Posts tagged Hertfordshire
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
OS Trig Pillar: TP6734 - Warden Hill
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.

Previous section: Walking The Chiltern Way Part 4: Streatley to Peter’s Green
Next section: Walking The Chiltern Way Part 6: Shrub Hill Common to Chalfont St. Giles. Blog post coming in December 2024

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.

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

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
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

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.

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): Icknield Way Path, 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

Previous section: see Icknield Way Part 2 - Chalk Hill to Pirton (first half to Streatley follows the Chiltern Way)
Next section: Walking The Chiltern Way Part 5: Peter’s Green to Shubhill Common

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.

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, The Ridgeway, The 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, The 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

Richard gowerTrek, Trig Pillar, Chilterns, National Trust, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment
Walking The Colne Valley Trail and the Colne Valley Way
IMG_4007.jpg

The Colne Valley Trail runs the length of the Colne Valley Regional Park from Rickmansworth in the North to the River Thames at Staines at the Southern End. The Southern Sections are sign-posted the Colne Valley Way although it’s effectively one continuous trail. There’s also a spur connecting Langley Park to The Grand Union Canal at Cowley Lock.

We completed the first 2 sections from Rickmansworth to Yiewsley in Spring 2020. The bridge over the M4 was currently closed at the time due to roadworks and we completed the 3rd section in July 2021 when the bridge re-opened.

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.

SECTION 1 - RICKMANSWORTH TO UXBRIDGE

Start: Rickmansworth Aquadrome, Frogmoor Lane, Rickmansworth WD3 1NB
Finish: The Swan and Bottle, Oxford Rd, Uxbridge UB8 1LZ
Distance: 11.5 km (7.1 miles)
Elevation change: +38m / -50m. Net -12m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Grand Union Canal Towpath, Hillingdon Trail, London Loop
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 6, 61
London Coal Duty Posts: 60
Other Pubs / Cafes on route: The Cafe in the Park at Rickmansworth Aquadrome, The Coy Carp at Harefield Lock
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: Colne Valley Regional Park, Rickmansworth, Uxbridge

If you’re arriving by public transport, Ricksmansworth Station is a short walk to the start of the trail. If you’re driving the Car Park at Rickmansworth Aquadrome is best. For either start option I recommend the Cafe in The Park at the Aquadrome for an amazing coffee and cake combo to get you going.

This first section of the walk is very easy to navigate as it pretty much sticks to the towpath of the Grand Union Canal. It’s also very well signposted so the minor diversions off the towpath are unlikely to get you lost.

The end of this section at Uxbridge also offers many parking options and the canal is a short walk from Uxbridge Station. Here you can connect back to Rickmansworth on the Metropolitan Line, changing at Harrow-on-the Hill.

SECTION 2 - UXBRIDGE TO Yiewsley

Start: The Swan and Bottle, Oxford Road, Uxbridge, UB8 1LZ
Finish: Trout Lane, Yiewsley, UB7 7FD
Distance: 6.1 km (3.8 miles)
Elevation change: +17m / -23m. Net -6m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Grand Union Canal Towpath, Hillingdon Trail, London Loop, Beeches Way, Shakespeare’s Way
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 6, 61
London Coal Duty Posts: 65, 66
Other Pubs / Cafes on route: The General Eliott, 1 St John's Road, Uxbridge, UB8 2UR
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: Colne Valley Regional Park, Uxbridge, Yiewsley

From the Swan and Bottle continue South along the canal towpath for ~1.25 km, looking out for signs diverting off the the right (East). The path will take you through a residential area and an unattractive industrial estate for ~500m. This is a minor inconvenience to get you to a much more pleasant narrow stretch of park running South next to the River Colne. After ~1 km you’ll reach the B470 Iver Lane Take a left onto the road then a right onto Old Mill Lane. Follow this for ~1 km to Little Britain Lake. Old Mill Lane runs parallel to the River Frays with a highlight being the Old Mill building which was once abandoned and is now apartments.

At the end of Old Mill Lane turn right, following Packet Boat Lane to the footpath that follows the River Colne. Take a left at the path junction and follow the River Colne South. After ~500m you’ll cross the Slough Arm of the Grand Union Canal and will join the Beeches Way. Continue for another ~500m watching out for the footpath junction. The Beeches Way continues onwards to Yiewsley but the Colne Valley Trail splits off the the right (South). Given the M4 Old Slade Lane bridge closure further South, this was the end of the trail for us for now. We’ll be back later to continue on to Staines.

SECTION 3 - YIEWSLEY TO STAINES

Start: Trout Lane, Yiewsley, UB7 7FD
Finish: Lammas Recreation Ground, 115 Wraysbury Road, Staines, TW18 4UA
Distance: 15.3 km (9.5 miles)
Elevation change: +44m / -55m. Net -11m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: Ye Olde George or The Ostrich in Colnbrook High Street
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East and OS Explorer Map (160) Windsor, Weybridge & Bracknell
Links: Colne Valley Regional Park, Yiewsley, Colnbrook, Stanwell Moor, Staines Moor, Staines-upon-Thames

We were hoping to return to the Trail later in 2020, but the M4 Old Slade Lane bridge didn’t re-open until July 2021. As soon as we got confirmation that there was pedestrian access across it we headed back to Yiewsley. There’s good parking and public transport options in Yiewsley, all about 1 km from re-joining the Trail at Trout Lane.

This section has quite a different feel from the Grand-Union based sections 1 and 2. From Trout Lane you soon cross under the GWR mainline and into Thorney Park. Here you’ll find one of 3 motorway crossings as the Trail navigates around the unloved western end of Heathrow airport. After crossing the A4 you’ll reach Colnbrook, an old village that’s still pleasant in parts but stranded in an island surrounded by the motorways and airport. This is a good place for a drink and a rest or as an end point if you want to split this longer section in 2.

Leaving Colnbrook, you’re now following Colne Valley Way sign rather than the Colne Valley Trail. From Horton the route leaves the Colne Brook stream, heading east past the top end of the Wraysbury Reservoir and over the M25. Here you’ll join the River Colne, following its route through Stanwell Moor, Staines Moor and the western edge of Staines. Be careful after the M25 crossing as the Colne Valley Way signs disappear and you’ll need to rely on a map or GPX route.

The route ends at the Thames near the café at the Llamas recreation ground. From here it’s a 0.5 km walk along the river to Staines Town Centre.

route-36988979-map-full.png
elevation_profile.jpg

Next sections of the London Loop:

Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, Colne Valley, Canal, Coal Duty Post, Middlesex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey, EnglandComment
Cycling The Prime Meridian
View to the north from the Greenwich Observatory: National Maritime Museum and Isle of Dogs in the background

View to the north from the Greenwich Observatory: National Maritime Museum and Isle of Dogs in the background

The Prime Meridian, also known as the Greenwich Meridian, is the line of longitude defined as 0°. It’s the line that divides East and West. It’s also a line that I asked myself one Christmas: “can that be cycled"?”. The answer is “no” as it’s a dead-straight line with buildings inconveniently built along it's path. You can cycle quite close to it though, so that’s what we did.

If you want to walk it, there’s a well-signed path called the Greenwich Meridian Trail. The Trail is also very well described in a series of 4 books by Graham and Hilda Heap. The cycle route that I designed stays as close to the Prime Meridian as possible but avoiding footpaths and opting for quieter country roads over busy main roads. Even if you’re cycling I highly recommend the Greenwich Meridian Trail books as they’re a great guide to the interesting things to see along the way.

Our cycle trip was 8 days in total, averaging 77k (48 miles) per day. That’s a gentler pace than our previous long distance trips such as LEJOG or Titanic Ireland. Although we could have gone further each day we opted for more coffee and cake stops. We also split it into 3 separate trips rather than a single end-to-end. This ended up taking us exactly a year to complete as Covid Lockdowns interrupted our plans and we had to fit the trips in where we could.

We based the start and end of each section based on access to train lines. Fortunately there’s good train connections along the route without significant diversions. The start at Peacehaven is close to Newhaven Station, although Brighton Station, 6.5 miles away, gives better connections to the North. For the end of Day 2 we wanted to get through London and Waltham Abbey is a natural stopping point. There’s a station nearby at Waltham Cross, or more north/south connections 12 miles west at Potters Bar.

For section 2, covering Days 3 and 4 we covered Waltham Abbey to Peterborough. This takes you quite a way off the Meridian but has a lot of north/south rail connections including to Potters Bar and Hull. Picking up from Peterborough on Day 5 for section 3, we cut diagonally north-east to rejoin the Meridian at Fleet. There’s not much to miss in the section between March and Fleet and the route takes in the main Meridian markers.

By the end of Day 6 the Meridian reaches the coast at Cleethorpes. From here the challenge is crossing the Humber Estuary to pick up the Meridian where it rejoins land at Sunk Island. The Greenwich Meridian Trail ends at Cleethorpes and a bus is the most practical means of picking up the route at Patringham on the northern side. For our cycle route we took a long diversion west to cross the Humber Bridge and return on the northern side via Hull. This gives you an unbroken cycle trip, but means that all of day 7 and half of day 8 are off the Meridian. It’s worth it for the crossing of the Humber Bridge and the Hull to Winestead Rail Trail.

The final point of the Prime Meridian at Sand Le Mere is quite different to the start at Peacehaven. There’s no monument to mark the end of your trip … at least not any more. This is one of the most eroded parts of the English coast and the previous marker is long gone. Instead we found a large lump of concrete that was more or less in the right position and decided it was the end point. From here it’s 28k ride back to Hull where you can get the train back home.

See the individual blog posts for each section for photos, maps and stats covering each day.

Links to each section:

The Complete Route

Two maps of the Prime Meridian. Above: Cycle route, each colour representing a different day of the trip. Right: tube-style map showing the cycle route, 0 degrees longitude and the Greenwich Meridian Trail

Two maps of the Prime Meridian. Above: Cycle route, each colour representing a different day of the trip. Right: tube-style map showing the cycle route, 0 degrees longitude and the Greenwich Meridian Trail

Richard gowerCycle, NCN, Coast, Thames, Railway, Disused Railway, Canal, South Downs, National Park, Surrey Hills AONB, Sussex, Surrey, London, Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, EnglandComment
Cycling The Nickey Line, Ayot Greenway and The Alban Way
On the Nickey Line

On the Nickey Line

When Dr Beeching cut a large chunk of Britain’s rail network in the 1960s, Hertfordshire had a good share of the impact. The rail passengers’ loss later turned out to be the cyclists’ gain with several very enjoyable routes through the county.

This is a half day circular cycle route that follows three of Hertfordshire’s cycle paths along disused railways. It takes in the Nickey Line, Ayot Greenway and Alban Way. These were formerly the Harpenden to Hemel Hempstead Branch Railway, Dunstable Branch Line and Hatfield and St Albans Railway. Each of the lines have been adopted into the National Cycle Network and have been well restored.

The Lost Rails section of the Herts Memories web site is a great resource for the history of the lines.

Full Route Details

Start & Finish: Nickey Line Start, by The Midland Hotel, Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 5BH
Distance: 54.2 km (34 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 364m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Map: OS Explorer Map (182) St. Albans and Hatfield

Cycle Route Elevation

Cycle Route Elevation

Cycle Route Map

Cycle Route Map

Section 1: The Nickey Line

Start: Nickey Line Start, by The Midland Hotel, Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 5BH
Finish: Railway Bridge at Hollybush Lane, Harpenden (OS Grid Ref: TL 13426 15162)
Distance: 11.7 km (7.3 miles)
Elevation change: +94m / -77m (Net -17m)
Other routes touched (walk): Hertfordshire Way, River Ver Trail, Chiltern Way
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 57, Chilterns Cycleway
Disused Stations Passed: Hemel Hempsted, Godwin's Halt, Beaumont's Halt, Redbourn, Roundwood Halt
Pubs / Cafes on route: Midland Hotel at the Hemel Hempstead end
Links: Nickey Line (Wikipedia), Herts Memories: Nickey Line, Friends of The Nickey Line, Hemel Hempstead, Harpenden

Although you can start the route at any point on it’s circuit I chose the most westerly point at Hemel Hempstead. The Nickey Line starts where Adeyfield Road crosses over what was the Harpenden to Hemel Hempstead Branch Railway. Here there was a station called Hemel Hempsted which sounds the same, but spelled slightly differently to Hemel Hempstead station (previously Boxmoor Station) to the south-west. The section of the route from Boxmoor to here is now completely missing, covered by housing.

There’s curb-side parking in some of the side streets near the start of the Nicky Line. Alternatively you add a couple of miles and can use the town centre car parks or access via Hemel Hempstead (Boxmoor) station if you’re coming by train.

Once on the Nicky Line, it’s a smooth easy to navigate, route all the way to Harpenden. There’s not much left of the 4 previous stations along the way, but several information signs to show you where they were.

Section 2: The Ayot Greenway

Start: Intersection of Lea Valley Walk and Westfield Road, Harpenden (OS Grid Ref: TL 13883 15861)
Finish: Sherrardspark Wood (OS Grid Ref: TL 22861 13396)
Distance: 11.7 km (7.3 miles) including the extra section of disused railway from Harpenden
Elevation change: +102m / -82m (Net -20m)
Other routes touched (walk): Lea Valley Walk, Hertfordshire Way, WCG 100 Centenary Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 57, 12, Chilterns Cycleway
Disused Stations Passed: Wheathampstead, Ayot
Pubs / Cafes on route: Charlie's Cafe Wheathamstead (AL4 8BU) plus several in Welwyn Garden City after the Greenway
Links: Ayot Greenway (Wikipedia), Herts Memories: Ayot Greenway, Dunstable Branch Line, Wheathampstead, Ayot Green, Ayot St. Peter, Sherrardspark Wood

The actual Ayot Greenway starts from Wheathampstead Station but it’s part of a group of cycle paths that trace the old Dunstable Branch Line. The distance and elevation stats below include the full stretch of the disused railway from Harpenden.

From the Hollybush Lane bridge that marks the end of the Nickey Line there’s two ways to connect to the old Dunstable Branch Line. One option is to continue along the NCN 57 to join at Hickling Way. The alternative route that I took was to turn left onto Westfield Road, heading north along the Chilterns Cycleway. Take the path on the left after Beeching Close to keep on the Cycleway as it joins the Lea Valley Path. Whichever option you take you’ll end up following the NCN 57, Chilterns Cycleway and Lea Valley Path in a south-easterly direction. At the junction with Cherry Tree Lane, turn left, then right onto B653 Lower Luton Road. Follow this for ~1.5km to the roundabout where you’ll find the beautifully preserved Wheathampstead Station on the south east corner. Stop here for a rest before heading south down Station Road. Take a left onto Mount Road where you’ll pick up the NCN 57 again and the start of the Ayot Greenway. Follow this in an easterly direction to Ayot Green.

The sign-posted Ayot Greenway ends at Ayot Green but you can continue following the NCN 57 over the A1, picking up the path of the old railway at Sherrardspark Wood.

Section 3: The Alban Way

Start: Small park off the Great North Road Hatfield (OS Grid Ref: TL 23173 09327)
Finish: Cottonmill Lane, St Albans (OS Grid Ref: TL 23173 09327)
Distance: 9.5 km (5.9 miles)
Elevation change: +39m / -36m (Net +3m)
Other routes touched (walk): St Albans Green Ring
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 61
Disused Stations Passed: Lemsford Road Halt, Nast Hyde Halt, Smallford, Hill End, Salvation Army Halt, London Road Station
Pubs / Cafes on route: none
Links: Alban Way (Wikipedia), Hatfield and St Albans Railway, Herts Memories: Alban Way, Hatfield, St Albans

From Sherrardspark Wood continue along the NCN 57 to Welwyn Garden City town centre. This is approximately half way into the circular tour and a good place to stop for food and a rest. From here continue south along the NCN 57, crossing the present-day mainline railway bridge and connect with the NCN 61 on the A1000. The NCN 61 will take you through Hatfield and onto the Alban Way. The distance and elevation stats above for the Alban Way start as the NCN 61 crosses the Great North Road.

The Alban Way is the best preserved of the 3 routes. Nast Hyde Station is a highlight and there’s information boards along the way detailing the history of each of the old stations. It’s worth taking this section slow to take in the artifacts of the old line. This section of the route ends at the junction with Cottonmill Lane just before the old rail line would have connected with the present-day line to St Albans Abbey Station.

Section 4: Return To The Start

Start: Cottonmill Lane, St Albans (OS Grid Ref: TL 23173 09327)
Finish: Nickey Line Start, by The Midland Hotel, Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 5BH
Distance: 14.1 km (8.8 miles)
Elevation change: +129m / -100m (Net +29m)

From the end of the Alban Way at Cottonmill Lane, take a left to continue on the NCN 61. Follow this for 2.5km until it meets the B4630 Watford Road. After following this south for ~100m carefully cross the road onto Ragged Hall Lane in a south westerly direction. You will now have left the NCN 61. Continue south-west along Ragged Hall Lane and onto Bedmond Lane, St Albans Lane and Sergehill Lane. At the junction with Church Lane in Bedmond take a right onto Bedmond Road for 2.5km.

You’ll now be in the uninspiring outer edges of Hemel Hempstead. There’s no pretty way through this back to the start but several options. If you have the GPS route you can take a complex route through quiet residential streets. Alternatively, the easiest route to navigate is to continue on Bedmond Road north, merging with the A4147 then left on the the B487 Swallowdale Lane. This runs past Keens Field where you can pick up the Nickey Line again, retracing your treads back to the Midland Hotel.

More Disused Railway Posts

Richard gowerCycle, NCN, Railway, Disused Railway, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Chiltern Railways Walking Routes

Having walked and cycled a lot of the Chilterns over the past few years I’ve become much more familiar with its landscape. I discovered the valleys in my cycling trips along the Chiltern Rivers and the high points while bagging the Trig Points. With a need to find more short local walks during the Covid Lockdowns my attention turned to finding the rail lines and stations in the AONB. All of the walks listed below the map are around 10k (~6 miles) with a start and finish at a Chiltern rail station. This list covers all stations inside the Chiltern Hills AONB, shaded in green on the map. There’s also a selection of walks covering stations in the “Greater Chiltern Area”, shaded in peach, which covers the area bounded by the north end of the AONB and the Rivers Thames, Lea and Colne.

Rail-based circular walks in the Chiltern Hills AONB

Where all or most of the walk is within the boundary of the AONB

Rail-based circular walks in the Greater Chilterns Area

Where all or most of the walk is outside of the boundary of the AONB

Rail-based point to point walks in the Greater Chilterns Area

Rail-based cycle trips in the Greater Chilterns Area

Richard gowerTrek, Canal, Railway, Disused Railway, Underground, Thames, Chilterns, Colne Valley, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Cycling The Prime Meridian Part 2 - Waltham Abbey to Peterborough
Crossing the River Nene in Fenland

Crossing the River Nene in Fenland

The Prime Meridian, also known as the Greenwich Meridian, is the line of longitude defined as 0°. It’s the line that divides East and West. It’s also a line that I asked myself: “can that be cycled"?”. The answer is “no” as it’s a dead-straight line with buildings inconveniently built along it's path. You can cycle quite close to it though, so that’s what we did.

If you want to walk it, there’s a well-signed path called the Greenwich Meridian Trail. The Trail is also very well described in a series of 4 books by Graham and Hilda Heap. The cycle route that I designed stays as close to the Prime Meridian as possible but avoiding footpaths and opting for quieter country roads over busy main roads. Even if you’re cycling I highly recommend the Greenwich Meridian Trail books as they’re a great guide to the interesting things to see along the way.

It had been 9 months since Brian and I cycled the first part from Peacehaven to Waltham Abbey. There had been 2 Covid-19 Lockdowns since then and we were eager to get out on the road. So, as soon as we were able to travel again we picked up an additional cycle buddy and headed to Waltham Abbey.

Day numbers below are for the total Prime Meridian trip starting in Peacehaven.

Day 3: Waltham Abbey to Barton

Start: Waltham Abbey Church, 4 Church St, Waltham Abbey EN9 1DJ
Finish: The White Horse Inn, 118 High St, Barton, Cambridge, CB23 7BG
Distance: 76 km (47 miles)
Elevation change: + 517m / -517m (Net 0m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Greenwich Meridian Trail, Lea Valley Walk, New River Path, Hertfordshire Way, Icknield Way Path, Harcamlow Way,
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 1, 61, Icknield Way Trail, National Byway
Pubs / Cafes on route: Lots, but I recommend The Heath Cafe Bar at Royston
Maps:
- OS Explorer Map (174) Epping Forest & Lee Valley Map
- OS Explorer Map (194) Hertford and Bishop's Stortford
- OS Explorer Map (209) Cambridge, Royston, Duxford & Linton
Guidebook: Greenwich Meridian Trail Book 2: Greenwich to Hardwick
Links: Wikipedia: Prime Meridian, The Greenwich Meridian, Greenwich Meridian Trail, Waltham Abbey, Lea Valley Park, Ware, Royston, Barton

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Day 4: Barton to Peterborough

Start: The White Horse Inn, 118 High St, Barton, Cambridge, CB23 7BG
Finish: Peterborough Railway Station, Peterborough, PE1 1QL, United Kingdom
Distance: 88.9 km (55.2 miles)
Elevation change: +246m / - 253m (Net -9m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Greenwich Meridian Trail, Harcamlow Way, Wimpole Way, Pathfinder Way, Ouse Valley Way, Rothschild Way, Nene Way
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 12, 51, 63, National Byway
Pubs / Cafes on route: Lots, but I recommend The Nook at Swavesey, The Rose and Crown Somersham and Nanas Team Room Chatteris
Maps:
- OS Explorer Map (209) Cambridge, Royston, Duxford & Linton
- OS Explorer Map (225) Huntingdon and St.Ives, Grafham Water
- OS Explorer Map (227) Peterborough
Guidebook: Greenwich Meridian Trail Book 2: Greenwich to Hardwick and Greenwich Meridian Trail Book 3: Hardwick to Boston
Links: Wikipedia: Prime Meridian, The Greenwich Meridian, Greenwich Meridian Trail, Barton, Hardwick, Swavesey, St. Ives, Somersham, Chatteris, Peterborough

As you can see from the map below, both Barton and (especially) Peterborough are a bit off course for the Prime Meridian. The choice of Barton was really down to post-Lockdown availability of hotels. In normal times there would likely be more options. Given the choice we would have stayed in Hardwick where the 2nd Greenwich Meridian Trail book ends.

Peterborough is actually a long way off course at 22 km away from the final Meridian marker of the trip. This was our end point as we were taking the train from there back to the start. We took a Thameslink train to Potters Bar via a change at Hitchen. From Potters Bar, Waltham Abbey is a 50 minute cycle ride or, as we did a 20 minute drive as we left a car at Potters Bar and another at Waltham Abbey.

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The Missing Link: March to Fleet

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If you’re not taking the Peterborough diversion to end the section there, here’s how to continue up the Meridian. This section starts at the last Meridian marker on Day 4 and picks up the Day 5 route at the first Meridian marker. You’ll save ~20k by taking this route rather than going via Peterborough. There’s not much to see though and few options for food and accommodation.

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Start: Turves Sustrans Millennium Marker. Grid Ref TL 35692 97021
Finish: Fleet Obelisk. Grid Ref TF 35123 15538
Distance: 28.7 km (17.8 miles)
Elevation change: +91m / - 89m (Net -2m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Greenwich Meridian Trail, Nene Way
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 63
Maps:
- OS Explorer Map (227) Peterborough
- OS Explorer Map (235) Wisbech and Peterborough North

Prime Meridian markers on the route

Richard gowerCycle, NCN, Canal, Railway, Disused Railway, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, EnglandComment
St Albans Easter 10k

When: April 2nd 2021
Where: Highfield Park, St Albans, AL4 0DY
Course: P-shaped route starting in Highfield Park, following the Alban Way and a loop out to the North Circular/A1 around Sleapshyde
Other routes touched: Alban Way / NCN 61
Finish time: 53:12

This was the first organized 10k event of 2021 and my first since Newbury Racecourse in February 2020. It was great to be back with other people and in a well organized Covid-secure event.

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Richard gowerRun, 10k, Disused Railway, Chilterns, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Chiltern Walks: Tring Park and Northfield
Tring Park

Tring Park

Start & Finish: Tring Station, Tring, HP23 5QS
Distance: 9.8 km (6.1 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 138m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): The Ridgeway, Tring Park: Woodland Walk; Walter’s Wander; Parkland Walk, Grand Union Canal Towpath, Hertfordshire Way
Other routes touched (cycle): Tring Route 5
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several in Tring Town Centre
Map: OS Explorer Map (181) Chiltern Hills North
Links: Tring, Tring Park, Tring Natural History Museum, Tring Station, Ashridge National Trust, Dunsley Farm Trig Pillar

For the latest of our Chiltern Rail based walks we visited Tring. As a stop on the Grand Union Canal and at the heart of several cycle and walking routes, it’s a place that’s featured in several of my trips. 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.

The first section of the trip follows the Ridgway for 2.5 km from Tring Station to Tring Park. As soon as you reach Tring Park, leave the Ridgeway and follow the Woodland Walk down through the park to the footbridge that crosses the A41. Cross the A41 and continue north to Tring High Street. Take a right, following the High Street to the roundabout. Take a left onto the B488 Brook Street, then first right onto Mortimer Hill. Continue for 0.5 km then take a left hand footpath between houses shortly after the school. Take a right onto Carrington Place, continue onto Chiltern Way (road). Follow Chiltern Way, through footpaths between houses via Sulgrave Crescent and onto Grove Road. Take a right onto Grove Road then first left onto Marshcroft Lane.

Following Marshcroft Lane takes you out of town and into the countryside. Soon you’ll pass over the Grand Union Canal and the railway line. After the railway line you’ll pass trough a farm and onto Northfield Road. Take a right onto the road, following it along the grass verge for ~150m before taking a footpath on the left. Follow this path into Aldbury Nowers woodland to connect with the Ridgeway. Take a right onto the Ridgeway, heading south east. Follow the Ridgway for 1 km to return to Tring Station.

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Richard gowerTrek, Railway, Canal, Chilterns, National Trust, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Chiltern Walks: Berkhamsted Castle and Common
Berkhamsted Castle

Berkhamsted Castle

Start & Finish: Berkhamsted Station, HP4 2AJ
Distance: 10.5 km (6.5 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 123m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Ashridge Boundary Trail, Hertfordshire Way, Grand Union Canal Towpath, Berkhamsted Heritage Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway, Berkhamsted Route 6
Pubs / Cafes on route: several on Berkhamsted High Street
Map: OS Explorer Map (181) Chiltern Hills North
Links: Berkhamsted, Berkhamsted Station, Berkhamsted Castle, Berkhamsted Common, Ashridge Estate National Trust, River Bulbourne, Grand Union Canal

For the latest of our Chiltern Rail based walks we visited Berkhamsted. As a stop on the Grand Union Canal and at the heart of several cycle and walking routes, it’s a place that’s featured in several of my trips. 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.

From Berkhamsted Station it’s a short walk along Lower Kings Road to the Grand Union. Cross over the bridge to pick up the towpath on the southern side. Follow the towpath in a westerly direction for 1.4 km until the Billet Lane Bridge. Cross over the bridge and follow Billet Lane for 200m then take a right onto Bridgewater Road then left onto Billet Lane. Be careful here as following the main road called Billet Lane from the canal will take you onto Bridle Way. Keep your eyes open at the roundabout to make sure you take on the smaller road on the right called Billet Lane.

At the entrance to Bridgewater Primary School take a left onto Bridle Way then a right onto The Beeches footpath. Follow this through woodland for 600m until New Road and an open space with a National Trust sign. Take the north-westerly footpath up the hill to a path junction where you’ll take the right hand footpath heading north-east. Continue along here for 2 km, following the Ashridge boundary Trail, until you connect with the Hertfordshire Way at Berkhamsted. Common. Take a right here and follow the Hertfordshire Way / Ashridge Boundary Trail for 1.4 km.

When you reach the driveway to a large house on the right, the path will split. Take the right-hand path rather than staying on the Hertfordshire Way / Ashridge Boundary Trail. Follow the path as it curves to the south-east, crossing New Road then a further 300m until Berkhamsted Golf Club. Take a right here, descending steeply through fields toward Berkhamsted Castle.

When you reach New Road again follow it onto White Hill between the Castle and the railway. If it’s open, the moat walk around the castle is well worth an additional 800m before you reach the end of the trail back at the railway station.

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Richard gowerTrek, Railway, Canal, Chilterns, National Trust, English Heritage, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Chiltern Walks: Rickmansworth and Chorleywood
Cows grazing on Chorleywood Common

Cows grazing on Chorleywood Common

Start & Finish: Rickmansworth Station, WD3 1QY
Alternative start with car parking at: Chorleywood Common, WD3 5EG
Distance: 9.4 km (5.8 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 100m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chess Valley Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): none
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Black Horse Pub, Chorleywood Common
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: Rickmansworth, Rickmansworth Station, River Chess, Chorleywood

This trip was both part of our River Chess Circulars and our walks based around the rail and underground stations of the Chilterns. The River Chess runs from its source at Pednor, near Chesham, to Rickmansworth where it joins the Colne. The Chess Valley Walk is a point-to-point trail along the course of the river from Chesham to Rickmansworth stations. 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.

From Rickmansworth station the route follows the first (or last!) 4 kilometres of the Chess Valley Trail. The confluence with the River Colne is to the south of the station and you can pass over it on the Rickmansworth Three Rivers Circular walk. After the M25 crossing you’ll leave the Chess Valley Walk and continue up Solesbridge Lane to Chorleywood Common. Solesbridge Lane is quite narrow with no pavement so a diversion around Chess Way and Wyatt’s Road is recommended. Once over the A404 keep to the paths alongside Dog Kennel Lane until you reach the rail line. Footpaths through the woods to the south side of the rail line will take you back to Rickmansworth.

Richard gowerTrek, Railway, Underground, Chilterns, Colne Valley, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment
Cassiobury, Whippendell Woods and Croxley Green Circular Walk
Grand Union Canal near Croxley Green

Grand Union Canal near Croxley Green

Start & Finish: Cassiobury Park Car Park, Gade Avenue, Watford, WD18 7LG
Distance: 10.1 km (6.3 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 84m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Grand Union Canal Towpath, Whippendell Circular Walks
Pubs / Cafes on route: Cafe In The Park at Cassiobury
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: Cassiobury Park, Whippendell Wood, Croxley Green, Croxley Station, Watford Station

This trip was both part of our walks based around the rail and underground stations of the Chilterns. On this one we explored the canal and green spaces around the Metropolitan Line spur to Watford. Croxley and Watford stations are only 2 km apart and not an exciting walk if you take the roads. The Grand Union Canal is a better option for walking the first kilometre then you can branch off onto the River Gade as you get into Watford Town. The much more interesting part of the trip is the section through Cassiobury Park and over the canal into Whippendell Woods. These both used to be part of the Cassiobury Estate.

Richard gowerTrek, Canal, Railway, Underground, HertfordshireComment
Chiltern Walks: Little Chalfont & Latimer
Fields near Flaunden Grove

Fields near Flaunden Grove

Start & Finish: Chalfont and Latimer Station, Station Approach, Little Chalfont, HP6 6RZ
Distance: 8.4 km (5.2 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 140m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chiltern Way, Chiltern Heritage Trail, Chess Valley Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): Chiltern Cycleway, Harding Route
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several in Little Chalfont village centre on the A404
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: Little Chalfont, Chalfont And Latimer Station, River Chess, Chenies, Latimer

This walk was both part of our River Chess Circulars and our walks based around the rail and underground stations of the Chilterns. The River Chess runs from its source at Pednor, near Chesham, to Rickmansworth where it joins the Colne. The Chess Valley Walk is a point-to-point trail along the course of the river from Chesham to Rickmansworth stations. We chose Chalfont and Latimer station as the start and end for this circular walk. 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.

A shorter version of this walk can be made by cutting off the Flaunden Grove section by continuing along the Chess Valley Walk at around kilometre 5. This removes about 2km from the walk and a chunk of elevation.

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Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, England, Railway, UndergroundComment
Cycling The Prime Meridian Part 1 - Peacehaven to Waltham Abbey
Obelisk at Peacehaven

Obelisk at Peacehaven

The Prime Meridian, also known as the Greenwich Meridian, is the line of longitude defined as 0°. It’s the line that divides East and West. It’s also a line that I asked myself last Christmas: “can that be cycled"?”. The answer is “no” as it’s a dead-straight line with buildings inconveniently built along it's path. You can cycle quite close to it though, so that’s what we did.

If you want to walk it, there’s a well-signed path called the Greenwich Meridian Trail. The Trail is also very well described in a series of 4 books by Graham and Hilda Heap. The cycle route that I designed stays as close to the Prime Meridian as possible but avoiding footpaths and opting for quieter country roads over busy main roads. Even if you’re cycling I highly recommend the Greenwich Meridian Trail books as they’re a great guide to the interesting things to see along the way.

For the first stage of our cycle trip we started at Peacehaven, where the Meridian meets the sea at it’s most Southerly point. From there we headed north over 2 days to Waltham Abbey, just above the M25. The rest of it came in later trips covering 6 days. See the main Prime Meridian post for the full route

Day 1: Coast, Downs and Weald

Start: Prime Meridian Obelisk, 96 The Promenade, Peacehaven, BN10 8LN
Finish: The Bakery Restaurant and Rooms, Westmore Road, Tatsfield, Westerham, TN16 2AG
Distance: 75 km (47 miles)
Elevation change: + 1,013m / - 812m (Net +201m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Greenwich Meridian Trail, Newhaven-Brighton Clifftop Path, South Downs Way, Sussex Ouse Valley Way, Forest Way, High Weald Landscape Trail, Mid Sussex Link, Sussex Border Path, Tandridge Border Path, Greensand Way, Vanguard Way, North Downs Way
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 2, 21
Pubs / Cafes on route: Lots, but I recommend The Stable Tea Rooms, Heaven Farm, Furner's Green, Uckfield TN22 3RG (at km 34)
Maps:
- OS Explorer OL11 Brighton & Hove Map
- OS Explorer Map (135) Ashdown Forest Map
- OS Explorer Map (146) Dorking, Box Hill and Reigate Map
- OS Explorer Map (161) London South, Westminster, Greenwich, Croydon, Esher & Twickenham Map
Guidebook: Greenwich Meridian Trail Book 1: Peacehaven to Greenwich
Links: Wikipedia: Prime Meridian, The Greenwich Meridian, Greenwich Meridian Trail, Peacehaven, Prime Meridian Obelisk, Tatsfield

Day 2: London

Start: The Bakery Restaurant and Rooms, Westmore Road, Tatsfield, Westerham, TN16 2AG
Finish: Waltham Abbey Church, 4 Church St, Waltham Abbey EN9 1DJ
Distance: 62.5 km (39 miles)
Elevation change: + 377m / - 585m (Net -208m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Greenwich Meridian Trail, Tandridge Border Path, London Loop, Capital Ring, Waterlink Way, Lewisham Promenade, Thames Path, Lea Valley Walk, Jubilee Greenway, The Greenway.
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 1, 13, 21, 4, CS2, CS3, CS16, CS23,
Pubs / Cafes on route: Lots, but I recommend The Breakfast Club, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 29 East Bay Lane Canalside Here East, London E15 2GW
Maps:
- OS Explorer Map (161) London South, Westminster, Greenwich, Croydon, Esher & Twickenham Map
- OS Explorer Map (162) Greenwich and Gravesend Map
- OS Explorer Map (174) Epping Forest & Lee Valley Map
Guidebook: Greenwich Meridian Trail Book 1: Peacehaven to Greenwich and Greenwich Meridian Trail Book 2: Greenwich to Hardwick
Links: Wikipedia: Prime Meridian, The Greenwich Meridian, Greenwich Meridian Trail, Tatsfield, Royal Observatory Greenwich, Waltham Abbey

Prime Meridian markers on the route

Richard gowerCycle, NCN, Coast, Disused Railway, Thames, South Downs, Surrey Hills AONB, Sussex, Surrey, London, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment