Pete's Walks- Pitstone Hill and Clipper Down (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.
Google map of the walkDownload GPX file of the walk
I did this roughly 4.2 mile circular walk on Saturday, 20th April 2013. I still seemed to be weak after the virus I had a couple of months ago, so I just wanted to do a short walk - in fact, I actually shortened the route even further than planned as I didn't feel great. But it seemed such a shame to only be out for an hour and a half, as it was such a beautiful Spring day.
From the small car park for Pitstone Hill, I went out of the gate at the end and followed a fence line with a small hillock on my right (I usually go up and over it, but I didn't want to waste any energy today). The path continued gently up to the top of Pitstone Hill, where some Belted Galloway cattle were sheltering (and/or scratching their backs) under a stunted tree.
The path from the car park, with the 'hillock' to the right
Approaching the top of Pitstone Hill
Belted Galloways on top of Pitstone Hill (Aston Hill in the distance)
I carried on, following a section of the ancient earthwork called Grim's Ditch as it descended slightly across the far side of Pitstone Hill to reach Aldbury Nowers. There was then a very long and pleasant section through the woods of Aldbury Nowers, until I eventually reached a path T-junction where the Ridgeway (which I'd been following so far) turned right. I went left here - normally I then turn almost immediately right on a path that soon crosses part of Stocks golf course to reach Aldbury close to the church, but today I kept straight on and soon reached a kissing gate on the edge of another part of the golf course.
The start of the path along Grim's Ditch on Pitstone Hill, looking across the 'Tring Gap' towards Wigginton
The path along Grim's Ditch on Pitstone Hill
The path along Grim's Ditch on Pitstone Hill, approaching Aldbury Nowers
The path through the woods of Aldbury Nowers
The path to the golf course
Beyond the kissing-gate was a path crossroads, where I turned left onto a bridleway (this is not shown on the OS map). This followed the edge of the golf course, with the woods on my left. I soon heard and spotted a Buzzard above the trees, and a little further on saw my first butterfly of the year, a Small Tortoiseshell. There were also some Primroses growing just inside the wood. Further on the bridleway continued just inside Walk Wood, where there were numerous Lesser Celandine and the first Wood Anemones I'd seen this year.
The bridleway around the edge of the golf course at Aldbury
The bridleway around the edge of the golf course at Aldbury
The bridleway around the edge of the golf course at Aldbury
The bridleway continuing through Walk Wood
View towards Clipper Down