Ivinghoe Beacon to Tring Station
Walked by Sally and Richard 15th November 2011
3.5 miles on The Ridgeway (after completing the Icknield Way Path at Ivinghoe Beacon)
Click here for all our photos from this walk.
We reached Ivinghoe Beacon after walking from Whipsnade to the end of the Icknield Way Path - it was a bit misty, but atmospheric. Ivinghoe Beacon is vaguely in the middle of nowhere, and the nearest station is at Tring. The first 3.5 miles of the Ridgeway happen to take you from Ivinghoe Beacon to Tring Station, so off we went.
We mostly followed the western edge of the escarpment, with some valleys beneath us and views to the villages of Ivinghoe and Pitsone (with churches in Ivinghoe and Church End, and the Pitstone Windmill also visible). Later on, the views were to chalk pits!
We descended from the ridge at Pitstone Hill. We walked through delightful woodland, with superb autumn colours, eventually passing through the Aldbury Nowers Nature Reserve and then descending to Tring Station.
We just had time to buy our tickets and to catch the 13.26 to London Euston, then we had time to walk to Kings Cross and to buy a rather late lunch before catching the 14.45 home. There was an attractive sunset as we reached Downham Market Station and we just about managed the walk home before it was completely dark.