Walk 11 : Tring to Wendover

Reservoir nature reserves & Wendover Woods

Walking Instructions 

[Numbers refer to the map.]

1. [1] Coming out of Tring Station forecourt, turn left on to the main road, going past the Royal Hotel Posting House. In 300 meters there is a bridge where the road crosses the Grand Union Canal. Do not cross the bridge. Instead, turn right off the road at the start of the bridge, and take the steps going down on to the towpath. You will walk along the towpath for the next 4km, your direction 290 degrees initially.
2. In more detail: in 1.2km you come to a stone bridge across the canal. Follow the path up on to the bridge, across to the other side, and down on to the left-hand side of the canal. 900 metres further on, there is a second stone bridge carrying a road over the canal, with the Grand Junction Arms public house next to the bridge. Continue along the path under the bridge, with a home and garden Gallery formed from former workshops on your right hand side.
3. 500 metres further on, a footpath crosses the junction with the Wendover Arm, going off to the left. Go over the footbridge and continue straight along the main canal, sign-posted ‘Braunston, 55 miles’. You are now at Lock 45 (Marsworth Top Lock). Counting this as the first set, continue to the sixth set (Lock 40).
4. [2] Here leave the towpath and go up on to a higher parallel path on Marsworth Reservoir bank. In 100 metres, by a Tring Reservoirs information board, fork slightly right along the right-hand side of the second (Startops End) reservoir, still parallel with the canal.
5. Ignore a downwards right fork in 30 metres and continue to the reservoir corner. Facing the Anglers Retreat pub ahead (which is across a road), turn left to follow the reservoir bank, parallel with the road. At the next reservoir corner turn left along its third side for 300 metres, then carry on over a wooden bridge.
6. Go left with the path, past a ‘Tring Reservoirs Walks’ guidepost. After a few twists this leads in 20 metres to wooden steps up to a road. With great care, cross directly to the other side, where a new path takes you right along another reservoir (Tringford), your direction 260 degrees initially.
7. In 50 metres you come to a sign giving information about the area. Cross a wooden bridge. In another 100 metres, the path reaches the end of the reservoir and continues in the same direction through some trees, down some steps and curves around to the left. 100 metres further on, turn right up a path towards a stile, your direction 250 degrees. Cross the stile, and walk straight across the field.
8. In 40 metres cross a stile and turn left along the road. In 25 metres you pass Tringford Farm on your left and 100 metres further on come to a T-junction. Turn right here, and follow this road for 500 metres. Just before a T-junction, you pass Wilstone cemetery on your right.
9. [3] Turn left down the car-wide track next to the T-junction. In 300 metres you come to a clump of trees, with a sign a few yards ahead for Wiltstone Reservoir Nature Reserve. Turn right, your direction 340 degrees initially. 100 metres further on, you come to a reservoir.
10. Walk along the reservoir bank, continuing in the same direction as before. Follow the first corner around to the left and walk all the way along the second side, which initially parallels a road on your right. At the end of the second side the path crosses over a small concret footbridge then veers left through trees, initially along the third side of the reservoir, wire a wire fence on your left hand side. 200 metres further on, at a junction in the path, there is a sign with information about Wilstone Reservoir.
11. At this junction, take the path to the right, your direction 145 degrees. In 8 metres ignore a stile going off to the right and, 10 metres further on, pass through the open stile ahead of you, then take the fork going to the right of the tree dead ahead. In 15 metres, branch off right across the field, your direction 195 degrees initially, towards the far corner of the field.
12. In 30 metres, you pass under electricity lines and, in a further 170 metres, cross the stile signed public footpath. On the right – partly obscured – is an interesting thatched house. Cross the field diagonally to the left, aiming for a point to the left of the row of houses opposite, your direction 20 degrees. Pass through the metal kissing gate to the left of the end house, and walk across the next field half left. You come to a stile in 60 metres, which brings you on to a road.
13. Turn left on to the road and, in 40 metres, turn right off the road through a rusty kissing gate, following the public footpath sign. Cross the field half left, your direction 170 degrees.
14. Cross a stile and aim for the telegraph pole to the left of the church. After passing through a kissing gate, directly ahead is the Old Rectory, and to its right is St Mary’s [4], the Drayton Beauchamp parish church (which, sadly, is kept locked).
15. In 25 metres ignore the concrete road going off to the right (to the Moat House). In another 30 metres, ignore a stile off to the right, and continue along the lane to the church. Enter the churchyard, and turn right just before the church to walk towards a rusty kissing gate and footpath sign at its far end. Pass through the gate, and cross the field to a wooden kissing gate in its far left-hand corner.
16. Beyond the gate, turn left on to a fenced path, which twists and turns and after another gate leads in 40 metres to steps descending to a canal path. Turn right on the river, passing under a bridge (marked with a black plaque stating that the burial site of a Saxon princess was found nearby) and the A41. On the far side of the bridge, turn right up steps up the river bank. At the top of the steps, go straight on, with a wooden fence and the road to your right. Pass through a kissing gate into an open field.
17. Follow the footpath sign and keep to the right hand side of the field beside a fence, then in 80 metres at a footpath sign attached to the fence bear left across the field towards a telegraph pole.
18. You now walk for nearly 1km directly across the fields. In more detail: cross through a broken hedge into the next field on a car-wide section over a ditch. Cross the next field heading for a 20 metre gap between a telegraph pole and a hedge. Then keep straight on across another very large field, heading for several buildings which are by the corner of a field leading to a road.
19. Turn right along the road and, in 25 metres, you come to a cross-roads [5], with an old pub sign (the ‘Rothschild Arms’) in the garden to your right hand side. You go straight across the B489 to follow the sign that says ‘Buckland village only’.
20. In 125 metres you pass Neilds farm on your left and, in another 50 metres, you pass Manor Farm on your right. In 200 metres, turn right into Peggs Lane and, in 10 metres, go left through the lychgate of All Saints Church, Buckland.
21. After visiting the church, as you come out, turn left through the churchyard and left again along the side of the church, your direction 330 degrees, to exit the churchyard into the field beyond, to go straight on, your direction now 340 degrees.
22. In 25 metres you pass a timber-framed house, 40 metres away on your left-hand side. In a further 35 metres go over a stile to continue with a field fence on your left hand side, your direction 315 degrees.
23. In a further 100 metres go over a stile on to a tarmac road and turn right at a footpath sign, your direction 350 degrees. Cross over a lane down a signposted path that is hidden by a hedge as you approach it, which goes along the side of Juniper Cottage (to the right of the tall hedge which separates it from Moat Farm), your direction 300 degrees.
24. In 30 metres, go over a stile, then half left, your direction 270 degrees, keeping on towards the left-hand corner of the field. At this corner, carry straight on, coming to the hedge ahead. Here you bear left, with the hedge now on your right-hand side, your direction 240 degrees.
25. Ignore on your right hand side the pair of disused stiles and the gap into a field. 50 metres past these stiles, you go over a stile and under mini-pylons. The field hedge is now to your left hand side, your direction is 235 degrees. In 130 metres, ignore a one plank footbridge with a metal railing, and turn sharp right, your direction 335 degrees, walking along the second side of the field.
26. In 200 metres you cross over the footbridge and stile directly in front of you, into a large open meadow with the village of Aston Clinton on the far side.
27. Go forward and slightly left to another stile in the hedge ahead. Carry on to cross a further stile. Here cross and go diagonally towards the far left-hand corner of the field to reach a wooden sign-post pointing in many directions. [6] Take the path left, your direction 255 degrees, signed to Green End Street and the Oak Inn. Go over a wooden footbridge and climb over a small wooden barrier across the path. Walk down this path with a hedge on the right and a wooden slatted fence on the left. 100 metres down the path, you come out next to Sunny Brook Close, where you turn left for 15 metres to reach the road. Across on the other side is the Oak pub, the suggested lunchtime stop.
28. After lunch walk through the pub car park to the road and turn left. Follow this road for 500 metres -ignore College Road off to the right. When you get to the T-junction on to the A41 you will see the village memorial straight ahead of you on the other side of the road, with a bungalow behind it. There is a pedestrian crossing 20 metres to your left, which you should use to cross the road. Head back a few metres and walk down a marked public footpath that goes down the left-hand side of the bungalow.
29. In 80 metres the path curves around to the left, your direction 170 degrees initially, and, 70 metres further on, you come out into an open space, through which you carry on, in the same direction as before. After a further 100 metres, you come to a house with a wooden fieldgate (a sign on the gate says ‘Beware dogs roaming’).
30. [7] Turn right at the gate, following the sign for the public footpath, your direction 250 degrees initially. In 40 metres you come to a wooden barrier which you walk around and into a field. Walk diagonally across this field to its opposite left-hand corner. 50 metres brings you to this corner, where you find another wooden barrier with signs showing the direction of the public footpath.
31. Walk out into the open. You will see a sign saying ‘Caution. Ministry of Defence airfield.’ Turn left to follow the public footpath which goes along the edge of the airfield for 750 metres, your direction 170 degrees initially.
32. A small brook follows the left-hand side of the path. Ignore a first small bridge with a footpath sign to your left, and, at the far edge of the airfield, ignore a small bridge (made of wood and metal) crossing the brook to the left. You follow the path that continues along the right-hand side of the brook, with trees to the right of the path which have been pollarded.
33. At the end of the airfield, carry on for a further 500 metres, passing first trees and sewage works on your right, then a patch of trees to your left, before meeting trees on both sides. Cross over a brick bridge (Harelane Bridge), which spans the Wendover Arm Canal.
34. On the far side of the bridge, descend to the left down steps to the towpath. ([*] At the bottom of these steps, turn left at this point if you want to take a short cut along the canal into Wendover). The main suggested route is to turn right along the towpath and walk along with the waterway on your left-hand side.
35. In 750 metres the waterway narrows markedly and, 100 metres further on, you come to a wooden post with ‘Green Park’ written on it and a sign entitled ‘The Wendover Arm’ giving information about Cobblers Pits and the woodland which you are about to enter.
36. Turn right off the towpath, through a galvanised-iron kissing gate leading you into the wood (due south initially).
37. Keep straight on, ignoring ways off. In 50 metres you are walking between banks on both sides, then up through a new plantation. Ignoring a path off to the right, after 200 metres you reach a fork. Take the left path and continue on up the hill. In another 300 metres you come to a stile at the top of the path, and you cross this, coming out on to the A4011.
38. [8] Directly opposite, a road leads straight ahead up a hill, with a green Forestry Commission sign next to it saying ‘Chiltern Forest Wendover Woods’. Cross the A4011 and walk straight up the road ahead. In 25 metres turn right off the road through a gap in the metal fence on to a path leading into the forest (due south initially).
39. In 200 metres, fork left uphill, following a horseshoe on a post. In 200 metres, cross a gravel track, and keep on, again following a horseshoe on a post, your direction 200 degrees initially. In 100 metres, a faint footpath crosses your path going straight up and down the hill. Ignore this and continue straight on. 40 metres further on, you pass on your right a children’s pond dipping area bordered by a wooden fence.
40. Continue and, 350 metres further on, you come to a cross-roads with a wider path marked by a horseshoe sign. Cross straight over, continuing down for a further 40 metres until you come to a car-wide track.
41. Turn left on to the car-wide track, your direction 120 degrees initially. In 200 metres the path bends round to the right and starts to go uphill. You are now ascending the eastern flank of Aston Hill. After 400 metres of walking uphill, you come to a wooden post indicating footpaths going off to the left, right and straight-ahead. Ignore this post and continue walking straight up the hill.
42. 100 metres further on, you come to a fork with a wooden post indicating a footpath to the left. Take the left-hand fork. 300 metres further on, the path curves round to the left at the top of the climb, and, 60 metres further on, you come to a wooden swing barrier leading out on to a tarmac track.
43. [9] A wooden post indicates footpaths going to the left and right – turn right and walk along the tarmac track. In 60 metres, you come to a large two-armed wooden sign point left to the Chiltern Hills’ highest point, and straight ahead for information and parking. Go left on to the gravel pathway running parallel to the tarmac.
44. In 80 metres you pass just to the left of the Café in the Wood, and a further 30 metres on, cross over more tarmac on to a gravel track. Follow this round to the right, passing a scenic viewing spot after 30 metres. When you reach a junction with a tarmac road, turn left on to a track pathway, passing a ‘Go Ape’ hut immediately on the left.
45. Carry on this track, past various tree ladders on your right hand side until you reach a bend in the road. 20 metres before a wooden post marked ‘Caution: cables overhead’ a footprint sign on a post marks a small path off to the left. [!] Take this footpath.
46. After 250 metres this becomes parallel to a broader track ten metres to the right. Cross over to this track, your direction 220 degrees initially.
47. In 200 metres, you come to a small grass roundabout and a wooden barrier, dead ahead [10], with a marker saying ‘Boddington Hill ¾ mile’.
48. Go straight on past this barrier. 10 metres beyond it, ignore a fork to the left. In 70 metres, there is a path going off to the right diagonally down the hill. Take this path, your direction 280 degrees initially. (If time permits, you can continue along the main track to explore the remains of the fort, and in 150 metres enjoy the views from the hilltop over the Vale of Aylesbury, but you will need to retrace your steps to this point).
49. 10 metres on, you reach a fork. Take the right hand option, and, after a steep descent of about 300 metres on a potentially very slippery path, you come to a cross-roads with a bridleway. Continue straight across down the hill, your direction 305 degrees initially. In 30 metres you see a pair of wooden fieldgates on your right at the entrance to a house.
50. Turn left on to the car-wide track, your direction 270 degrees initially, with a fine view of Coombe Hill and its monument ahead to your left. In 300 metres the track comes out into a residential estate [11], and you continue straight on in the same direction along Barlow Road.
51. In 40 metres you cross over Wolverton Crescent to your left and continue straight on. In 100 metres you come to a crossroads, again with Wolverton Crescent to your left (and with Hampden Road going straight on) and you turn right, down Colet Road. In 100 metres, this takes you down to a service road running parallel to the A4011.
52. Cross the service road and cross over the main road (the A4011). Turn left on the A4011, your direction 225 degrees, and, in 15 metres, turn right on Manor Road, your direction 310 degrees. Follow this road, ignoring all ways off. In 250 metres cross the bridge over the southern end of the Wendover Arm Canal. In a further 160 metres, at the A413 junction, turn left, your direction 150 degrees.
53. In 200 metres you pass the George Inn on your left-hand side (which serves tea), and, in a further 10 metres, by the clock tower, follow the A413 right, your direction 230 degrees. This is Wendover High Street. In 70 metres you pass the Red Lion Hotel on your left-hand side (which also serves tea).
54. Continue up the hill, ignoring a road to the left in 50 metres (signposted ‘library’). 50 metres beyond this, Rumsey’s Chocolaterie is on the right hand side (located in a old brick building that used to house a bank) – the suggested tea place.
55. 80 metres on, you reach a road to the left signposted ‘A413, London and Amersham’. On the corner is Wendover Book Shop, and on the other side is Le Petit Café, also a good place for tea. To get to the station, continue on up the High Street, and in 70 metres you pass the Shoulder of Mutton pub on your right. Immediately after that, Station Approach leads down to [12] Wendover Station. The platform nearest to you is the one for London.