 51° 54' 53'' N, 0° 23' 40'' W
Map: Luton & Stevenage Map | Hitchin & Ampthill | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 193
Links: Wikipedia (Luton), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, UK County Tops, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, England, Trig PillarComment
Walking The River Ver Trail - Overnight Summer Solstice Trek

Sunrise at the confluence of the rivers Ver and Colne near Bricket Wood

Start: St Mary the Virgin, Church End, Kensworth, Dunstable, LU6 3RA
Finish: Confluence with the River Colne, Bricket Wood, St Albans AL2 3FZ
Distance: 28.2 km (17.5 miles)
Elevation change: +103m /-226m. Net -123m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Ver Valley Walks, Hertfordshire Way, Chiltern Way, Abbey Line Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway, Nickey Line, Alban Way, NCN 57, 6, 61, Cycling the Rivers Gade and Ver
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several in Markyate (4km), Redbourn (12km), St Albans (21km), Park Street (25km)
Map: St Albans & Hatfield Map | Hemel Hempstead & Welwyn Garden City | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 182
Links: River Ver Trail PDF, Kensworth, Markyate, Redbourn, St Albans, Park Street, Bricket Wood

For Brian and I this was our second Summer Solstice overnight walk. The idea of these are to walk from sunset to sunrise on the shortest night of the year. We’ve done several Winter Solstice day-time walks before but have only done a summer overnighter once before. Last year we did it on the Thames Down Link: a great walk but we got to the end at 03:00, a full 1 hour and 44 minutes before sunrise. For this second attempt we wanted to get the timings right to arrive at sunrise.

Our 2 learnings from last year was that we needed a slightly longer route and to start the walk a bit later. We were already about 30 minutes in at sunset last time. Our route this time was 3km longer but we also started from a pub 1.2 km from the start and left the pub exactly at sunset.

Our route was the River Ver Walk, a point-to-point in the eastern Chilterns following the river from source to its confluence with the River Colne. The route has also been on my list for a while, previously intending to do it in 3 sections. I’d put it on hold since Timea and I went down from 2 cars to 1 and point-to-points got a bit trickier to organize. Having Brian’s car for this trip and doing it in 1 go made it feasible again.

We set off at 21:24 from the Farmer’s Boy pub in Kensworth who kindly let us leave a car there overnight. From the pub it’s a short climb up the hill on Hollick's Lane to the church of St Mary. The River Ver Trail starts here and continues along footpaths and quiet roads to Bricket Wood. Although it’s well sign-posted, it would have been very hard to rely on these in the dark so we followed my pre-planned GPX track on my phone.

For the first 13km of the walk we weren’t aware of river with it either being too small, too far from the route or that that route went through towns or busy roads. It was only after leaving the Nickey Line after Redbourn that the trail goes through quieter countryside and the river is more apparent.

One thing to watch out for if you’re walking this one at night is the section through the Gorhambury Estate near St Albans. This section of the route is a Permissive Path leading to a big gate on the A4147. The gate is locked after 18:00 and there’s no simple or safe way to get around it. There’s a sign on the gate with numbers to call if you’re locked in after 18:00 but neither of these worked. I also don’t think they intended to answer calls from walkers at 02:00 in the morning. We found a cunning way to escape the estate but I don’t recommend it. If you’re attempting this route at night, there’s an alternative route around the estate described in their website.

The adventure of escaping the estate woke us up a bit as were starting to lose energy. The gradual increase in light also helped but, as with last year, the final couple of hours were tough. With 1 km to go we both noticed a significant increase in brightness and checked our watches to see that it was exactly sunrise at 04:44. This was also the point where we decided that we’d properly ticked the box of doing a full Summer Solstice overnighter and didn’t need to make it an annual event.

By around 05:00 we reached the end of the trail at the confluence with the River Colne. It was a quiet peaceful place mark the end of the route. It wasn’t the end of the walk though. Although we had wanted to leave one car at the end, there’s no good parking options. We leave a car near The Gate pub on Smug Oak Lane but it added another 2 km to the walk. Another slightly closer, option would have been The Riverside Car-park on Drop Lane which is on the trail at 1.4km from the end.

With the extra bits at the start and end of the trail to get from and to our cars, our whole walk was 32km in 7.5 hours. Having 2 cars made the logistics easier. Public transport is an option with some careful planning if you’re doing the trail in the daytime. Using St Albans as a hub there’s a bus that takes you up the A5183 past Markyate to Lynch Hill, although you would still need to walk up to St Mary’s Church before retracing your steps along the trail. For the end point, Bricket Hill train station, with direct services to St Albans is a 15 minute walk from the end of the trail.

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Richard gowerTrek, Disused Railway, Chilterns, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Chiltern Walks: Ashridge Boundary Trail

Bridgewater Monument at National Trust Visitors’ Centre, Ashridge

The Ashridge Boundary Trail is a 26km / 16 mile circular walking route of the the National Trust Ashridge Estate in the northern Chilterns. The route is well maintained and well signed in both directions. The National Trust’s own page on the Trail gives detailed directions on the route.

Rather than complete the trail in a single trip I broke it down into 4 smaller sections of between 8 and 10km each. This makes for a more manageable multi-day route and also takes in routes that cross the centre of the property. Each can be done in any order and in any direction. We took them in a fairly random order, saving Route 1, the best in my opinion, to the last. We also alternated the routes between clockwise and anti-clockwise to avoid following the middle crossings in the same direction. The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

Route 1: Ivinghoe Beacon and Clipper Down

Start & Finish: Ivinghoe Beacon National Trust Car Park, Dunstable, LU6 2EG
Distance: 10.3 km (6.4 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 185m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Wildlife Walk, Ridgeway, Icknield Way
Other routes touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
OS Trig Pillar (at top of Ivinghoe Beacon): TP1099 - Beacon Hill
Map: OS Explorer Map (181) Chiltern Hills North
Links: Ashridge Estate National Trust, Ivinghoe Beacon (Wikipedia)

For this route I included the summit of Ivinghoe Beacon at the north end of the route. The actual Ashridge Boundary Trail bypasses the summit, cutting off about 100m of distance and 10m of elevation. The view from the top of the Beacon is stunning so I’m not sure why you would want to miss the summit.

Route 2: Ashridge Golf Club and Moneybury Hill

Start & Finish: Ashridge National Trust Car Park, Aldbury, Berkhamsted, HP4 1LU
Distance: 8.2 km (5.1 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 94m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chiltern Way, Hertfordshire Way, Wildlife Walk, Woodland Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): Berkhamsted Route 6, Chilterns Cycleway
Pubs / Cafes on route: Cafe at The National Trust Visitor’s Centre Ashridge, Café at Ashridge House
Map: OS Explorer Map (181) Chiltern Hills North
Links: Ashridge Estate National Trust, Ashridge House, Ashridge Golf Club

Note that there is alternative free parking at Ashridge House

Route 3: Northchurch Common and Berkhamsted Common

Start & Finish: Ashridge National Trust Car Park, Aldbury, Berkhamsted, HP4 1LU
Distance: 10.2 km (6.4 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 125m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chiltern Way, Hertfordshire Way, Rangers’ Ramble, Foresters’ Walk,
Other routes touched (cycle): Berkhamsted Route 6, Chiltern Cycleway
Pubs / Cafes on route: Cafe at The National Trust Visitor’s Centre Ashridge, Café at Ashridge House
Map: OS Explorer Map (181) Chiltern Hills North
Links: Ashridge Estate National Trust, Ashridge House

Note that there is alternative free parking at Ashridge House.

Route 4: Berkhamsted Common and Frithsden

Start & Finish: Car park at Ashridge House, Berkhamsted, HP4 1NS
Distance: 8.9 km (5.5 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 106m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Hertfordshire Way
Other routes touched (cycle): Berkhamsted Route 6, Chiltern Cycleway
Pubs / Cafes on route: Café at Ashridge House
Map: OS Explorer Map (181) Chiltern Hills North
Links: Ashridge Estate National Trust, Ashridge House

The Complete Route

The Ashridge Boundary Trail in 4 sections, as described above

The complete Ashridge Boundary Trail in 1 route

Elevation Profile for complete Ashridge Boundary Trail in 1 route

Details for the Complete Route

Start & Finish: Ashridge National Trust Car Park, Aldbury, Berkhamsted, HP4 1LU
Distance: 26.3 km (16.3 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 370m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): The Ridgeway, Icknield Way, Chiltern Way, Hertfordshire Way, Rangers’ Ramble, Foresters’ Walk, Woodland Walk, Wildlife Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): Berkhamsted Route 6, Chiltern Cycleway
Pubs / Cafes on route: Cafe at The National Trust Visitor’s Centre Ashridge, Café at Ashridge House
Map: OS Explorer Map (181) Chiltern Hills North

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Richard gowerTrek, Trig Pillar, Chilterns, National Trust, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment