Start & Finish: The Cock Inn at Sarratt, Church Lane, Sarratt, Rickmansworth, WD3 6HH
Distance: 9.8 km (6 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 98m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chess Valley Walk, Chiltern Heritage Trail, Sarratt Parish Footpath
Other routes touched (cycle): Chiltern Heritage Trails: Harding Route
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Green Dragon, Flaunden
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East and OS Explorer Map (182) St. Albans and Hatfield
Links: River Chess, Sarratt, Sarratt Bottom, Flaunden

This trip was both part of our River Chess Circulars of around 10 km. 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.

This walk starts at the Cock Inn at Sarratt where there’s parking for customers. Having a drink or a meal there is a good idea as there’s very few other parking options nearby. From the Cock Inn cross over New Road and find the footpath gate behind the Church Of The Holy Cross. This is the point where the return path meets, so be careful here to take the left hand path. Follow this path down to the River Chess at Sarratt Bottom. When you meet the Chess Valley Walk, take a right and follow the path for ~ 2km to Chenies Hill road. Look for a small footpath gate in the farm wall and take the path north as it ascends to Martins Top Farm. Continue north as the path curves around the farm and up to Flaunden Villge. Take a right onto Flaunden Hill road and continue north-west until the Chiltern Way junction. Take a right off the road onto the Chiltern Way and follow this all the way back to the church at Sarratt.

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Richard gower7 November 2020Trek, Chilterns, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment

Chiltern Walks: Latimer and Codmore Wood

View to the Chess from the Latimer Estate

Start & Finish: Latimer Village Centre, Church Lane, HP5 1TY
Distance: 7.7 km (4.8 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 120m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chess Valley Walk, Chiltern Heritage Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway
Pubs / Cafes on route: none
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: Latimer, River Chess

This trip was both part of our River Chess Circulars of less than 10 km. 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.

This walk starts at Latimer Village, although we found that the best parking was on the left hand side of the Church Lane between the village and Latimer Place. From the village take the Chess Valley Walk on a westerly direction. The path keeps to higher ground giving you a good view across the valley and down to the river. After ~3 km, the path meets Latimer Road. Here you’ll leave the Chess Valley Walk to take Bunns Lane on a steep ascent towards Pinner Green. The path will join White End Lane at the end of which take a left and continue north-east up Blackwell Hall Lane for ~300m, taking a footpath on the right. This path descends though Codmore Wood and fields for just over 1 km before you rejoin Church Lane for the final stretch back to Latimer.

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Richard gower2 November 2020Trek, Chilterns, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment

Chiltern Walks: Wendover and Coombe Hill

Start & Finish: Wendover Station, Station Approach, Wendover, P22 6BT
Distance: 7.3 km (4.5 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 139m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): The Ridgeway, Outer Aylesbury Ring, South Bucks Way, Coombe Hill Orange Trail, Low Scrubs Orange Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several in Wendover High Street
Map: OS Explorer Map (181) Chiltern Hills North
Links: Wendover, Wendover Station, Coombe Hill, Bacombe Hill, Coombe Hill National Trust

This trip was both part of our walks based around the rail and underground stations of the Chilterns. 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.

At Wendover station there’s 2 options to exit, either across the footbridge across the station and the A413 into the Cricket Ground or take a right from the main entrance and right again onto Pound Street / Ellesborough Road. Both options meet on Ellesborough Road where you can take the Ridgeway as it climbs up Bacombe Hill.

At ~2 km from the station you’ll reach the Coombe Hill Monument. This is a 260m pillar, built in 1904, in memory of 148 men from Buckinghamshire who died in the Second Boer War. On a clear day you can see for miles across the Vale of Aylesbury to the north. From the monument follow the Coombe Hill Orange Route south to the National Trust car park. Continue along the southern perimeter of Bacombe Hill Woods, decending onto Bacombe Lane. At South Street you can either take a left for the fastest route back to the station or cross over onto Chapel Lane for a small loop of Heron Stream and the High Street.

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Richard gower1 November 2020Trek, Chilterns, Railway, National Trust, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment

Chiltern Walks: Rickmansworth and Chorleywood

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.

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Richard gower25 October 2020Trek, Railway, Underground, Chilterns, Colne Valley, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment

Chiltern Walks: Amersham Old and New Towns

View from High Spring Woods south to Shardeloes

Start & Finish: Amersham Station, Amersham, HP6 5FG, Buckinghamshire
Distance: 8.3 km (5.2 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 75m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chiltern Heritage Trail, South Bucks Way
Other routes touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway, Milton Route, Hampden Route
Pubs / Cafes on route: Seasons Cafe, Old Amersham plus others in Old and New Amersham town centres
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: Amersham, Amersham Station, Martyr’s Memorial, River Misbourne

This trip was both part of our River Misbourne Circulars and our walks based around the rail and underground stations of the Chilterns. The River Misbourne runs from its source at Great Missenden, to Denham where it joins the Colne. 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.

This walk starts at Amersham Station in Amersham New Town and also passes through Old Amersham. The New Town sits at the top of the hill with the Chess Valley to the North and the Misbourne Valley to the South. An unexpected find for us was the Martyr’s Memorial on the edge of a field near Station Road. Per the description on the monument: “In the shallow depression at a spot 100 yards left of this monument seven protestant men and one woman were burnt to death at the stake. They died for the principles of religious liberty, for the right to read and interpret the holy scriptures and to worship God according to their consciences as revealed through God’s holy word. Their names shall live forever.”

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Richard gower24 October 2020Trek, Chilterns, Railway, Underground, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment

Chiltern Walks: Chesham & Tylers Hill

Descending to Chesham on the Chilterns Heritage Trail

Start & Finish: Chesham Station, Chesham. HP5 1DA
Alternative Car Parking at: Star Yard Car Park, Parsonage, Lane, Chesham, HP5 1EP
Distance: 9.3 km (5.8 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 84m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chess Valley Walk, Chiltern Heritage Trail
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several in Chesham Town Centre
Map: OS Explorer Map (181) Chiltern Hills North
Links: Chesham, Chesham Station, Tylers Hill, River Chess

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.

This walk takes in the first 3 kilometers of the Chess Valley Walk before a steep uphill section to Pinner Green. The final 2 km joins the Chiltern Heritage Trail as it descends back to Chesham station.

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Richard gower18 October 2020Trek, Chilterns, Underground, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment

Cassiobury, Whippendell Woods and Croxley Green Circular Walk

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.

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Richard gower17 October 2020Trek, Canal, Railway, Underground, HertfordshireComment

Chiltern Walks: Little Chalfont & Latimer

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 gower11 October 2020Trek, Chilterns, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, England, Railway, UndergroundComment

Walking The London Loop: Cranford Park to Bushy Park

Start: Car Park at Cranford Park, London, TW5 9RZ
Finish: Bushy Park car park, near Diana Fountain, Hampton Wick, Molesey, East Molesey, KT8 9BZ
Distance: 17.5k (10.9 miles)
Elevation change: +60m / -79m. Net -19m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Hillingdon Trail, River Crane Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): N/A
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Pheasantry, Bushy Park (TW11 0EW)
Map: OS Explorer Map (173) London North, The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford
and OS Explorer Map (161) London South, Westminster, Greenwich, Croydon, Esher & Twickenham
Guidebook: The London Loop: Recreational Path Guide
Links: London Loop, River Crane, Cranford Park, Hounslow Heath, Bushy Park

For this walk we picked up the London Loop where we finished the Hillingdon Trail at Cranford Park. Up to this point we had covered the Loop all the way from South Oxhey on a combination of several other routes through the Colne Valley. This section is simple if you do a 2-car combo like we did, but a bit more difficult if relying on public transport. We were able to use the free car parks in both Cranford Park and Bushy Park. For a public transport variant you can start at the south end of Cranford Park where there’s a bus service to Bushy.

Once out of Cranford Park, the route gets busier, noisier and less pleasant for a while as you navigate around the east side of Heathrow Airport. When you reach the A30 at the south-east corner of the airport, the route takes you on a long diversion east up to The Parkway. This is the safer option than the much more direct crossing of the dual carriageway. We were there on a quiet Sunday morning and chose to cross the A30 instead. Be very careful if you do this too.

Once out of Heathrow the route meanders south east following the River Crane. Quiet, pleasant parkland of Hounslow Heath and Crane Park are interspersed with west-London residential streets. Eventually you’ll reach Bushy Park where it all gets very pleasant again. The route takes you along the Longford River and through the Woodland Gardens to our finishing spot at the car park next to the Diana Fountains.

Next sections of the London Loop:

Clockwise: Yiewsley to The Parkway via the Grand Union, then Grand Union to Cranford Park via the Hillingdon Trail
Anti-clockwise: Kingston to West Ewell via the Thames Down Link

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Richard gower10 October 2020Trek, Middlesex, London, EnglandComment

County Top Parent Peaks

In my ever-deepening County-Top related geekery I decided that I needed to document the Parent Peaks of every UK County Top. Many are easily findable with a bit of Googling, others are harder to come by. I’ve used the following sources in priority order:

Hillbagging (the online version of the Database of British and Irish Hills)
Peakbagger: if the Parent Peak is shown there but not in Hillbagging
Wikipedia: If the Parent Peak is shown there but not in either Hillbagging or Peakbagger
Peakbagger’s Nearest Highest Neighbour (NHN) field if a Parent Peak is not listed in the above.

Some are disputed and others I’ve had to assume, so here’s my best attempt. Contact me or comment below if you have any corrections and I’ll happily make a donation to one of my causes.

England’s County Top Parent Peaks

Scotland’s County Tops Parent Peaks

Compared to England there’s a lot fewer Parent Peaks listed in my key sources, so the following is largely based on Nearest Higher Neighbours and some assumptions. Likely there will be a lot of corrections to be below.

Wales’ County Tops Parent Peaks

Similar to Scotland, there’s a lot fewer Parent Peaks listed in my key sources, so the following is largely based on Nearest Higher Neighbours and some assumptions. Likely there will be a lot of corrections to be below.

Coming soon: Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland County Top Parent Peaks

UK County Tops on Islands

Goat Fell (843m), Arran, Buteshire, Scotland
Ward Hill (481m), Hoy, Orkney, Scotland
Ronas Hill (450m), Mainland, Shetland
Holyhead Mountain (220m), Anglesey, Wales

“A peak’s line parent is the closest higher peak on the highest ridge leading away from the peak’s “key col”. A col is the lowest point on the ridge between two summits and is roughly synonymous with pass, gap, saddle and notch. The highest col of a peak is its key col. If there is more than one ridge which can be followed to a higher peak then the line parent is the peak closest to the key col. Usually, a line parent must meet some prominence criteria, which might vary depending on the author and the location of the peak.”

— https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_parent

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Richard gower10 October 2020Trek, UK County Tops, Mountain, Country High Points, Trig Pillar, England, Scotland, WalesComment

Windsor Great Park: Savill Gardens & Virginia Water

Start & Finish: The Savill Garden Wick Lane, Englefield Green, Egham, TW20 0UJ
Distance: 7.8 km (4.8 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 66m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: none
Pubs / Cafes on route: Savill Garden Kitchen inside the Visitors’ Centre
Map: OS Explorer Map (160) Windsor, Weybridge & Bracknell
Links: Windsor, Windsor Great Park

This is an easy navigable walk on the southern end of Windsor Great Park. There’s a big car park at Savill Garden which makes it an obvious place to start. An alternative is the Virgina Water Lake Visitor Centre car park on the A30. Both are expensive but free parking is hard to find around there.

From Savill Garden take the south gate from the car park and continue due south for ~1km until you reach the Totem Pole. Virgina Water Lake starts to the south-east of the Totem Pole. Cross the footbridge and stay on the lake-side path continuing clockwise to the Blacknest corner in the south-west end of the park. Continue clock-wise, crossing Five Arch Bridge, now heading north-east. Cross the bridge the connects Johnson’s Pond to Virgina Water onto High Flyer’s Hill. Be careful here to stay on the north-east track rather than the road heading north into Guards Polo Club. Eventually you’ll reach Rhododendron Drive, connecting with the east side of Obelisk Pond and back to Savill Garden.

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Richard gower5 October 2020Trek, Windsor, Berkshire, EnglandComment

Whernside: North Yorkshire County Top

Ribblehead Viaduct with Whernside on the right

Significance: Highest peak in North Yorkshire (Present-Day CT), the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, Yorkshire Dales National Park
Member of: Marilyn, Hewitt, Hardy, Nuttall
Parent Peak: Cross Fell. NHN = Harter Fell
Historic County: Yorkshire (of which Mickle Fell is the County Top)
Elevation: 736m
Date climbed: October 4th 2020
Coordinates: 54°13′40″N 2°24′12″W 
Route Start / End: Ribblehead Viaduct Car Park, Blea Moor Road, Carnforth, LA6 3AS
Route Distance: 12.7 km (7.9 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 433m
Subsidiary tops on route: none
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Dales High Way, Three Peaks Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): none
OS Trig Pillar: TP0702 - Little Whernside
Map: OS Explorer Map OL2 Yorkshire Dales South & Western
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir), Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)
Links: Wikipedia (North Yorkshire), Wikipedia (Whernside), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Given that Whernside is both a Present-Day County Top and features in the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge it was surprising that I hadn’t already ticked it off. Sometime over the last couple of years I’d lost interest in the Three Peaks and decided that I’d rather tick them off individually. Whernside’s time came this year as it was an obvious peak to bag to break up the long drive home from Mickle Fell.

Unlike the drenching that we got on Mickle Fell the previous day, we had perfect Autumn conditions for Whernside. It was dry, sunny, chilly (but not too much) and visibility was great. The walk even starts with one of its main highlights: an approach to the magnificent Ribblehead Viaduct. We had originally planned to keep to the path on the eastern side of the viaduct then cut through the underpass to join the Dales High Way heading west. When we found ourselves standing right under one of the arches to get a closer look, we decided to continue heading west through the viaduct and take the footpath through the farm to connect to the High Way.

After the farm the route gets steep. The waitress in the pub the night before had warned us that this approach would be tough and slippery. We imagined something like a damp Striding Edge but it turned out not to be so bad at all. The slabs had also dried out completely so there was nothing slippery at all.

Once on the ridge-line the route is pretty simple and, with the views we had that day, quite breath-taking. The summit was pretty crowded when we got there. Partly it was the normal weekend day-walkers and we hit it at the same time as a lot of runners on their own Three Peaks Challenge. This was also the day of the Virtual London Marathon and there was a fair few marathoners that decided to do the 3 Peaks as their own London Marathon Route.

The descent was steady and interesting. Once down from the steeper sections the path curves back towards the viaduct and crosses over both Little Dale Beck and the rail line as it emerges from the Blea Moor Tunnel. The final section gives you another change to admire the Viaduct before returning to the car park.

Back to English County Tops Index

Richard gower4 October 2020Trek, UK County Tops, Mountain, Trig Pillar, York, Yorkshire Dales, National Park, England, RailwayComment

North-East England County Tops

View from Burnhope Seat summit to the Trig Pillar

We had the dates for this in the diary for most of the year, even before Covid-19 became the thing that defined 2020. When the Lockdown came in March we we glad we had booked it in for later in the year and had assumed that the virus would have blown over by then. By mid-Summer things were relaxing and it was looking like there wouldn’t be a problem for the trip at all. September came, cases started rising again and the North-East was right in the centre of a local Lockdown. The rules were especially ambiguous and it was only the day before the trip that we decided that we would still be able to go. So, without breaking any rules and keeping as safe as possible, 3 of us headed North to complete the North-East County Tops.

As it turned out Covid had a very minimal impact on the plan. Our YHA for the first 2 nights was in Northumberland and had strict procedures. Rather than sharing one big room as per our usual trips, we had to have a room each under separate bookings. Breakfast was strictly one person per table, but given my lack of interest in talking to anyone 1st thing in the morning, it wasn’t a major inconvenience. Other than that we were out in the hills all day and the rare instances of coming in contact with others were few and far between and at quite a distance.

Being able to complete these 3, and by extension my completion of all of England’s County Tops, was a major win for me for 2020. Most other plans had been cancelled or postponed until 2021, so keeping this felt like a big achievement.

Burnhope Seat

Significance: Highest peak in County Durham (Historic CT)
Member of: Hewitt, Marilyn, Nuttall
Parent Peak: Cross Fell. NHN = Meldon Fell
Elevation: 747m
Date climbed: October 1st 2020
Coordinates: 54.7331° N, 2.3369° W
Route Start / End: 2-car layby on B6277 north of kink in road over stream bridge, south of Yad Moss ski area
Route Distance: 3.1 km (1.9 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 160m
Subsidiary tops on route: none
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: none
OS Trig Pillar: TP1783 - Burnhope Seat
Map: OS Explorer Map (307) Consett and Derwent Reservoir
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir), Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)
Links: Wikipedia (County Durham), Wikipedia (Burnhope Seat), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Burnhope Seat and Mickle Fell are a short car journey apart and can be easily done in a single day with fair weather. We had a long drive from the south which took up much of our first day so we used this short walk as a break in the journey.

Jonny Muir’s County Top guide suggests a parking space on the B6277 at NY 7754 3640 but we found a more convenient one a bit further north on the same road. The layby in the book is quite small and at a steep angle from the road so we gave it a miss. From the larger layby near the stream bridge you can cross over a wooden gate on the opposite side. From here follow the left hand side of the stream, passing the ruins of an old building and use the GPS to keep you on-track for the high point. From the un-marked summit you can see the Trig Pillar to the east along the fence.

The Cheviot

Significance: Highest peak in Northumberland (Historic CT) and Northumberland National Park High Point
Member of: Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall
Parent Peak: Broad Law. NHN = Dollar Law
Elevation: 815m
Date climbed: October 2nd 2020
Coordinates: 55°28′42″N 2°08′44″W 
OS Trig Pillar: TP2152 - Cheviot
Links Wikipedia (Northumberland), Wikipedia (The Cheviot), Wikipedia (Northumberland National Park), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Hangingstone Hill

Also Known As: Cairn Hill West Top
Significance: Highest peak in Roxburghshire, Scotland (Historic CT)
Member of: n/a
Parent Peak: Cairn Hill. NHN = The Cheviot
Elevation: 743m
Date climbed: October 2nd 2020
Coordinates: 55° 28' 3'' N, 2° 9' 59'' W
Links: Wikipedia (Roxburghshire), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Route Start / End: parking area off small road to Langleeford, accessed from A697 via Middleton Hall
Route Distance: 15.3 km (9.5 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 620m
Subsidiary tops on route: Scald Hill (548m), Cairn Hill (777m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): The Pennine Way
Other routes touched (cycle): none
Map: OS Explorer OL16 The Cheviot Hills, Jedburgh & Wooler
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir), Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)

This walk was the longest and most rewarding of the 3 especially as it's a circuit rather than an out-and-back like the others. If you’re using Jonny Muir’s guide this is a combination of the separate routes for The Cheviot and for Hangingstone Hill. It’s pretty obvious to do them both in the same walk so I’ve got no idea why they’re separated in the book. Both use the same start and end point and each trip is a return for the other.

We took an anti-clockwise approach taking in The Cheviot first via Scald Hill. Continuing south-west along the Pennine Way from The Cheviot you’ll soon get to the summit of Cairn Hill. From here there’s a short out-and-back section to the Scottish border to reach Hangingstone Hill (aka Cairn HIll West Top). There’s little to see here and bagging the top just involves a quick crossing of the gate to a slightly higher piece of moss.

From Hangingstone Hill retrace your steps back up to Cairn Hill summit and follow the path sign-posted to Windy Gale. After a short steep section keeping a fence to your right you’ll reach a footpath junction. Take the east (left) path signed to Langleeford Hope (2¼) and Langleeford (3½). This path will take you all the way back to the start following Harthope Burn (stream).

Mickle Fell

Significance: Highest peak in Yorkshire (Historic CT) and the historic North Riding of Yorkshire
Member of: Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall
Parent Peak: Cross Fell. NHN = Knock Fell
Elevation: 788m
Date climbed: October 3rd 2020
Coordinates: 54°36′48″N 2°18′18″W
Route Start / End: Parking spot on B6276 to west of cattle grid between the Cumbria and County Durham county signs.
Route Distance: 17.2 km (10.7 miles)
Route Elevation Change: +/- 505m
Subsidiary tops on route: none
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: none
OS Trig Pillar: TP4789 - Mickle Fell
Map: OS Explorer OL19 Howgill Fells Upper Eden Valley Map
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir), Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)
Links: Wikipedia (Yorkshire), Wikipedia (North Riding of Yorkshire), Wikipedia (Mickle Fell) / Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Mickle Fell is on a military firing range which is only open to the public on a few select days per year. You can apply for a permit to access the land from MOD Warcop. Based on our experience I recommend starting the application process early. It took over 3 months for me to get the permit from sending the application letter. There’s nothing complicated about the process, it’s just slow. With the permit secured the other thing that you need to do is call the control room number on the permit as you start the walk and again when you finish. We didn’t have phone signal at all on the walk so we were glad to have made the call in the car 10 minutes before arriving at the parking space.

The parking space is easy to find as it’s right next to the Welcome to Cumbria sign. From here cross the road and over a wire fence to access the hill. Strangely there’s no gate or stile even though this is the recommended approach. You can see where others have climbed through or over the fence though.

Much of the walk is very easy to navigate, even on a low-visibility day like we had. Follow the boundary fence, keeping it to your left all the way up to the summit plateau. A lot of the route is boggy underfoot and you’ll need to navigate around streams, loose peat and marsh-land. We were there on an especially wet day and it was all we could do to keep our feet dry.

There’s a steep climb up to the summit plateau where you’ll cross a fence via a stile and can pick up some Land Rover tracks. Keep to these heading on an easterly curve and they’ll lead you to the summit cairn and the Trig Pillar.

We were there on one of the wettest days possible. If the route was closer to home and we didn’t need a permit we might have delayed it for another day, but we had little option but to press on. The only other person we met on the approach had reached the summit but hadn’t bothered with the extra ~2km to the Trig Pillar. I could see how tempting it would have been on a day like that to have missed it. Given our Trig-obsession we weren’t going to miss it though and took the extra hour to bag the pillar.

The descent was much quicker as we had abandoned any attempt to avoid the wet marsh and mostly walked straight through it. At 5.5 hours of driving rain we arrived at the car as wet as if we had swum to the summit. It was challenging but it also meant that I had now completed all County Tops in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Now for the rest of Scotland…

OTHER HIGH POINTS IN County Durham

Currock Hill East Top (259m) Gateshead Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Dere Street (219m) Darlington Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
The Moors (173m) Sunderland Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Whelly Hill (142m) Hartlepool Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Boldon Hills (93m) South Tyneside Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Boy Hill (82m) Stockton-on-Tees Unitary Authority High Point (alt): Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Thorpe Larches (82m) Stockton-on-Tees Unitary Authority High Point (alt): Peakbagger / Hillbagging

OTHER HIGH POINTS IN Northumberland

Westerhope (131m) North Tyneside Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Camperdown (86m) North Tyneside Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging

OTHER HIGH POINT IN Yorkshire

Whernside (736m) North Yorkshire Ceremonial County High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Howden Edge - High Stones (550m) South Yorkshire Ceremonial County and Sheffield Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Black Chew Head (541m) Greater Manchester Ceremonial County and Oldham Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Howden Edge - Hoar Stones (514m) Barnsley Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Waystone Edge (482m) Calderdale Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Withins Height North-east Slope (457m) Bradford Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Burley Moor (342m) Leeds Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Gisborough Moor (328m) Redcar and Cleveland Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Bishop Wilton Wold (248m) East Riding of Yorkshire Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Woolley Edge (176m) Wakefield Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Fir Hill (Harthill Field) (157m) Rotherham Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Foredoles Hill (144m) Doncaster Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Quarry Hill (100m) Middlesborough Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
Stock Hill (44m) City of York Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging
East Mount (11m) Kingston-upon-Hull Unitary Authority High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging

Back to English County Tops Index

Richard gower3 October 2020Trek, UK County Tops, Mountain, Trig Pillar, Northumberland, National Park, County Durham, Roxburghshire, Yorkshire, England, ScotlandComment

Chiltern Challenge Ultra Marathon

When: September 26th 2020
Start & Finish: The Henley Showground, Marlow Road, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 3AP
Distance: 50 km (31 miles)
Elevation Change: +/- 560m
Course: Figure of 8 with a western loop and an eastern loop intersecting at the Henley Showground Basecamp. Mix of Chiltern Way, Oxfordshire Way and Thames Path
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Shakespeare’s Way, Chiltern Way, Oxfordshire Way, The Wokingham Way, Thames Path
Other routes touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway
Finish time: 6 hours 59 minutes
Links: Hambleden, Stonor, Bix Bottom,Middle Assendon, Henley-on-Thames, Bovingdon Green, Marlow, Hurley, Remenham

With most running events having been cancelled due to Covid this yet I’d pretty much written off doing my annual ultra. So, as soon as I saw that this one was on, and it was a local one, I signed up. Also, having not been well (not do to Covid) a few weeks’ before I still wasn’t sure if I was up to ultra fitness. I decided to take it slow and take advantage of the 2-loop course to give me the option of retiring after the first loop.

This was also my first Covid-secure event and the organisation on the day was really impressive. Ultras may be expensive, but this was great value considering the new protocols that had in place. The only down-side for me was that the hand-sanitizer they has was so slippery that my wedding ring slipped off somewhere between the start and the first rest stop. So far it’s not been found which is less than ideal. It sounds like I wasn’t the only participant to lose a ring so I strongly recommend runners on Covid-secure events to leave their rings at home.

Lost rings aside, the event was amazing. I am big fan of the Chilterns and this was a perfect day to do a big run there. It was sunny but not too warm and dry underfoot too. I also liked the combination of woods and hills in the north and the flat sections of the Thames Path to the south.

In the end it was a good test of my fitness as I completed the course in a good time (for me) and without any signs of my sickness a few weeks ago. Fingers crossed the postponed Race to the Castle, my original 2020 ultra pick will be back on in 2021.

Back to Run Index

Richard gower26 September 2020Run, Ultramarathon, Chilterns, Thames, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, EnglandComment

Maidenhead and Cookham Circular Walk via the Thames Path and Greenway

Bridge over Maidenhead Ditch on the Green Way West

Start & Finish: Boulters Car Park, 7-15 Lower Cookham Rd, Maidenhead, SL6 8JN
Distance: 10 km (6.2 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 28 m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Green Way, Thames Path, Maidenhead Boundary Walk, Shakespeare’s Way
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 50, Round Berkshire Cycle Route 52
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Ferry (SL6 9SN), and several others on Cookham High Street
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: Boulters Lock, Cookham, National Trust Maidenhead and Cookham Commons

This is part of a series of ~10k circular walks that include the Thames Path National Trail at the edge of the Chilterns. This one fits between our recent Marlow Donkey walk and part 1 of the Thames Path and Jubilee River loops.

We started this trip at the Boulter’s Lock car park and headed west through the riverside houses to North Town. Here you can pick up the Green Way West, a north/south path connecting Maidenhead and Cookham. Follow the path for ~3.5km until you meet the Thames Path at Cookham Moor. Take a right here and you can follow the Thames Path all the way back to the start at Boulter’s Lock.

When you get to the Ferry pub the Thames path diverts from the river as the river flows through private land. It’s well sign-posted and you’ll follow Ferry Lane / Sutton Road south for ~300m before taking a left onto Mill Lane which takes you back to the river. This is a lovely, quiet stretch of the Thames Path that gives you views over to the Cliveden estate on the opposite bank.

Previous Thames Path Section (west): Cookham Dean and Winter Hill
Next Thames Path Section (east): Maidenhead & Bray

Back to Thames Path Walks Index

Richard gower20 September 2020Trek, Thames, National Trust, Berkshire, EnglandComment

Thames Path & Jubilee River Walk - Eton Wick and Eton

Start & Finish: Eton Wick Village Hall, Eton Wick Rd, Eton Wick, Windsor SL4 6LT
Distance: 7.9 km (4.9 miles)
Elevation change: + / - 22 m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Thames Path , Jubilee River Path
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 4, 461, 61
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several on Eton Wick High Street
Map: OS Explorer Map (160) Windsor, Weybridge & Bracknell
Links: Jubilee River, Eton Wick, Eton, Eton College

The Jubilee River is a man-made channel built in the late 1990s and early 2000s to take overflow from the River Thames to prevent flooding around Maidenhead, Windsor, and Eton. The path along side it passes through wildlife and woodland making a easy, pleasant walk or cycle. It also runs parallel and close to the Thames, allowing for several combinations of short trips that take in both.

This is the third of a series of 4 circular walks of roughly 10 km that take in sections of both the Jubilee River and Thames Path. This one starts at Eton Wick Village Hall and takes in Eton High Street, meeting the 4th and final section.

The Complete Route: Thames Path & Jubilee River Walks

Left to right: Maidenhead to Datchet in 4 sections. Map base: ESRI Topo via Ride With GPS — Yellow = Maidenhead & Bray, Red = Dorney & Eton Wick, Blue = Eton Wick and Eton, Greet = Eton and Datchet

Previous Thames Path Section (west): Dorney & Eton Wick

Next Thames Path Section (east): Eton and Datchet

Back to Thames Path Walks Index

Richard gower19 September 2020Trek, Chilterns, Thames, Berkshire, England, WindsorComment

Thames Path & Jubilee River Walk - Dorney and Eton Wick

Start & Finish: Eton Wick Village Hall, Eton Wick Rd, Eton Wick, Windsor SL4 6LT
Distance: 9.9 km (6.1 miles)
Elevation change: + / - 25 m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Thames Path , Jubilee River Path
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 61
Pubs / Cafes on route: N/A but some shops on Eton Wick Road
Map: OS Explorer Map (160) Windsor, Weybridge & Bracknell
Links: Jubilee River, Eton Wick, Dorney Lake, Boveney Lock, St Mary Magdalene's Church, Boveney

The Jubilee River is a man-made channel built in the late 1990s and early 2000s to take overflow from the River Thames to prevent flooding around Maidenhead, Windsor, and Eton. The path along side it passes through wildlife and woodland making a easy, pleasant walk or cycle. It also runs parallel and close to the Thames, allowing for several combinations of short trips that take in both.

This is the second of a series of 4 circular walks of roughly 10 km that take in sections of both the Jubilee River and Thames Path. This one starts at Eton Wick village hall and meets up with section on on Harcourt Road in Dorney Reach.

The Complete Route: Thames Path & Jubilee River Walks

Previous Thames Path Section (west): Maidenhead & Bray
Next Thames Path Section (east): Eton Wick and Eton

Back to Thames Path Walks Index

Richard gower6 September 2020Trek, Thames, Chilterns, Berkshire, Windsor, EnglandComment

Walking The South Bucks Way 8: Chalfont St Peter, Seer Green and Chalfont St Giles

Descent to the Misbourne near Chalfont St Giles

Start & Finish: Chalfont St. Peter Car Park, Church Lane, Chalfont St Peter, SL9 9TW
Distance: 13.1 km (8.1 miles)
Elevation change: + / - 124 m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chiltern Way, South Bucks Way
Other routes touched (cycle): Chilterns Heritage Trail: Milton Route
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several in Chalfont St Peter and Chalfont St.Giles, The Jolly Cricketers, Seer Green (4.6km in)
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: Chalfont St Peter, Jordans Quaker Meeting Centre, Jordans, Seer Green, Chalfont St Giles, River Misbourne

The South Bucks Way is a 37 km (23-mile) trail that promises a delightful escape for walkers and hikers. This scenic route, often overshadowed by its more famous counterparts, offers a tranquil journey through charming villages, lush countryside, and the gentle murmur of the River Misbourne. This post is part of a series of circular walks featuring the South Bucks Way. The full trail stretches from Coombe Hill near Wendover to the Grand Union Canal at Denham. Our walks take in short sections of the South Bucks Way and loop back to the start on other paths. The South Bucks Way is well sign-posted however you’ll need a map or GPX route to keep on track for the return sections of the loops. The guidance below will help but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide.

From Chalfont St. Peter village centre, walk up Market Place in an westerly direction, then onto Nicol Road and Grove Lane. Take a left off Grove Lane onto a footpath opposite the entrance to Tunmers Lane, continuing in a westerly direction to Welders Lane.

A highlight of this walk is the Quaker Meeting House and Jordan’s village, 3km from the start. Just after you pass Jordan’s YHA at the western end of Welder’s Lane you can cut through the grounds of the Quaker Meeting House. Look out for the grave of William Penn, founder of the US state of Pennsylvania. Round the corner on Jordan’s Lane you’ll find the Mayflower Barn, privately owned and not accessible but visible from the road. According to the sign in the Quaker centre, the barn takes its name from the belief that it contains original beams from the Pilgrim Fathers’ Mayflower ship. Taking Seer Green Lane west off Jordan’s Lane you’ll pass through the pretty village of Jordans.

Pass through Jordans and Seer Green, now following the Chiltern Heritage Trail in a north/north-easterly direction to join the South Bucks Way on the western side of the River Misbourne and the A413 Amersham Road. Take a right onto the South Bucks Way and follow it through Chalfont St Giles back to the start at Chalfont St Peter.

Previous section (north): Walking The South Bucks Way Part 7: Amersham and Coleshill
Next section (south): Walking The South Bucks Way Part 9: Chalfont St Peter to Denham (blog post coming soon)

Back to Chiltern Walks Index

Richard gower5 September 2020Trek, Chilterns, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment

Walking The Balatonszárszó Poetry Trail, Hungary

SÉTA A BALATONSZÁRSZÓI Vers UtcÁn

Balatonszárszó is a small town on the south side of Lake Balaton in Hungary. It’s my wife’s original home town and her parents still live there so we visit every summer. As well as enjoying the lake there’s a lot of walks in the area. This is one of 2 very short sign-posted walks in the town.

The Poetry Trail opened in 2020 and is a a shorter complement to the Way of Renewal. Like the longer route, this one takes the form of a short walk around the town passing several information signs. There’s also 3 sound boxes on the route where you can hear short recordings of the featured poets.

Unlike the Way of Renewal there’s no English translation available, so unless you have a Hungarian friend you may not get the most of the text. While Google Translate can work out the text it’s still not great with the nuances of Hungarian poetry.

Start: Sign #1 outside József Attila Memorial House, Balatonszárszó, József Attila u. 7 8624
Finish: Sign #8, József Attila Memorial, Balatonszárszó, Csokonai u. 1 8624
Distance: 1 km (0.6 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 7 m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Balatonszárszó megújulás útján (Trail of Renewal)
Other routes touched (cycle): Balaton Cycle Route
Links: Article on balatonszarszo.hu, Lake Balaton, Balatonszárszó

Stop 1: Ars Poetica / Képversek

Location: outside József Attila Memorial House, Balatonszárszó, József Attila u. 7 8624
Poets mentioned: Arany Janos, Josef Attila, Ady Endre, György Rónay, László Gyarmati, László Nagy, Fodor Ákos

Stop 2: Hangulatok

Location: In Erzsébet Park between Josef Attila u and Kölcsey Ferenc u
Poets mentioned: Dezső Kosztolányi, Jenő Heltai, Ferenc Móra, György Faludy, Sándor Kányádi, Miklós Radnóti, István Csukás, Árpád Tóth

Stop 3: Extravaganza

Title in English:
Location: At entrance to Erzsébet Park on Kölcsey Ferenc u.
Poets mentioned:

Stop 4: Szárszó / Idő

Title in English: Szárszó (town name) / Time
Location: Near the Fountain (Szökőkút) at the intersection of Ady Endre u. and Fő u.
Poets mentioned: Árpád Tóth, Aranyosi Ervin, Jenő Dsida, Sándor Márai, István Csukás, Rónay György, József Attila

Stop 5: Asztali örömök

Title in English: Table pleasures
Location: At entrance to the market on Ady Endre u.
Poets mentioned: Aranyosi Ervin, Sándor Petőfi, Dezső Kosztolányi, József Attila, István Csukás, Ady Endre

Stop 6: Balaton

Title in English: Balaton
Location: At entrance to Tóparti Park on Mikszáth Kálmán u.
Poets mentioned: Dániel Berzsenyi, András Fodor, János Vajda

Stop 7: Hetedhét országon is túl

Title in English: Beyond the seventh country
Location: In front of Csukas Theater, Jókai Mór u. 2
Poets mentioned:

Stop 8: Legendás versek

Title in English: Legendary Poems
Location: At eastern entrance to Tóparti Park on Csokonai u.
Poets mentioned:

Back to Trek Index

Richard gower28 August 2020Trek, Lake Balaton, HungaryComment

Walking The Tihany Legends Trail, Hungary

Séta a tihanyi legendák ösvényén, Magyarország

View from the northern point of the trail

Start & Finish: Benedictine Abbey of Tihany, I. András tér 1, Tihany, 8237
Distance: 5 km (3.1 miles)
Elevation change: + / -112 m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Visszhang ut (Echo Trail), Levendula ut (Lavender Trail)
Other routes touched (cycle): Balaton Cycle Route
Links: Lake Balaton, TIhany, Tihany Abbey, Balaton Geopark

Tihany is as small village on the Tihany Peninsula that juts out into Lake Balaton in Hungary. We visit there every summer when visiting the lake to see Timea’s parents. From the Benedictine Church in the centre of town you can pick up one of 3 walking trails of varying length. Trail 1, the Echo Trail, is really short and you’ll pretty much have done it by accident if you wander around the main streets in town. This 5k route is a good choice and takes you on a scenic hilly trail to the north of the church. You can pick up a paper map for all 3 trails from the Tourist Information Centre.

Starting from the church, the first part of the route takes you on a small loop of some monuments before heading north to the Echo. Here you’ll find a spot where if you shout loudly you’ll hear an echo bounced seven times off the church and surrounding buildings. Unfortunately there was building work happening when we were there which was absorbing the echos. From here take the winding Garay János Utca down to Tihany Harbour.

From the harbour walk north-west for ~1km, then carefully cross the main road to a small parking area. Here you can take a footpath that rises steeply through the woods back up the hill. Through this wooded part you’ll find Balaton Geopark signs giving information on the area. The most interesting find here are the Monk Cave Dwellings. These are man-made caves (allegedly) built for Russian monks brought from Kiev by the wife of Hungarian King Andras in ~1050. A few are easily and safely accessible from the path.

After the caves, the path continues upwards towards the north west. At the highest point there are outstanding views of the north end of the peninsula. From here the path turns southwards and descends back towards the town and the end-point at the church.

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Richard gower15 August 2020Trek, Lake Balaton, HungaryComment