The walks use The Ridgeway to make circular walks of between 5 and 15 miles. Other walks include National Trails such as the Oxfordshire Way, Icknield Way and the South Bucks Way as well as parts of Grim's Ditch and The Thames Path.
GPS readings are OSGB British Grid and shown in [ ]s and are in easterly and northerly order. Entering the correct Grid Letters into your GPS is important - the first walk uses SP grid letters.
Wormsley Estate including part of The Ridgeway. Take the A40 heading from Stokenchurch towards
Oxford and turn left at the signpost marked Christmas Common - the road
crosses the M40 and then after about 1 mile you will see Cowleaze Woods on
your left - where there is ample parking.
We have walked round this area
so many times and I don't believe we have once failed to have the pleasure
of watching lots of the red kites wheeling around above us, also there are frequent sightings
of buzzards, kestrels and other birds of prey too.
With the road in front of you go right
through the parking area and as you get to the end just before the grassed
picnic area turn left to cross the road and take a lane/gravel track (Hill
Road) opposite. This track winds down through woods (Rowant Nature reserve
is either side of you) and eventually flattens out in an open area with
the M40 visible on your right - continue straightish on with Hill Farm on
your right (they serve cream teas in the Summer) and eventually arrive at
a big cross track - this is The Ridgeway. Turn left and now follow this
ancient track as it wanders through open countryside for a while and then
dives into woodland. Just keep following this trail until the next
cross-junction (which is in fact a metal road and also the Oxfordshire
Way).
Carry straight on along the Ridgeway until
you see a style on your left which has "The Ridgeway" signpost (if you reach the road
you have gone too far) -
cross over the style - now you have some wooden steps ahead but
don't use these - instead turn left around the hill on a sunken path which
then starts to climb fairly easily upwards - continue on up the hillside now with
lovely views to your left and after a little while you will see
Pyrton House down below you. Just continue along until you enter a woodland
area - shortly after going up some wooden steps the path ends at a field -
cross the style and turn right and follow the field edge to the road.
Turn left and take care as you walk along
this road as it gets quite busy especially during the summer - fortunately
you do not have to go very far on it since after about 200 metres turn
right onto a track - going past aerial masts on your left - when the track
bears right continue left down through the woods.
At a junction (white arrows on a tree) go right and at the next junction - again arrowed - go
left and down through the woods. This path continues for some distance and
you should ignore any side paths. It eventually becomes a grassy track
which goes through small recently planted trees - when it bears right you
soon pass a monument (urn?) and then here go slightly left and the path
then continues on passing a walled garden on your left and arrives at a
private road. Go right just a little way and then left over a style into a
field, cross this field, then cross another small private road and yet
another field and arrive onto a grassy track.
Turn left and follow this track as it goes
through a small copse and then follows a field edge to become a wider
track which eventually arrives at a metal road - Wormsley Estate is on
your left.
Continue straight on along the tarmac road until you come to
some houses - having passed a thatched yellow cottage take the footpath
which goes off to the left. This path winds up through woods for some
distance and becomes a grassy track after a while - after it more or less
flattens out you will find a cross track - take the path going left down
through woods - cross a field with Lower Vicar's Farm below and then on
your right. Passing to the left of the buildings you arrive at a small
road, turn left and after a few metres look for a gap in the hedge on the
right with a style - this path takes you up and across the field towards
the wood edge (Cowleaze Woods). Enter the woods and continue
straight on through the woods with a field on your right - this will bring
you back through the picnic area and to the car park.
Below Pulpit Woods - Whiteleaf Hill - Pulpit Hill Fort - Chequers. This circular walk of around 5 miles is just right to get your legs going since it includes 3 moderate climbs (total climb around 1800 feet), takes in bits of The Ridgeway, Whiteleaf Hill, Pulpit Hill and it's Hill Fort and a view of Chequers. There is hardly any road to walk - just forest paths and tracks - and also really great views of the surrounding countryside. There are loads of paths and tracks around this area with quite a few not on any map so the route description is unfortunately quite long - the use of a map (O.S. Explorer 181 Chiltern Hills North) before and during the walk is still quite a good idea. Take the A4010 heading from Prices Risborough to Aylesbury and about half a mile after crossing the Askett/Lower Cadsen roundabout just before reaching Great Kimble the road dips - on the right you will see a cottage and a quite long lay-bye - park here. [ SP 82536 05815 ]
The walk starts on a track which passes on the left side
of the cottage - stay on this track and eventually go right over a style
when you reach a black-painted signpost pointing to The Ridgeway and
Pulpit Hill -
follow The Ridgeway as it goes out into more open
countryside - the path goes beneath Pulpit Woods high up on the left and
eventually reaches a wide set of cross tracks by a large farm gate. Turn
right on the cross track and almost immediately left to continue on The
Ridgeway as it goes through bushes for a few yards and then comes out into
a field - follow the path diagonally across the field to the trees -
continue into the trees and take the stepped path down to the Cadsen
Road. [ SP 82487 04710 ]
Cross the road and over the style opposite
to enter the golf course - follow the path up with the hedge on your left
- eventually you will see some wooden sheds and then a house on your left
- just as the hedge ends and the Club House is clearly in view ahead of
you there is a cross path - go right crossing over the golf course (so
watch out for flying golf balls) to go through another hedge on the far
side. Cross the cricket green (with it's pavilion on your left) to reach a
small road.
Turn right and after about 30 yards take a signposted footpath
on the left - this winds along between houses - as the path ends carry
straight on passing two houses on your left (with very pretty gardens) to
reach a signposted path about 50 yards further on. Go left to take this
path uphill - houses on your left and woods on your right - at a junction
take the second path on the right (signposted Icknield Way) to go steeply
up to the top of Whiteleaf Hill (great views of the surrounding
countryside and of course the cross from here). Turn left back onto The
Ridgeway passing through a gap in a wooden fence and continue along and
eventually steeply down through Giles Woods.
The path flattens out a little and when you reach a cross path turn right to
leave The Ridgeway - this narrow path splits after a few yards - take the right
fork and walk steeply up through the woods - simply stay on this path until it
eventually drops down onto a green track. Turn left and stay on the track until
you reach another set of cross tracks. Go right onto a path which immediately
forks - take the right fork and go up yet again into woods - continue along
until you reach a path going off to the left - take this path and follow it to
reach yet another fork - go left until this path joins a cross path - turn right
and walk down to a main track below. Cross the style and take this wide track
left as it goes up and out of the dip - now follow this track to the road.
Cross the road onto the car park entrace track and go
immediately right up the signposted path - go left when it forks and head
up into the woods via a style - the path reaches a green track going right
- 
take this track and follow it until it joins another green crossing
track. Turn sharp left and now follow this track along as it heads towards
Pulpit Hill Fort. Ignore any tracks and paths joining - also continue past
both Pulpit Hill Fort signs - to reach the far side of the fort at a path
junction.Turn right and follow the path staying on the edge of the steep
drop on your left (however it is worth diverting right to go and have a
good look round the fort).
The path eventually goes through a gap in a wire fence and reaches a cross path, turn right and follow this a short distance to then take a small path on the left - follow this down through the trees to reach a fence. Cross over and turn immediately right down with the fence on your right - Chequers comes into view and the path ends by a metal gate [SP 83560 05432]. (If you want a better view of Chequers go through the gate and continue right along The Ridgeway for a while - unfortunately the left side of the path has been lined with cut up railway track sunk into concrete, presumably to protect the prime minister (currently named Blair) from killer sheep, rabbits or cows... - visibly extremely ugly and a poor way to treat one of our National Trails.)
At the gate turn left and follow the edge of the woods - when you get near to a very large tree in front of you turn left across the grass and soon drop down to a style - cross this and then take the right hand grassy path - follow this across the field and then left round it's edge to eventually arrive at a style. Turn right - then go right again where the path forks leaving The Ridgeway and follow this path back to a style. Turn right and go back down the original outbound track to the original start.
Marsworth Lock - Ivinghoe Beacon - Tring - Marsworth Lock. This circular walk starts off next to the Grand Union at Marsworth resevoirs, goes across fields to then climb up to the Beacon, then on to Tring using The Ridgeway and a little bit of Grims Ditch and finally back along the Grand Union to Marsworth - so the middle part involves several fairly short but quite steep climbs and the rest of it is fairly flat. The trip is about 12 miles in all and makes for a really good walk with lots of countryside and canal boats and really good views all on offer - our photos were taken in the winter so not too much foliage or light around but in the Spring, Summer and early Autumn the woods and paths etc. are really lovely to walk through. Also don't forget to bring some bread along for the poor starving ducks - it's surprising they can actually fly since they are so podgy..
This walk starts at the large car park by the reservoirs at Marsworth (on the B489) [ SP 91971 14077 ]. Walk back to and cross the road, go right to now go over the hump back bridge - then walk down the steps to the Grand Union Canal. Turn right (i.e. don't go back under the bridge) and head off along the tow path - passing lots of canal boats and with the smell of burning coal fires and probably food wafting around from the moored barges. Continue along the bank until you come to a bridge - go up and over the bridge to go back down onto the tow path on the other side. Continue along the tow path eventually passing some locks - when you have walked under the railway bridge cross over the canal on a swing bridge several hundred metres further on. The path goes virtually straight ahead away from the swing bridge - just keep going passing fields and then a wooded area to eventually arrive at a road. Turn left along the road and then as it bends to the right take a small road going off to the left into houses. After a short distance the road turns sharply right - take a path going straight ahead over a stile - follow this path now with fields on your left and for a while gardens on your right - this is a really nice path and full of wild life. Just after passing a small field on the right (which has several chicken coops) the path comes to a T-junction - ahead of you are school playing fields. Turn left to go over a small stream and continue along - quite soon the path turns sharp right and goes between fences to arrive at a road at Ivinghoe.
Turn right along this road and after several hundred
metres arrive at a junction - Ivinghoe's very large church is slightly to
the left ahead of you - cross the road and go over to the church and have
a look round it. Leave the church via a small iron gate - turn right and
shortly take a very small road on the left which goes down between some old cottages
and houses to arrive at a junction by a pub. Turn right and as the road
ends go straight ahead on a bridleway - this is another really nice part of the
walk - the hedge rows are full of birds etc.. The path continues virtually
straight ahead - passing a golf club on the left and eventually passing a
cottage on the right - now the path is a wide track and this takes you
eventually to a road. Just as you reach the roadside take a marked path on
your right which goes along just on the edge of a field and with the road
on your left. The path turns sharply right
(marked Two Ridges Walk) and goes off across fields alongside a fence on
your right to eventually reach another fence -
then it turns sharply left
and continues alongside a fence but now climbing heavily - simply follow
this path to eventually reach a road (the B489 in fact) - Beacon Hill is
directly ahead of you. Cross the road and then shortly go left onto a
small road - just after the cattle grid take a very very steep path on the left
which goes straight up the hillside - this will get your knees going OK.
At the top on a clear day there are really good views of the surrounding
countryside as well as the various reservoirs - there also several tumulus
to have a walk around up here.
This is one end of our famous Ridgeway Trail though there is nothing in the way of signs to tell you this - head south (Ivinghoe is below you on the right) on it back down the hill to arrive back at the small road [ SP 96039 16324 ] - cross the road and continue on up The Ridgeway (now marked (an acorn) as such) at first on steep grassy slopes and then eventually at the top of the climb into woods - now heading in a south westerly direction. When the woods end the path starts to descend over grassy areas and goes round a huge hollow called Incombe Hole and eventually arrives at a road - cross the road into the car park opposite. On the left side of the car park is a grassy area where there are several picnic tables so this makes quite a good stop for a lunch/drinks break.
Leave the car park and head straight up the hill still of course on The Ridgeway - once at the top again there are good views all round - including Beacon Hill behind you and chalk pits down to the right. Simply stay on The Ridgeway (which for two short parts is also Grim's Ditch) - going through really nice woodlands. As you leave the woods go down some wooden steps and at a track junction turn right and at the next junction turn left - this is still all marked as The Ridgeway. Continue on the track between high hedgerows - at the next cross track turn right (this is still The Ridgeway) to walk down to the road - go right along the road and walk on down to Tring railway station. Go over the railway bridge and continue up the road - just before the canal bridge leave The Ridgeway and take steps on the right leading down onto the Grand Union Canal towpath [SP 94784 12123 ]. Turn right and now simply follow the canal back to the car park at Marsworth.
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