Hanging Hill summit is by the transmitter at Avon Fire and Rescue Service Southwest Command Development Centre

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Start & Finish: Layby near Sir Bevil Grenville's Monument, Cotswold Way, Bath, BA1 9DD
Distance: 2.2 km (1.4 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 28m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Cotswolds Way
Other routes touched (cycle): N/A
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Bristol & Bath Map | Keynsham & Marshfield | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 155
Links: Bevil Granville, Sir Bevil Grenville's Monument, Battle of Lansdowne

Significance: High Point for the Unitary Authority of South Gloucestershire
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Beacon Batch
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Niver Hill
Historic County: Gloucestershire (of which Cleeve Hill is the County Top).
Elevation: 237m
Date “climbed”: December 30th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 25' 51'' N, 2° 24' 31'' W
OS Trig Pillar: TP3599 - Hanging Hill
Links: Wikipedia (South Gloucestershire), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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Hanging Hill is the High Point of the Unitary Authority of South Gloucestershire which was created after the abolition of the Ceremonial County of Avon. Having bagged 2 of of the 4 high points of the ex-Avon Unitary Authorities on a trip to the Mendips I was keen to get this one on the way back home. The 4th one, Dundry Hill, will have to wait for a future trip.

This high point can be bagged either on a short out-and-back or, as I did, a short circular. There’s free but limited parking off for the Sir Bevil Grenville's Monument on the road leading north from Landsdown. There were a lot of cars even on a cold winter day when when we arrived.

From the parking space follow the Cotswolds Way in a westerly direction along Beeches Cottages Road to the Avon Fire and Rescue Centre. The actual highpoint is in the grounds of the Fire and Rescue Centre, presumably under the large transmitter. The Centre was closed when I was there but you can get very close to it as the Cotswolds Way runs along side the perimeter fence.

Continue along the Cotswolds Way for another 500m to reach the Hanging Hill Trig Pillar. Along the way you’ll pass flags and information boards marking the site of the Battle of Lansdowne in 1643. After the Trig Pillar continue along the Cotswolds Way as it takes a sharp turn to the left now heading in a south/south-easterly direction. After another 500m you’ll reach the end of the field and the edge of some woods where you can leave the Cotswolds Way following a path through the woods back towards the main road. Take the path that cuts diagonally across the field heading north back to the parking area.

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Looking back to the mainland from the Brean Down Trig Pillar

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Start & Finish: National Trust Brean Down Car Park, 2 Brean Down Road, Brean, Burnham-on-Sea TA8 2RS
Distance: 3 km (1.9 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 84m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): England Coast Path
Other routes touched (cycle): N/A
OS Trig Pillar: TP1608 - Brean Down
Pubs / Cafes on route: Cafe at Brean Down National Trust, at start and end.
Map: Weston-super-Mare & Bleadon Hill Map | Burnham-on-Sea & Clevedon | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Active Map 153
Links: Brean Down, Brean Down National Trust, Hillbagging, Brean Down Fort

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We visited the Brean Down Trig Pillar near the end of a short break in the Mendips between Christmas and New Year. The weather was terrible but we managed to bag a few high points and visit a few of the sea-side towns in the area. We arrived at the Brean Down National Trust car-park just as a downpour was starting. It cleared up quickly and we saw on the weather app that we had a dry spot of around 30 minutes before the rain came again. We took a risk to see if we could get to the Trig Pillar before the rain came back.

The path to the Trig Pillar starts at the National Trust cafe and ascends steeply to the top of the ridge up some stone steps. At the top of the steps take a left to follow the well-marked path that leads to the end of the peninsula. There’s a great views from 3 sides and we were treated to a vivid double rainbow to the north as a rainstorm passed by and over Weston-Super-Mare.

At the Trig Pillar I was keen to continue the walk to the end of the peninsula to visit the old fort. Timi sensibly called me back as our dry weather window was rapidly closing and we could see the storm clouds coming toward us. We retraced our steps back to the National Trust cafe just as the rain started again.

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Trig Pillar at the summit of Beacon Batch

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The County of Avon existed as a Ceremonial County between 1974 and 1996. It was comprised of parts of the former Historic Counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset and then, on abolition, split into 4 new Unitary Authorities. The high point of the County of Avon was Niver Hill North Top at 264m which is now the high point of the Unitary Authority of Bath and North East Somerset.

This post features 3 high points closely located to Blagdon Lake in the Mendips AONB:

• Niver Hill: the high point of the former Ceremonial County of Avon and the present-day Unitary Authority of Bath and North East Somerset

• Blagdon Hill Farm: the high point of the present-day Unitary Authority of North Somerset

• Beacon Batch: the high point of the Mendips AONB

All three high points could be reached on a long walk combining the Limestone Link, Mendips Way, Monarch’s Way and The Butcombe Trail, however we split it into 2 shorter walks with a 10 minute drive between them. First up was a short circular walk taking in Beacon Batch and Blagdon Hill.

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Beacon Batch and Blagdon Hill Farm Circular Walk

Start & Finish: Burrington Ham Car Park, Burrington Combe, Bristol, BS40 7TZ
Distance: 7.1 km (4.4 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 149m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Limestone Link, The Butcombe Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Cheddar Gorge & Mendip Hills West Map | Wells & Glastonbury | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 141
Links: Mendips Hills National Landscape, Mendip Hills (Wikipedia), Burrington Ham (Camp)

The obvious place to start this walk is the small parking area at Burrnington Ham on the north side of Burrington Combe road. If you’re really short on time and not bothered about Balgdon Hill Farm you can bag Beacon Batch on a 2.4km out-and-back from the parking area.

For the full 7.1 km circular walk take the footpath on the north-east side of the parking area that follows the Limestone Link to the east connecting with Luvers Lane. At the end of Luvers Lane take a right onto Two Trees (lane). Continue along Two Trees, heading south-east for around 600m and take a left onto Leaze Lane. The Blagdon Hill Farm High Point is 250m along this lane. There’s nothing to mark the summit but you get great views to the north over Blagdon Lake.

Continue east along Leaze Lane to the entrance of the farm and take the path on the right that heads south along field edges to the B3134 Broad Road. Take a right to follow Broad Road for ~300 metres then carefully cross over to the footpath on the south side of the road. Be very careful on this bit as it’s a busy road with no pavement but there is a small grass margin to avoid being on the road with the cars.

Follow the path as it zig-zags through fields in a southerly direction for just under 1 km to meet Rains Batch Road and the Butcombe Trail. Take a right and follow the road to the Wireless Station. Continue along the Butcombe Trail for another 1 km to the edge of the open space surrounding the Beacon Batch summit. Leave the Butcombe Trail to take a path heading north, north-west to the Trig Pillar marking the Mendips high point.

After the Trig Pillar take a northerly path the descend back down to the car park.

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Blagdon Hill Farm

Significance: High Point for the Unitary Authority of North Somerset
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Beacon Batch
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Beacon Batch
Historic County: Somerset (of which Dunkery Beacon is the County Top). Was also part of the former Ceremonial County of Avon (of which Niver Hill was the County Top)
Elevation: 242m
Date “climbed”: December 28th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 19' 1'' N, 2° 42' 47'' W
Links: Wikipedia (North Somerset), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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Beacon Batch

Also known as: Black Down
Significance: Mendips National Landscape High Point
Member of: Marilyns
Parent Peak: The Wrekin (according to Wikipedia although it seems unlikely)
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Lydeard Hill
Historic County: Somerset (of which Dunkery Beacon is the County Top)
Elevation: 325m
Date “climbed”: December 28th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 18' 44'' N, 2° 44' 27'' W
OS Trig Pillar: TP1472 - Blagdon
Links: Wikipedia (Mendip Hills, Black Down), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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Niver Hill North Top Out-and-back Walk

Start & Finish: Forestry England East Harptree Car Park, East Harptree, BS40 6DA
Distance: 2 km (1.2 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 27m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Monarch’s Way
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Cheddar Gorge & Mendip Hills West Map | Wells & Glastonbury | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 141

Following the Beacon Batch and Blagdon Hill Farm walk it’s a 10 minute drive to the start of this shorter walk starting from the Harptree Car Park. From the car park entrance take a left onto Smitham Hill, then first right onto Nettwood Lane. Continue along Nettwood Lane until the farm entrance, then along the footpath, following the Monarch’s Way, along the edge of the field. The unmarked high point is in the south-eastern corner of this first field at the start of a row of trees. The boundary between Bath and Northeast Somerset and the County of Somerset runs along the field edge that you have just followed then takes a right angle following the hedge-line north towards the lake.

Retrace your steps back to the car park.

Niver Hill North Top

Significance: High Point for the Unitary Authority of Bath and North East Somerset
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Niver Hill
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Niver Hill
Historic County: Somerset (of which Dunkery Beacon is the County Top)
Elevation: 264m
Date “climbed”: December 28th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 16' 56'' N, 2° 37' 31'' W
Links: Wikipedia (Bath and North East Somerset), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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Crossing the River Gade

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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Significance: Parent Peak of Betsom’s Hill (Kent County Top) and Westerham Heights (Greater London High Point), Highest Point of the North Downs
Member of: Marylins
Parent Peak: Leith Hill
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Leith Hill
Historic County: Surrey
Elevation: 270m
Date “climbed”: December 3rd 2023
Coordinates: 51° 16' 44'' N, 0° 0' 45'' W
OS Trig Pillar: TP1536 - Botley Hill
Map: Sevenoaks & Tonbridge Map | Royal Tunbridge Wells & Westerham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 147
Links:
- Wikipedia (Botley Hill, North Downs)
- Peakbagger (at Water Tower, at Trig Pillar)
- Hillbagging (at Water Tower, at Trig Pillar)

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I had only discovered Botley Hill recently when researching County Tops and routes in the area. It’s the high point of the North Downs, but doesn’t make it into any lists as the North Downs isn’t an AONB, National Park or similar. It’s taller than the nearby high points of Kent and Greater London, but is in Surrey so misses out to the 5m higher Leith Hill for the County Top. It’s a must-do though for high-point completists and more more interesting than both Betsom’s Hill and Westerham Heights, the high points of Kent and Greater London.

The Botley Hill summit is next to a water tower and transmitter and easily accessible by road. It’s also on the Vanguard Way, 1km north of its junction with the North Downs Way so can be bagged on a diversion from both. We bagged it on the same day as walking a section of the North Downs Way but drove to the Botley Hill summit after completing the walk.

The water tower summit isn’t the only significant point on the hill. There’s an OS Trig Pillar approximately 1 km to the east which was once considered to be the hill summit but is actually ~1m lower. We also visited this one as a drive-by after our North Downs Way walk.

Source: Legislation.gov.uk

For the absolute completists there’s also Botley Hill Northeast Slope. Peter Stone’s Peakbagger entry from March 2012 describes it as: “A 255 m slope feature inside a Reptile Zoo or behind adjacent Waylands House. Got as close as I could for a bona fide claim. However, perhaps a bit pointless and of historic interest only as this place is no longer the highpoint of Greater London since a boundary change ceded it to Surrey in 1993. Greater London's high point is now Westerham Heights, 245 m, a few km to the E and very close to Kent's top” .

The transfer between Bromley in Greater London and Surrey was actually on April 1st 1994, although the legislation had 1993 in the name. More information can be found in this article on legislation.gov.uk. The map to the right shows the southern tip of Bromley, previously the Greater London High Point, which moved to Surrey with this legislation.

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The Botley Hill Family

Botley Hill is the Parent Peak to:
- Botley Hill Trig Pillar and Botley Hill Northeast Slope
- Betsom’s Hill, the County Top of Kent
- Toy's Hill, the High Point of the Kent Downs AONB
- Westerham Heights, the High Point of Greater London and the London Borough of Bromley
- All Greater London Borough High Points south of the Thames plus Heston The Vale (Hounslow)

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Coccolith, an artwork by INSTAR, near the Titsey Brewery on the eastern edge of the Surrey Hills AONB

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Start: Gangers Hill Car Park, Gangers Hill, Woldingham, Godstone, CR3 7AD
Finish: The Velo Barn, Unit 1, Betsoms Farm, Pilgrims Way, Westerham TN16 2DS
Distance: 9.1 km (5.6 miles)
Elevation change: +161m / -216m. Net -55m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Tandridge Border Path, Woldringham Countryside Walk, Vanguard Way, Greenwich Meridian Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): Prime Meridian Cycle Route
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Velo Barn at the end of the route
OS Trig Pilllar: TP1536 - Botley Hill
Maps:
- Dorking, Box Hill & Reigate Map | Leatherhead & Caterham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 146
- Sevenoaks & Tonbridge Map | Royal Tunbridge Wells & Westerham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 147
Guidebook: The North Downs Way National Trail from Farnham to Dover (Cicerone)
Links: Marden Park, Oxted Downs, Titsey Place

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This is the seventh of a series of short point-to-point walks along the North Downs Way. The full trail is a long distance path stretching from Farnham in Surrey to Dover in Kent. Our walks took in short sections of 10 km to 13 km which we did with a friend over the course of a couple of years when our schedules coincided. The North Downs Way is well sign-posted however I highly recommend taking a map or GPX route to keep you on track. The Cicerone book on the trail is a great guide to the points of interest along the way.

For this section we left one car at the end of the walk near the Velo Barn on Westerham Hill and another at the start at Gangers Hill Car Park. It may be possible to use the car park at the Velo Barn but ask for permission first as the gates are locked when the cafe is closed. There’s a layby next to the barn on Pilgrims Way with space for 3 cars.

From the start at Gangers Hill Car Park, cross over The Ridge to pick up the North Downs Way heading east. This first section is a steep descent down into fields where the route runs parallel and close to the M25. After ~1.5km you’ll meet a path junction with the Vanguard Way and Greenwich Meridian Trail. If you want to visit Botley Hill, the high point of the North Downs, this is where you can take a diversion from the path for 1 km, returning back the same way. We kept on the North Downs Way but visited Botley Hill by car after the walk.

Continuing east along the North Downs Way you’ll soon pass a plaque marking the point where the North Downs Way and Vanguard Way crosses the Greenwich Meridian Line. Further along, at ~3km into the walk you’ll reach a T junction where the Vanguard Way splits off from the North Downs Way to the right. Take a left at this junction to follow Pitchfont Lane, a wide path heading uphill through land managed by the Titsey Foundation.

At the end of Pitchfont Lane you’ll reach a roundabout connecting Croydon Lane, Clarks Lane and Titsey Hill (road). Here you can take a 300m (and back) diversion to visit the Botley Hill Trig Pillar, just off The Ridge (road). Alternatively, there’s a free car park at the roundabout where you can return to bag the trig later.

Continuing east along the North Downs Way, the trail runs parallel to Titsey Hill (road) for ~800m then crosses through Crossharbour Beeches to meet Clarks Lane opposite the Titsey Brewery. Here you’ll pass the Coccolith artwork (see banner photo at the top of this post) and a great view to the south. You’ll also see one of the 12 wooden Surrey Hills boundary markers.

For the final part of this section continue east, crossing over Clarks Lane and onto Chestnut Avenue, then onto The Avenue. Look out for boundary stone near the western end of The Avenue which marks the Surrey/Kent border. When The Avenue meets Westerham Hill (road) take a right to follow Westerham Hill back to The Velo Barn.

This was the end of our first Chapter of walking The North Downs Way with our friend Mark. We had completed original objective was to complete the Surrey section. With our busy schedules it took us 2.5 years to cover the 7 sections. We’ll do the Kent sections one day but for now there’s other parts of Surrey to explore.

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Previous Section (west): Walking The North Downs Way Part 6: Merstham to Gangers Hill

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City Road Basin east of Angel

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Start: Paddington Station, Praed St, London W2 1RH
Finish: Limehouse DLR Station, Commercial Rd, London, E14 7JD
Distance: 16.3 km (10.1 miles)
Elevation change: + 86 / -110m. Net -24m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Jubilee Greenway
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 1, C1, 2, 6, 13, 27
Pubs / Cafes on route: Loads. It’s London.
Map: London North Map | The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 173
Links: Regent’s Canal (Wikipedia / Canal & River Trust), Paddington Basin, Little Venice, Camden Lock, Islington Tunnel, Limehouse Basin

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The Regents Canal is a 13.8km waterway that links the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal at Little Venice with the River Thames at Limehouse Basin in the east of London. I’ve cycled or walked bits of it over the years but never a full end-to-end walk. So, with canals being the theme of our weekend adventures this winter, Timea and I set out to walk it.

Being in the north of London there’s excellent public transport links to the start and end. You can also cut the walk into smaller sections, returning to nearby tube or bus stops along the way to pick up where you left off. On a long summer’s day we might have tackled it all in one go. With a winter walk on shorter days and wanting to take our time through the interesting parts, we cut it in two using King’s Cross St Pancras as our middle-point. Navigation is very easy as you’ll be following the towpath, however there’s a few sections of tunnel where you’ll need to follow them above ground. The Juiblee Greenway follows the route of the canal and is well-signed, so follow the ground-level markers to keep on track.

We chose a west to east route starting from Paddington Station. There’s an exit near the Hammersmith and City Line platforms that leads directly onto the canal. Rather than start there we exited Paddington at the southern entrance to walk down Praed Street to start at Paddington Basin. The Basin had completely changed since I first went there as a child with my Dad on our many London outings. Back then it was unloved patch at the back of St Mary’s Hospital where my dad was born. Now it’s a busy and lively development of apartments, businesses and restaurants.

From Paddington Basin follow the canal for 1km to the junction with the Regents Canal at Little Venice. The bridge at Westbourne Terrace Road also brought back memories as it was the finish point of my first Ultra Marathon back in 2015. Once over the bridge and onto the northern side of Browning’s pool you’re on the Regent’s Canal.

For the first section you’ll need to keep off the towpath for a while as the Lisson Road Moorings are a private section, then you need to pass above-ground for ~250m over Maida Hill Tunnel. Once over the tunnel you can keep to the towpath for 5.4km to the Islington Tunnel at Angel. Along the way you’ll pass through the the back of London Zoo at Regent’s Park, Camden Lock and the redeveloped area to the back of Kings Cross.

When you reach the Islington Tunnel leave the towpath and follow the Jubilee Greenway south down Penton Street then east along Chapel Market to Angel. Cross over Upper Street and follow Duncan Street in an easterly direction to return to the Regent’s Canal towpath. This eastern section is quieter but no-less interesting. You’ll need to leave the path for food and drink but there’s good options along the way. We found a great cafe at the start of Broadway Market in Hackney just a couple of minutes off the path.

The final stretch passes along the edges of Victoria Park and Mile End Park before finishing at Limehouse Basin. Our original plan was to walk around the basin but it was getting dark so we cut straight across to Limehouse DLR to return home. We did get some great shots of Canary Wharf and friends lit up in the background. We’ll return another day to revisit the basin and walk the Hertford Union Canal and Limecut Cut.

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The Bridges

Bridge numbers counting up from 1 at Little Venice to 64 near Limehouse Basin. Not all bridges have numbers on them.

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View across the Thames Estuary from One Tree Hill

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Significance:  Unitary Authority High Point for Thurrock
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Langdon Hill NHN = Langdon Hill
Elevation: 116m
Date climbed: November 24th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 33' 5'' N, 0° 25' 19'' E

Route Start & Finish: Beacon Field Car Park, 1 Dry Street, Langdon Hills, Basildon, SS16 5LT
Route Distance: 8.1 km (5 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 143m
Subsidiary tops on route: Hawkesbury Hill (70m), One Tree Hill (80m), Old Hill (75m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 13
OS Trig Pillar: TP3681 - Hawksbury Bush
Pubs / Cafes on route: N/A
Map: Southend-on-Sea & Basildon Map | Brentwood & Billericay | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 175
Links: Wikipedia: (Thurrock, Langdon Hills), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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After a couple of quick drive-bys to bag the twin high points of Southend, I drove to the nearby Langdon Hills Country Park for a more interesting adventure. The high point of the Unitary Authority of Thurrock is a slope point near the top of Langdon Hill, cut off by the Thurrock/Basildon boundary. It can also be bagged on a quick drive-by but the 8km walk including the nearby Trig Pillar and One Tree Hill is much more interesting.

Start at the Beacon Field Car Park and take the footpath than runs along the right hand side of Dry Street. The footpath will end so you’ll need to walk along the road for a short distance. There’s no pavement but it’s a quiet lane and dangerous as long as you keep an eye out for cars. At 1.6km (1 mile) into the walk take a right onto One Tree Hill (road), then take the first footpath on the left. Follow the footpaths across the fields in a north-easterly direction, joining Hawkesbury Bush Lane. Take a right onto a footpath that enters Langdon Hills Country Park.

Instead of following the footpath that runs diagonally across the field, keep to the left hand side of the field and follow a small path into the woods, ascending up Hawesbury Hill. Here you’ll find the Trig Pillar hiding in thick undergrowth at the top of the hill. Any nice views of the estuary have been long since overgrown.

Retrace your steps out of the woods and take a left to follow the fence to re-join the footpath that started back at the gate. Follow this path in a south-westerly direction for 1km to reach One Trill Hill (road). Cross the road and walk through the car park to take the path up to the summit of One Tree Hill. There’s great views to the south on a clear day (which I didn’t have when I visited).

After One Tree Hill continue heading in a south-westerly direction, cutting through Northlands Wood. The path will take a sharp right-turn to the north and start ascending Old Hill. You can visit the summit with a short diversion from the path, but there’s little of interest there. Continue to follow the path as it snakes around Old Hill, crossing over Old Hill Avenue and back into Langdon Hills Country Park. When you meet a bench dedicated to the Langdon Leggies Nordic Walkers take a right to follow a path that gently ascends through the woods back towards the car park.

When you reach the east-west path before the Beacon Hill field you’ll be at the Thurrock/Basildon border and the Thurrock High Point. The more interesting feature is the Beacon a few metres further into the field. From here walk diagonally across the field to the north-western corner to the Langdon Hill “summit” before returning to the car park.

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The county of Essex has, at time of writing, 2 Unitary Authorities: Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea. With a rare quiet week at work and a need for a geek-adventure based day off, I headed east to bag them both. First up: Southend which has 2 alternative options for its high point. It’s hard to say which is the most interesting as neither offers a great view or a Trig Pillar. Both could be bagged on a single walk or cycle ride but I did both as drive-bys before heading on to Thurrock for a more interesting adventure.

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London Road

Significance: Unitary Authority High Point for Southend-on-Sea
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill NHN: Sandpit Hill
Historic County: Essex (of which Chrishall Common is the County Top)
Elevation: 61m
Date “climbed”: November 24th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 32' 57'' N, 0° 37' 31'' E
Map: Southend-on-Sea & Basildon Map | Brentwood & Billericay | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 175
Links: Wikipedia (Southend-on-Sea), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

The first contender for the Southend High Point is right on the boundary with the Castle Point borough of Essex. The high point is by the “Welcome to the City of Southend-on-Sea” sign. Next to the sign you’ll also find a Rochford/Southend boundary stone and an old wooded post with an inscription that reads “Here grew the Burnt Oak, being the ancient bounds of the Manor of Southchurch, belonging to John Gregory Welch Esq. 1832”.

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Heath Mount

Significance: Unitary Authority High Point for Southend-on-Sea
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill NHN: Thundersley Hill
Historic County: Essex (of which Chrishall Common is the County Top)
Elevation: 61m
Date “climbed”: November 24th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 33' 49'' N, 0° 38' 5'' E
Map: Southend-on-Sea & Basildon Map | Brentwood & Billericay | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 175
Links: Wikipedia (Southend-on-Sea), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Heath Mount is a 5 to 10 minute, 2 mile drive from the London Road High Point. It’s at the entrance to Belfairs Woods off Woodside road where there’s free on-street parking. Nothing obvious to mark the spot. The spot is on the Southend Ring, a 24km trail circling the city.

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Ascending Shirburn Hill

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Significance: Highest peak in Oxfordshire (Historic County Top)
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill. NHN = Haddington Hill
Elevation: 257m
Date climbed: 24th August 2013 and 19th November 2023
Coordinates:  51° 39' 21'' N, 0° 56' 53'' W

Route Start & Finish: Cowlease Woods Car Park, Watlington, OX49 5HX
Distance: 12.1 km (7.5 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 270m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chiltern Way, Oxfordshire Way
Other routes touched (cycle): Chiltern Cycleway
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Fox & Hounds (8 km in)
OS Trig Pillar: TP0317 - Shirburn Hill
Map: OS Explorer Map Active (171) Chiltern Hills West, Henley-on-Thames and Wallingford
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir), Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)
Links: Wikipedia (Oxfordshire), Wikipedia (Cowleaze Wood), Peakbagger, Hillbagging, Cowleaze Wood, Halifax LW579 51 Squadron RAF Memorial, Wormsley Estate, Christmas Common

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This is classic Chiltern walk with rolling hills, an Historic County Top, an OS Trig Pillar and an old English pub along the way. Timea and I had visited Bald Hill, the Oxfordshire Historic County Top, as a drive-by 10 years before but we wanted to revisit it as a part of a longer walk. With a friend visiting for the weekend and needing to find a great Chilterns experience so we headed off towards Christmas Common.

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 best place to start the walk is at the free car park at Cowleaze Woods. At the start of the central trail from the car park you’ll find an information board about the nearby RAF Memorial. This tells the story of a Halifax bomber that crashed into the woods in March 1944 killing its 7 crew. From this board you can follow waymarkers to the crash site.

Follow these markers for 100m to reach a junction in the path then take a left. This is where you’ll leave the trail to the crash site to visit the Oxfordshire County Top. The unmarked “summit” is ~300m from the junction. It’s pretty underwhelming especially when compared to the present-day Oxfordshire County Top at Whitehorse Hill near Swindon.

After the County Top take the next right and follow paths that curve to the south to find the Halifax bomber crash site. Here you’ll find a memorial stone and a small information board. We visited soon after Remembrance Day so there were fresh poppies and wreaths around the memorial.

After the memorial find and follow a path that runs east through Cowleaze Woods and into the Wormsley Estate. When you reach a small road take a left then leave the road on a path on the right to ascend into woods at Highfield Shaw. Here you’ll take a right onto a path that will lead you down to the Chiltern Way. Take a right onto the Chiltern Way and follow it for 700 metres to a junction in the woods. Here leave the Chiltern Way and continue heading west, ascending through Charley Shaw to Christmas Common.

The Fox and Hounds at Christmas Common is a great place to stop for a rest before the final 4km. It’s a popular pub and gets very busy at weekends so it’s best to book a table if you’re planning to eat there.

After visiting the Fox and Hounds take a left and follow the Oxfordshire Way as it curves to the west, descending between Watlington Hill and Shirburn Hill. At the bottom of the hill the path becomes a road and you’ll pass farm buildings on the left before taking a footpath on the right. Follow this path, gradually ascending Shirburn Hill until you reach the field next to Christmas Common Road. The path crosses diagonally across the field towards Cowleaze Water Tower, however if you take a right half-way across the field directly to the hedge you can visit the Shirburn Hill OS Trig Pillar.

After the Trig Pillar head north to the gate in the corner of the field. Cross over the road to the Water Tower and follow the footpath back into Cowleaze Woods car park and the completion of the walk.

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OTHER HIGH POINT IN OXFORDSHIRE

• Whitehorse Hill (261m) Oxfordshire Ceremonial County High Point, previously part of Historic Berkshire: Peakbagger / Hillbagging

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Ockley Hill

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Start: Merstham Station, Station Rd, Merstham, Redhill, RH1 3ED
Finish: Gangers Hill Car Park, Gangers Hill, Woldingham, Godstone, CR3 7AD
Distance: 11.8 km (7.3 miles)
Elevation change: +270m / -140m. Net -130m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Tandridge Border Path, Downlands Circular Walk, Woldringham Countryside Walk, Over The Downs To Oxted Mill Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 20, 21
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Feathers is at the start of the route before you get to Merstham Station
OS Trig Pilllar: TP5210 - Ockley Hill
Map: Dorking, Box Hill & Reigate Map | Leatherhead & Caterham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 146
Guidebook: The North Downs Way National Trail from Farnham to Dover (Cicerone)
Links: Merstham, Chaldon, Marden Park

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This is the sixth of a series of short point-to-point walks along the North Downs Way. The full trail is a long distance path stretching from Farnham in Surrey to Dover in Kent. Our walks took in short sections of 10 km to 13 km which we did with a friend over the course of a couple of years when our schedules coincided. The North Downs Way is well sign-posted however I highly recommend taking a map or GPX route to keep you on track. The Cicerone book on the trail is a great guide to the points of interest along the way.

For this section we left one car at the end of the walk at Gangers Hill Car Park and another at the start at Merstham Station. From the station walk along Station Road North and take a left onto a footpath next to the Village Hall. This will take you onto the Hight Street to the left of the Feathers Pub and back onto the North Downs Way. Cross over the High Street and follow Quality Street to the end where you can take a left at the North Downs Way sign. The next 1 km takes you over the M25, A23 and M25 before you’re back in pleasant countryside.

The first point of interest on the walk is the Ockley Hill Trig Pillar at 3.2 km from the start. Here you’ll get a great view to the south including Redhill Common and the Greensand Ridge. There’s also several spots on the northern side of the North Downs Way to get a view across to London.

After the Trig Pillar the route gently undulates and sticks to quiet wooded areas. There’s not as many points of interest as Section 5 offered but it’s a great walk nonetheless. This section ends at Gangers Hill Car Park on the edge of Marden Park. At this finish point you’re right on top of the tunnel carrying the Oxted to Woldringham rail line under the North Downs Ridge.

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• Previous Section (west): Walking The North Downs Way Part 5: Betchworth to Merstham

• Next Section (east): Walking The North Downs Way Part 7: Gangers Hill to Westerham Hill

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Start: Slough Station, Railway Terrace, Slough, SL1 1XW
Finish: West Drayton Station, Station Approach, West Drayton UB7 9DY
Distance: 10 km (6.2 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 28m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Colne Valley Trail, Beeches Way, Shakespeare’s Way, Celandine Route, London Loop
Other routes touched (cycle): Grand Union Canal Towpath, NCN 61
London Coal Duty Post: 69
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several in West Drayton High Street
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East and OS Explorer Map (160) Windsor, Weybridge & Bracknell
Links: Slough Arm Canal (Wikipedia / Canal & River Trust) Slough, Langley, Iver, Yiewsley, West Drayton, Colne Valley Regional Park,

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The Slough Canal is an arm that branches off from the main Grand Union Canal at Yiewsley in Hillingdon, Greater London. It was opened in 1882, primarily to serve the brick industry. The arm closed to commercial traffic in 1960 and re-opened in 1975. There have been plans to extend the canal to join the River Thames between Windsor and Maidenhead, but that feels unlikely to happen.

I’ve cycled the Slough Arm on many occasions and crossed over it on other walks but, until now, hadn’t walked the whole length. It runs parallel to the GWR mainline and Elizabeth Line which makes it easy to walk as a single point-to-point between stations. We started at Slough Station and finished at West Drayton, with a short ride on the Elizabeth Line back to the start.

Leave Slough Station at the north entrance onto Railway Terrace and walk west to join the B416. Follow the B416 in a northerly direction to find the entrance to the canal basin on the right hand side of the road shortly after St. Paul’s church. The first 4km runs between a mix of residential and light industrial areas. There’s a lot of rubbish along the way despite the best efforts of the Friends of The Slough Arm local community group.

After the Langley park Road Bridge (#7), the canal becomes a parking area for boats lined up for the repair yard at bridge #6 at Hollow Hill Lane. From here the canal enters the Colne Valley Regional Park and soon joins the Beeches Way and Shakespeare’s Way. The towpath passes under the M25, then over the Colne Brook, River Colne and Frays River. Watch out for the two WW2 Pill Boxes that guard the rivers and the Coal Duty Post by the footbridge carrying the London Loop.

By the time you reach the junction with the Grand Union Canal you’ll have passed through Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, the Historic County of Middlesex and into the Greater London Borough of Hillingdon. When you reach the main line of the Grand Union, cross over the footbridge and take a right to follow the towpath for 800m to the West Drayton High Street Bridge. Leave the canal and cross the bridge to reach the end of the walk at West Drayton Station.

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The Bridges

Bridge numbers counting down from the Basin to the Junction with the Grand Union. Bridges 5 and 2 have been destroyed.

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Bridge 10 between Puttenham and Broughton

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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),

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The Bridges

There’s no number sign on bridge 13.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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The Full Wendover Arm Canal Route

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

The Point to Point Walk from Wendover to Bulbourne

Details for a Point-to-Point Walk:

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

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Approach to Liddington Hill from The Ridgeway

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Significance:  Unitary Authority High Point for Swindon
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Walbury Hill. NHN = Milk Hill
Elevation: 276m
Date climbed: August 20th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 30' 41'' N, 1° 41' 40'' W

Route Start & Finish: Parking spots on Aldbourne Road (B4192) or on The Ridgeway (Road).
Route Distance: 6 km (3.7 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 98m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: The Ridgeway
OS Trig Pillar: TP0743 - Liddington Castle
Pubs / Cafes on route: N/A
Map: Cirencester & Swindon Map | Fairford & Cricklade | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 169
Links: Wikipedia: (Swindon, Liddington Castle), Peakbagger: (Castle / Hill), Hillbagging

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Liddington Hill is the high point of the Unitary Authority of Swindon within the Historic County of Wiltshire. The summit of the hill has the remains of Liddington Castle, a late Bronze Age and early Iron Age hillfort with a prominent Trig Pillar on the north-eastern rim.

Although the Trig Pillar is the highest position on the hill, the natural high point is a little to the south-east in a farmer’s field. There were crops growing at the time and robust fencing around the castle so I decided not to walk to the natural high-point. From the castle it’s hard to spot the highest natural position on a relatively flat summit so tramping through crops to an unmarked position didn’t feel right. At the time I was more interested in finding the remains of the WW2 decoy bunker on the route back to the parking spot. See this video on YouTube for more on the bunker.

Access to the hill is easy and the summit can be bagged in a simple out-and-back from Aldbourne Road or as a minor detour from the Ridgeway. There’s parking space for a few cars at the junction of Aldbourne Road and The Ridgeway (path). These were full when I arrived so I used a layby round the corner on the road called The Ridgeway to the north of the hill.

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Cows and oast houses near French Street

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Start & Finish: Toys Hill Car Park, Toy's Hill Road, Westerham, TN16 1QG
Distance: 8 km (5 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 215m
Greensand Way section covered: French Street to Ide Hill: 3.71 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): NT Octavia Hill Centenary Walk, Weardale Walk,
Other routes touched (cycle): N/A
Pubs / Cafes on route: Cock Inn at Ide Hill (just off route at 1.8 km in), National Trust Cafe at Emmetts Garden (3.4 km in)
Map: Sevenoaks & Tonbridge Map | Royal Tunbridge Wells & Westerham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 147
Links: Toys Hill National Trust, Ide Hill, Emmett’s Garden National Trust, Weardale Manor

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This is the twenty-second of a series of short circular walks featuring the Greensand Way. The full trail is a long distance path stretching from Haslemere in Surrey to Ham Street in Kent. Our walks take in short sections of the Greensand Way and loop back to the start on other paths. The Greensand 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.

For this section we parked at the National Trust Car Park at the bottom of Toy’s Hill and picked up the Greensand Way heading east after crossing Chart Lane. The route covers a lot of the same ground as the NT Octavia Hill Centenary Walk, but it’s not exactly the same so be careful when following route markers. After 1.75km you’ll reach Ide Hill village and will leave the Greensand Way but follow the Octavia Hill Walk north along Sundridge Road. Take a footpath on the right to leave the road, crossing a field to Norman Street then taking a left to return to Sundridge Road. Take a right, then a left into the lane that passes Ide Hill Cricket Club.

Follow the Octavia Hill Walk up through Emmett’s Garden National Trust where there’s a café. Shortly after the cafe you’ll leave the Octavia Hill Walk and continue west, now picking up the Weardale Walk. Follow this to French Street to join the Greensand Way at the point that you left it on section 21. Take the Greensand Way in a southerly direction all the way back to the Toy’s Hill Car Park.

The Greensand Way doesn’t cross over the top of Toy’s Hill so it’s worth taking a short out-and-back diversion from the path to the summit. At the top you’ll find the remains of Weardale Manor, a memorial and great views over the Kent and Sussex countryside.

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Toys Hill

Significance: Kent Downs National Landscape High Point
Member of: England Peaks with 100 meters of Prominence
Parent Peak: Botley Hill.
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Betsom’s Hill
Elevation: 248m
Date climbed: August 13th 2023
Coordinates: 51°15'00.0"N 0°06'00.0"E
Map: Sevenoaks & Tonbridge Map | Royal Tunbridge Wells & Westerham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 147
Links: Wikipedia (Kent Downs / Toys Hill), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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• Previous section: Walking The Greensand Way Part 21: Crockham Hill Common and Chartwell

• Next section: Walking The Greensand Way Part 22: Yorks Hill and Bailey’s Hill

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Lost village of Dode

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Significance:  Unitary Authority High Point for Medway
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Botley Hill. NHN = Detling Hill
Historic County: Kent (of which Betsom’s Hill is the County Top)
Elevation: 172m
Date “climbed”: August 12th 2013
Coordinates: 51° 20' 43'' N, 0° 23' 55'' E

Route Start & Finish: Holy Hill Wood Car Park, Holly Hill Lane (North Downs Way), Gravesend, DA13 0UB
Route Distance: 4.5 km (2.8 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 78m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): North Downs Way
Other routes touched (cycle): N/A
OS Trig Pillar: TP3974 - Holly Hill
Pubs / Cafes on route: N/A
Map: Maidstone & the Medway Towns Map | Kent Downs | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 148
Guidebook: N/A
Links: Wikipedia (Medway), Peakbagger, Hillbagging, Lost Village of Dode

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Holly Hill is the high point of the Unitary Authority of Medway within the Historic and Ceremonial Counties of Kent. We bagged it on a short walk that also takes in the Holly Hill Trig Pillar and the lost village of Dode.

The Holly Hill Car Park is open during the summer and is very close to the Trig Pillar. We chose to keep this to the end of the walk and headed up to the high point first. Not sure why the Trig Pillar and High Point are in different places. Turn left out of the car park onto the North Downs way and follow it for 250 metres then take a footpath to the right heading east. When the path enters into a large field take a left and follow the tree-line on the left hand side of the field to the top of the hill. The high-point is near the large tree in the corner of the field. There were crops growing at the time so we kept to the field edge which may have been a metre or 2 from the actual high point. There’s no obvious peak or anything to mark the summit.

Retrace your steps to the North Downs Way and follow it north but keep to the main track rather than take the right hand turn when the North Downs Way diverts to the east. When you reach Wrangling Lane take a left and follow it in a south-westerly direction. You’ll shortly pass the entrance to the lost village of Dode.

The lost village of Dode is a small hamlet in the North Downs of Kent, England. It is thought to have been abandoned in the 14th century due to the Black Death, a devastating plague that killed an estimated 30-50% of the European population. The only remaining trace of the village is its Norman church, which was built in the 12th century. The church has been restored and is now a popular wedding venue. It’s private property and the gate was locked at the time so we settled for some photos at the gate and continued along Wrangling Lane.

Keep on Wrangling Lane as it curves to the south and gradually ascends up to White Horse Road. Take a left onto White Horse Road then take the first footpath on the left to take you into Holly Hill Woodland. Keep to the paths following the easterly edge of the woodland and you’ll arrive at the OS Trig Pillar, an information board and a great view across to central London. The car park is a further 250 metres from the Trig Pillar.

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View across Westerham to the North Downs ride, Westerham Heights and Betsom’s Hill

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Start & Finish: Westerham Village Centre, TN16 1AY
Alternative start point at: National Trust Chartwell Car Park, Mapleton Road, Westerham, Kent, TN16 1PS
Distance: 8.8 km (5.5 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 157m
Greensand Way section covered: Surrey/Kent border to French Street: 3.73 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): NT Mariners Hill Loop, NT Chartwell Walk, Weardale Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): N/A
Pubs / Cafes on route: Several in Westerham village at start and end. Cafe at National Trust Chartwell (5.3 km in)
Map: Sevenoaks & Tonbridge Map | Royal Tunbridge Wells & Westerham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 147
Links: Westerham, Crockham Hill Common, Chartwell, National Trust Chartwell

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This is the twenty-first of a series of short circular walks featuring the Greensand Way. The full trail is a long distance path stretching from Haslemere in Surrey to Ham Street in Kent. Our walks take in short sections of the Greensand Way and loop back to the start on other paths. The Greensand 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.

For this section we attempted to park in Westerham village centre but we were thwarted by a lack of available paring spaces and on-street parking limited to maximum 2 hours. It’s a good place to start the walk if you can but we decided to start at the National Trust Car Park in Chartwell instead. If you’re a National Trust member it’s a good option as it’s free and you’re more likely to get a space.

If you start at Westerham pick up the Greensand Way spur on the south side of Vicarage Hill road and head south, crossing the Darent River than taking a right at the path junction with the NT Chartwell Walk. After 3km take a right to cross over Goodley Stock Road to meet the stone, last seen in section 20, that marks the Surrey/Kent border and the half-way point of the Greensand Way. After touching the stone, retrace your steps back across Goodley Stock Road to return to the path through Crockham Hill Woods. Take a right to continue south along this path and follow the Greensand Way as it curves in an anti-clockwise direction to the entrance to the National Trust Car Park at Chartwell. This is the point where you would start the walk if parking there.

From National Trust Chartwell continue following the Greensand Way in an anti-clockwise direction to French Street. Here’s you’ll leave the Greensand Way and continue in the anti-clockwise loop heading north-west to rejoin the NT Chartwell Walk. This will take you back to the Greensand Way spur back up to Westerham Village. If you started the walk at Chartwell there’s no need to go up to Westerham (unless you choose to). Instead continue along the Greensand Way Spur to the Surrey/Kent border stone.

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• Previous section: Walking The Greensand Way Part 20: Oxted and Limpsfield

• Next section: Walking The Greensand Way Part 22: Toys Hill and Ide Hill

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Stormy day on Chobham Common

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Start & Finish: Staple Hill Car Park, Chobham, Chertsey, KT16 0ED
Distance: 7.9 km (4.9 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 65m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): N/A
Other routes touched (cycle): N/A
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Red Lion (5km in)
Map: Windsor, Weybridge & Bracknell Map | Thames Path | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 160
Links: Chobham, Longcross, Chobham Common

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This is part of a series of short circular walks in Surrey. 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.

Chobham Common is a 656-hectare (1,620-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) north of Chobham in Surrey, England. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I and a national nature reserve. It is part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area and the Thursley, Ash, Pirbright and Chobham Special Area of Conservation. It contains three scheduled monuments. Most of the site is managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust as the Chobham Common nature reserve, but the SSSI also includes a small private reserve.

For this walk we parked at Staple Hill Car Park next to the M3. It’s a convenient place to park but noisy as it’s next to the busy motorway that cuts through the once very quiet common. The motorway has now created a northern and a southern part of the common.

From the car park we crossed over Staple Hill Road and followed the boundary path in a clockwise direction past Burrow Hill to Killy Hill. At Killy Hil take the small path out of the Common onto Red Lion Road for a stop at the Red Lion Pub. After the pub follow Red Lion Road to the west then take a right onto the Windsor Road, heading north. Shortly after the entrance to Heather Way take a footpath on the right back into the common and follow paths in a northerly direction until you hit the boundary path before the M3. Continue along the boundary path until you return to Staple Hill Car Park.

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Walking the line north of Fray’s River

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Start & Finish: Buckinghamshire New University, Uxbridge Campus, 106 Oxford Road, Uxbridge, UB8 1NA
Distance: 6.3 km (3.9 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 27m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): London Loop, Colne Valley Trail, South Bucks Way
Other routes touched (cycle): Grand Union Canal Towpath
Pubs / Cafes on route: Swan & Bottle pub (near start and end)
Map: Chiltern Hills East Map | High Wycombe, Maidenshead & Rickmansworth | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 172
Links: Uxbridge, Fray’s River, Alderglade Nature Reserve, Colne Valley Regional Park, Grand Union Canal

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This trip was a return to visit to Uxbridge following my previous week’s cycle adventure on the Staines West to Denham Lines. Although we cycled between the old Uxbridge High Street Station and Denham, we followed a more cycle-friendly route rather than the course of the old rail line. This week Timea and I returned to walk the true route of the line. As with last week’s longer route from Staines West to Denham, this trip was inspired by Geoff Marshall’s London’s Lost Railways videos. Check out Geoff’s video for more detail on each of the lines and stations.

The route starts at 106 Oxford Road, the site of the former Uxbridge High Street Station, now a campus for Buckinghamshire New University. It’s actually in Hillingdon, Greater London, though and not in Buckinghamshire which is just across the River Colne to the west. The line closely follows the Hillingdon/Buckinghamshire border staying in Hillingdon for most of it’s length apart from one very short section at the start of Alderglade Nature Reserve.

From 106 Oxford Road follow Braybourne Close in a northerly direction to the end then into Alderglade Nature Reserve. The path follows the left hand side of the old railway embankment then follows the top of it. You can see a few bits of remaining metal from the railway if it’s not too overgrown. At the 1.3 km mark you’ll reach an old graffitied bridge that goes under the railway. Here you’ll need to cross over the Shire Ditch (Stream) and divert away from the rail route as it passes through private property.

Keep heading north on the footpath closest to the rail line and you’ll pass under a raised section of the A40 and through the Graffiti Gallery. On the north side of the A40 follow a path taking you east back to the course of the old rail line. There was a lot of nettles when we were there in July which made if difficult to see the path. Once on it, you can follow the route of the rail line through wood most of the way to the old mainline junction.

This section after the A40 is littered with old railway sleepers and bits of old railway metal. It’s a great place to explore in an area that attracts relatively few people. Around 500m from the A40 you’ll cross over an old bridge over the River Frays. Climb down the embankment just to the south of the river to get a good view of the old bridge. After the bridge continue along the route of the old railway to the site of the triangle junction that took trains onto the GWR/Chiltern Main Line. The route now ends here as the triangle is now used by a concrete company. Here you have the choice of retracing your steps for 200m to the footpath junction or, as we did, take a circuit of the small fishing lake in the woods to the east.

Whichever route you take to return from the end of the line, take the footpath that crosses between the 2 lakes on the eastern side of the old rail line. Cross over the Grand Union Canal and take a left to head south back to Uxbridge. When you pass Denham Deep Lock you could take a right into Denham Country Park to follow the South Bucks Way to Denham Station. As I’d followed that route on the bike the previous week we continued south along the canal. When you return to Uxbridge the Swan and Bottle Pub (next to the canal bridge) is a good place to stop for a rest. Look out for old photos of Uxbridge on the wall and a great map of waterways in the area. From the Swan and Bottle cross the bridge to the eastern side of the canal and back to the start at 106 Oxford Road.

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