Pete's Walks- Kensworth and Ivinghoe Beacon (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.
I was now on a section of the Ridgeway national trail, crossing the grassy top of Steps Hill. Beyond the grassy area the path entered an area of small trees, then dropped downhill behind a fence on the right, now in an area of scrub and chalk downland where I saw a large number of Cowslips. The Ridgeway then turned right through a gate, and continued along a chalky path through the downland. On reaching a road by a sharp bend, I carefully crossed over and turned left to go steeply up the first of the two 'hillocks' near Ivinghoe Beacon. At the top I took a few photos, then took a path going right. This soon merged with the main path from the road to Ivinghoe Beacon, and I followed it left, over the totally insignificant second 'hillock' and then steeply up to the top of the Beacon, where I stopped to take more photos.
The Ridgeway between Steps Hill and Ivinghoe Beacon
The Ridgeway heading to Ivinghoe Beacon
The path up the first 'hillock' before Ivinghoe Beacon
Ivinghoe Beacon from the first 'hillock'
View back towards Steps Hill from Ivinghoe Beacon, Pitstone Hill on the right
View over part of the Vale of Aylesbury from Ivinghoe Beacon
Dunstable Downs from Ivinghoe Beacon
The path from Ivinghoe Beacon to Gallows Hill, Whipsnade Downs in the background
I then turned right and followed a path along the grassy ridge towards Gallows Hill But I only followed it as far as a gate and fence, where I turned right, following the fence on my left. This path brought me back past the Beacon and then past the 'hillocks'. When I came close to where I'd just crossed the road (to my right), I took a path on the left that followed the right edge of a large pasture, then continued beside a ploughed field. The path then went through a gate and continued through a grassy area (with the car park for Ivinghoe Beacon uphill on my right). Just before the path entered a wood at a gate, I sat on a tree trunk to eat my lunch (it was now about 1:15pm).
The path along the side of Ivinghoe Beacon
The path from Ivinghoe Beacon
The path from Ivinghoe Beacon to Ward's Hurst Farm (part of the Icknield Way)
The path from Ivinghoe Beacon to Ward's Hurst Farm (part of the Icknield Way)
The path from Ivinghoe Beacon to Ward's Hurst Farm (part of the Icknield Way)
Lunch over, I continued along the path through the wood. There was quite a long section of deciduous woodland, then the section I always think of as the 'spooky' bit through some dark conifers, before the path returned to deciduous woodland again, close to an edge of the wood on my left. The path, part of the Icknield Way long-distance path, then climbed steeply up wooden 'steps', complete with a handrail. At the top of the slope, the path left the wood and followed a fence through a small part of a sheep pasture to reach Ward's Hurst Farm (which has no less than six public footpaths radiating form it).
The path from Ivinghoe Beacon to Ward's Hurst Farm (part of the Icknield Way)
The path from Ivinghoe Beacon to Ward's Hurst Farm (part of the Icknield Way)
The path from Ivinghoe Beacon to Ward's Hurst Farm (part of the Icknield Way) - this is the 'spooky' bit of the woods
The path from Ivinghoe Beacon to Ward's Hurst Farm (part of the Icknield Way)
The 'steps' heading up to Ward's Hurst Farm (part of the Icknield Way)
Approaching Ward's Hurst Farm