The Greyhound Pub This is one of a series of walks through the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Chilterns Country The Greyhound in Wigginton is a friendly traditional village inn Beauty (AONB). with a wide selection of real ales, wines and fine food. En-suite accommodation is also available and the pub has disabled The Chilterns Conservation Board works to conserve the natural access. Cyclists and walkers are welcome. Phone 01442 824631. beauty of the Chilterns and to increase public understanding and enjoyment of them. There are many other walks and rides in the The Beacon View Walk Chilterns: Beacon View Walk Visit www.chilternsaonb.org/activities.asp or call 01844 355500 The Beacon View walk goes through Tring Park on King Charles for other Chiltern Country Walks. Ride. Tring Park is a historic landscape with remnants of an early 18th century landscape. It is managed by the Woodland Trust and is open access for walkers. Cyclists and horse riders Visit www.chilternsociety.org.uk or call 01494 771250 for can enjoy the Park by using the King Charles Ride. The Park has information on the Chiltern Society's walk programme, to obtain Walk Description: Long: 6.5m (10.5km) woodland areas, chalk grassland and affords fine views of Tring Chiltern Society footpath maps or to join the Society. Short: 2m (3km) and Ivinghoe Beacon, a prominent grassy hill. Criss-crossed by historic transport routes, this area has been 1 Pub, restaurant and B&B in Wigginton: Walk Time: Long: allow 2 /2 hours well used by travellers since the first settlements appeared in Short: allow 1 hour prehistoric times. Visit the highest pub in the Chilterns! The Greyhound Inn, Wigginton: a friendly, traditional village inn Start /Finish: The Greyhound, Chesham Road The Ridgeway, thought to be Britain’s oldest road, follows the with a wide selection of real Wigginton, Herts ancient chalk ridge route used by prehistoric man. The path has ales, wines and fine food. been used as a transport route for droving livestock, traders and Walkers and cyclists are invaders for over 5,000 years. Starting in Avebury, Wiltshire, The welcome. Open for food Ridgeway travels on the high ground to Ivinghoe Beacon. seven days a week. In the Dark Ages The Ridgeway was a main route for the Saxons and Vikings who fought many battles along it. In medieval times Enjoy log fires, locally it was used by drovers bringing livestock from Wales and the West sourced produce and a warm welcome. Country to Hertfordshire and surrounding areas. Why not stay over and The Icknield Way, travelling along a similar route to The explore the area at leisure? Ridgeway, is thought to date back to Neolithic times (4,000 – There are 3 large en-suite rooms. 2,000 BC). It was the trade route of the Iceni, an early British tribe, linking the Norfolk Coast to the downlands of south central Tel. 01442 824631 www.greyhoundtring.co.uk England. This trail runs through Wigginton and Tring Park and can be identified by a stone axe depicted on waymark disks. For further walks and rides in the area visit The Beacon View Walk also takes in the highest part of the Grand www.chilternsaonb.org/activities.asp www.chilternsaonb.org Union Canal. Completed in 1797 the canal linked London with Tel: 01844 355504 the coalfields of the Midlands. After the building of the railways the use of canals for transporting coal and bricks declined. Now the canal is used for recreation and is a haven for wildlife.

01727 848168 www.hertslink.org/cms www.chilternsociety.org.uk AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY s t How to get to the start i e l i c i f l v

key u d f a . o By car: The Greyhound is in the village of Wigginton just south of r 2 t o 0 f r

Beacon View long walk 0 e t 2

Tring. It is on Chesham Road in the heart of the village, take a right d h r 8 g o i 7 Beacon View short cut r n 6 hand turn towards Chesham when you enter the village, The y i 6 p y 7 o e 0 c

Greyhound is on the right and has a large car park. v The Beacon View Walk follows rights of way, A r y L e Tring Station u l v i S r most of which are waymarked as follows: c e Train, walking and cycling: You can also join the walk from Tring u n c S u n o e a c C Station by turning left out of the station and joining the walk at the Footpath (walkers only) n n d y a r t n O n

start of the Grand Union Canal section. Tring Railway Station is on d e u r h Bridleway (horse riders, cyclists and walkers) o O t C t the London (Euston) to Birmingham line. Walkers and cyclists from e r c m i a t o h r n s Hemel Hempstead or Berkhamsted can also join the route here. Tring Byway open to all traffic f o d r e c c o f d n l Station and The Greyhound both have secure cycle parking facilities. t e r

Restricted Byway (horseriders, cyclists, walkers u c e i o l H h r s There is parking at Tring station long term car park; £5 except on and non-mechanically propelled vehicles) . e d g d e n n v i

Sundays when it is free. r u p e l p s i e a c r n m

Bus: Buses serve Tring station and the village of Wigginton. Ring s u t s o i h h C g t Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 for train and bus times. i r y t g l l n n i A www.traveline.info Gr u . w o t e C

and i h v g e i r s i r n y Union h s o p s d o r Notes on the walk Clockwise from The Greyhound r C e o P f n t .

Canal r s w e n o H a r l C y

Tring Park p ) b d From the pub head towards the crossroads and turn c ( d n . e a e d s s first left onto Wick Road. This becomes a farm track. i e u v c o i r n v p r (Ridgeway) w e s o i Enter the woodland and join King Charles’ Ride, an s r , i n s

Ride e o e i i h t t

avenue lined with majestic lime trees planted in the t i a v r c i i o t l

Charles f late eighteenth century. c b a g u s p King n i t i s p i p o h t a For the short route turn right behind some houses t g m n i n i y and head back down to Wick Road. For the long h t t e i a v l r w e r route keep going, following the Ridgeway, and cross u d S n e e o d i Fox Road. c t u l n a c a n m n i r d o r g f O The Ridgeway crosses the A41 on this award-winning n n i i e p c e p n d

footbridge. a i e v m c i o l r y p e o v t r Join the Grand Union Canal and follow the towpath o t h u s S i n o e

all the way to Cow Roast, so called because it was a w i c t y c n e a stop off point for cattle on their way to London n h n u t f d r d c l i

markets, ‘Cows Rest.’ O l u b e o u h h Follow the footpath through Lower Wood. This ancient T p s semi-natural woodland is mainly Beech, typically found N Please be considerate in the countryside - keep to on these chalk hills. The wood is carpeted in spring scale: 1 kilometre footpaths, especially through crops, and leave farm gates with flowers such as wood anemone and bluebells. as you find them. Beware of traffic on country roads.