Saturday 3 August - Club summer walk in the Chilterns: Albury & Ashridge Estate

Link to photos from the walk

About this walk

We’re trying something a little different for this event for Club members:

• a pre-walk lunch in the beautiful small Bedfordshire village of Aldbury,
• an 8 mile (12.9 km) circular walk in the afternoon/early evening, with optional 1.3 mile (2 km) extension to visit Ashridge House,
• drink and possible evening meal in Aldbury.

[The meals are optional – you’ll be asked if you’re interested when you register for the walk.]

Plus, if you’d like to make it a whole day out, we’ve got suggestions for what you could do in the morning before you meet the main group.

Getting there

There are two main ways to get near to Aldbury: by train from London Euston to Tring (four trains an hour, journey time 40 minutes, and the same on the way back to London) or by car.

There is also access by bus to Aldbury from Tring, Luton (railway station), Hemel Hempstead and Aylesbury – feel free to contact the organiser if planning to come by bus. It’s a 1 mile (1.5 km) walk from the station into Aldbury, either along the somewhat busy Station Road or on paths to the north of that road (contact the organiser for details).

Activities – lunch

Meet in the Greyhound Inn at 12:00 in Aldbury for lunch, where the food is described as excellent and good value. There’s only limited parking in the village centre, but free parking at the sports field, a short walk from the inn to the north.

This is optional, you could also meet up after lunch outside the inn, at about 13:45.

Activities – afternoon walk

At approximately 14:00 we will leave Aldbury, heading along paths back towards Tring Station and then along paths to Wigginton (about 1/3 total distance), where a drinks stop in the Greyhound Pub is possible. From there, the walk continues across fields and through woods before reaching the Grand Union canal. There’s a short cut here back to the railway station in Tring, taking about 3 miles (4.6 km) off the total walk.

We cross the canal and the railway line and then climb the hill towards the Ashridge Estate and on to the Bridgewater Monument. This monument, built in 1832, was to celebrate the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, famous for canal construction and is now owned by the National Trust which is currently renovating the building.

Depending upon how people feel and the time, we will either walk the final mile or so from the monument back down into Aldbury, or we can walk a further 1.3 miles (2 km) to see Ashridge House, the seat of the Dukes of Bridgewater but now a management college so only possible to view from outside, and then back to the monument by a slightly different route.

Activities – evening

On return to Aldbury (ETA 19:30), three options are available: supper in a pub in the village, drink in a pub or return home.

Terrain and times

The route overall is modest, with some climbing. The surface, though, mainly paths and grass, should be dry, so light walking boots or trainers are suitable. There are some stinging nettles, brambles, etc. at the beginning of the walk, so shorts might best be avoided. Quite a lot of the walk is in full or partial shade, helpful if it’s a hot day!

Total walking time is 3.5-4 hours (adding one hour if visiting Ashridge House), and the total journey time, which depends on the number of stops, will be 5-6 hours. Apart from Wigginton, there are no refreshment stops on the way, so you should bring your own drinks and snacks/sandwiches if necessary, and we will stop as and when necessary.

Suggestions for morning activities before meeting group

Prior to heading to Aldbury you could consider a morning in Tring, where we suggest, in particular:Tring Natural History Museum

•  Tring Natural History Museum, open from 10 a.m. It was originally created by the Rothschild family and, amongst other fascinating bugs, beasties and larger animals, contains the famous racing greyhound Mick the Miller,

• Tring Local History Museum, also open from 10 a.m., described as a “little gem of a museum”, with free entry and free parking,

• Tring Memorial GardenTring Memorial Garden, where the visit should take about one hour.

These are all about 1 mile (1.5 km) walking distance from the railway station.

Accommodation

For those coming from further afield and wanting to stay on Friday and/or Saturday night, there’s the reliable 3* Premier Inn on the west side of Tring, or Welbrook House (if available, near the east centre of Tring, as well as other 3* and 4* places nearby.

What to do next

To join us on this walk, please complete the registration form, ideally before Saturday 20th July, so that reservations for lunch and/or evening meal can be confirmed in Aldbury. You should be an LRNSC member – please join here if you are not.  If you need any further details, please E-mail the walk organiser, Adam.