Pete's Walks- Ashridge Estate Boundary Trail (page 4 of 6)
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.
Across the minor road the surfaced bridleway continued through more of the woods of Ashridge. It crossed a drive, then a little later came to a junction, where I turned right for a few yards and then turned left (there was a nice view out from the woods at the first junction). I was now again on a well-surfaced bridleway, running fairly level and about two-thirds the way up the steep wooded slope above the village of Aldbury. I passed a seat on the right that was obviously positioned to take advantage of a gap in the trees which gave a good view out over Aldbury and towards the Vale of Aylesbury. Further on the bridleway merged with another one, coming up from Aldbury, and after another 100 yards or so I kept right at a bridleway fork. It was slightly uphill now, and there were many people about, as I was approaching the Bridgewater Monument and the National Trust shop.
The bridleway continuing on the other side of the road to Tom's Hill and Aldbury (incidentally he car park sign on the OS map is wrongly placed, it is almost next to where the bridleway crosses the road)
I always take a photo here, probably because it's the first sight of something other than trees for quite a while! It's where I turned right for a few yards before turning left.
The bridleway continuing along the escarpment above Aldbury
View left over Aldbury - there is a seat here, positioned to take advantage of this view
Further along the bridleway
I turned left and walked across the grass to pass behind the Bridgewater Monument (I didn't take a photo as there were too many people here). I then continued along another level and surfaced bridleway, this being the start of the long track from the monument towards Ivinghoe Beacon. As usual there were many people walking here, many with small children (this was the one bit of the walk I wanted to get over quickly). At one point I passed the Moneybury Hill Barrow, thought to be 4000 years old - I'd totally forgotten about it being here, though it's marked on the OS map and I've walked this bridleway countless times since I was a child. Like the one I'd been on earlier, the bridleway was fairly level and running close to the top of the escarpment, sloping down on my left. Further on there were occasional views through the trees on my left towards Clipper Down.
Near the start of the track from the Bridgewater monument towards Ivinghoe Beacon
Moneybury Hill Barrow - I'd completely forgotten this was here, despite walking past it numerous times
View towards Clipper Down from the track from the Bridgewater monument towards Ivinghoe Beacon
The track from the Bridgewater monument towards Ivinghoe Beacon
The track from the Bridgewater monument towards Ivinghoe Beacon
I passed two or more seats that again were positioned to take advantages of views (they'd have made much better lunch stops, but it had been 1.20pm when I'd stopped and I was getting hungry). After a while the bridleway turned left to run over the top of Clipper Down (where there are some kennels). A little further on I spotted my first Wood Anemone (or 'wooden enemy'!) of the year.
The track from the Bridgewater monument towards Ivinghoe Beacon
The track from the Bridgewater monument towards Ivinghoe Beacon, at Clipper Down
View left from Clipper Down to Pitstone Hill, with Aston Hill in the distance
My first Wood Anemone (or 'wooden enemy') of 2016
I then forked half-left down an initially broad track, dropping downhill fairly gently. At a gate I left the woods and continued through bushes and grass (I spotted my first Comma butterfly of the year here, I'd already seen several Brimstones and three Peacocks today). The path ran gently downhill, after a while following a fence on my left, with a view ahead past Steps Hill out to the Vale of Aylesbury.
The path going downhill from near Clipper Down to the Ridgeway
The path going downhill from near Clipper Down to the Ridgeway
The path going downhill from near Clipper Down to the Ridgeway