With no other plans this weekend, we decided to tackle one of the further-afield walks in Adventurous Pub Walks in the Chilterns and settled on the one starting at Ivinghoe Beacon.
We didn't have a good start - the car park signposted as you approach Ivinghoe Beacon is not the one from which the walk starts, so we were a bit confused for a while and need to consult the O/S map to find the real start. After an initial section through woods, the joined the ridge and climbed northwards a short way to the Beacon itself. We had overcast conditions but still had a wide-reaching view. I didn't take any photos because they'd have featured the attendees of a photographic club or course who were swarming around the trig point.
The next part of the walk was along the ridge heading East, and then back westwards along its base before heading South. This was all pleasant, but I don't see why a perfectly nice-looking path heading South-West wasn't used.
After a wooded uphill stretch, we struck out across a series of fields until we got to Witchcraft Bottom - timely for a late-October walk - and arrived at The Bridgewater Arms at Little Gaddesden. This was busy and comfortable, with excellent Greene King beer and a wide selection of food, with the healthier options marked with calorie values. We were good, and choose calorie-avoiding sandwiches. However, when my 'ham sandwich with onion chutney' arrived, the bread was smothered with spread (margarine I think). Even if I wasn't watching my weight, it would have been far too much, so I scraped almost all of it off. Once I'd done that, the sandwich was enjoyable.
Most of the rest of the walk was in the woods of the Ashridge Estate, owned and managed by the National Trust which was supported by a public appeal to buy the 1700 acres of the estate in 1921, thereby stopping a piecemeal sell-off for development. As you might expect from the NT, the estate is very well maintained, with a great network of paths. There was even a route for mobility scooters!
We passed the 108' high Bridgewater Monument, but declined the opportunity to climb it, but did buy a very small bar of chocolate from the busy NT cafe. The way back to the car through the woods was very simple but rather more uphill than we expected. We got views of Pitstone Windmill - another NT property worth visiting.
This was a good walk at this time of year for fungi!
We didn't have a good start - the car park signposted as you approach Ivinghoe Beacon is not the one from which the walk starts, so we were a bit confused for a while and need to consult the O/S map to find the real start. After an initial section through woods, the joined the ridge and climbed northwards a short way to the Beacon itself. We had overcast conditions but still had a wide-reaching view. I didn't take any photos because they'd have featured the attendees of a photographic club or course who were swarming around the trig point.
The next part of the walk was along the ridge heading East, and then back westwards along its base before heading South. This was all pleasant, but I don't see why a perfectly nice-looking path heading South-West wasn't used.
After a wooded uphill stretch, we struck out across a series of fields until we got to Witchcraft Bottom - timely for a late-October walk - and arrived at The Bridgewater Arms at Little Gaddesden. This was busy and comfortable, with excellent Greene King beer and a wide selection of food, with the healthier options marked with calorie values. We were good, and choose calorie-avoiding sandwiches. However, when my 'ham sandwich with onion chutney' arrived, the bread was smothered with spread (margarine I think). Even if I wasn't watching my weight, it would have been far too much, so I scraped almost all of it off. Once I'd done that, the sandwich was enjoyable.
Most of the rest of the walk was in the woods of the Ashridge Estate, owned and managed by the National Trust which was supported by a public appeal to buy the 1700 acres of the estate in 1921, thereby stopping a piecemeal sell-off for development. As you might expect from the NT, the estate is very well maintained, with a great network of paths. There was even a route for mobility scooters!We passed the 108' high Bridgewater Monument, but declined the opportunity to climb it, but did buy a very small bar of chocolate from the busy NT cafe. The way back to the car through the woods was very simple but rather more uphill than we expected. We got views of Pitstone Windmill - another NT property worth visiting.
This was a good walk at this time of year for fungi!
View Ivinghoe Beacon in a larger map
No comments:
Post a Comment