Pete's Walks - Ashridge and Frithsden (page 1 of 2)
If you are considering walking this route yourself, please see my disclaimer. You may also like to see these notes about the maps and GPX files.
I did this roughly 8.3 mile circular walk on Saturday, 20th July 2013. I've still got Post-Viral Fatigue after a bout of Glandular Fever, so again this was a shorter walk than I usually do (though I'm rather glad to add some shorter walks to my web site, as I know not everybody wants to walk 12-15 miles).
I parked in the car park off the B4506 just south of Ringshall. Across the road a permissive path led eastwards through a narrow belt of trees, between gardens on the left and part of the Ashridge golf course on the right. This path is on the route of the Ashridge Estate Boundary Trail, which I would follow for most of this walk (it is indicated by green waymarks with a white footprint on them). After a few hundred yards the path turned more to the south-east and soon there were woods either side of me - I spotted my first Gatekeeper butterfly of the summer here. A little further on the path crossed a drive to Ashridge House, and after following the drive to the right a short way, then continued along the bottom of a small grassy valley with woods along the top of the slopes either side. This is named Golden Valley on the map
The permissive path heading east, next to part of Ashridge golf course
The permissive path, now heading southeast
The permissive path, now heading southeast
Golden Valley, from just across the drive to Ashridge House
I followed the valley to reach a crossing fence and a stile. The wood receded on my right here, and as I continued along the valley in a large empty cattle pasture, I passed the end of the wood on my left. There were several more butterflies along here, including some Small Tortoiseshells which seem to be doing very well this summer. On eventually reaching another crossing fence, I turned right and followed the fence uphill. At the top of the slope the fence turned left, and I also turned left, gradually moving slightly away from the fence as I headed towards a small wood.
Golden Valley, near the start of the huge empty cattle pasture
Golden Valley
Golden Valley
The path going southwest up the side of Golden Valley
Approaching the small wood
A clear path continued through the small wood, then followed a lengthy hedgerow on my left. There were occasional gaps in the hedge giving views of the Golden Valley as it approached Nettleden. I spotted a Yellow Shell moth in the hedgerow, another first for the year I think. The path then crossed part of a large grassy meadow (the path really goes round the edges, but that way was overgrown and as usual there was a clear path going straight across). On reaching a parking area by some farm or stable buildings, I went through a gate and took a footpath going right, which was soon following a left-hand hedge downhill to part of the village of Frithsden.
The path continuing through the small wood
The path continuing beyond the small wood
View along Golden Valley towards Nettleden
The path continuing across a large meadow
The footpath descending down to Frithsden
I went a few yards right along the road here, then took a footpath on the other side that went gently uphill through the trees of Great Frithsden Copse. This led to another road in Frithsden (or it may actually be part of Potten End, I'm not sure). The path carried on the other side to emerge on part of Berkhamsted golf course, where I turned right onto a bridleway. This was soon running through trees with the fairways just to my left. I crossed another road, then the bridleway went half-right across a fairway and continued through a wide belt of trees with fairways either side.
The path through Great Frithsden Copse
The path through Great Frithsden Copse
The bridleway beside Berkhamsted golf course
The bridleway crossing another part of Berkhamsted Golf Course
The bridleway continuing through the golf course