Pete's Walks - Another Ashridge Walk (page 5 of 5)
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.
On leaving the wood, I sat on a log off to the left and had my lunch. I had now decided to shorten the walk, due to the state of my legs and knees (coming down the 'steps' in the wood had been quite difficult for me, even with a wooden railing for support) and my general unfitness. So I went straight on when I reached a white-topped marker post where the Ashridge Estate Boundary Trail goes right, and then turned left along a clear path rising uphill. This was a relatively long uphill but not too steep, and when I wanted a breather I had the excuse of needing to photograph the fine views looking back. At the top of the slope I went through a gap in a fence to reach the main car park for Ivinghoe Beacon. I turned left and walked through the car park, then just before reaching the road to Ringshall I took a path running parallel to the road, which ran through an area of Beech trees. On emerging from the trees and reaching a chalky track, I crossed the road to reach a small car park.
The path up to the Ivinghoe Beacon car park
Ivinghoe Beacon, from the path up to the Ivinghoe Beacon car park
View back from the path up to the Ivinghoe Beacon car park
The path from the Ivinghoe Beacon car back, beside the road to Ringshall
I then turned right, along the main track from Ivinghoe Beacon to the Bridgewater Monument in Ashridge. I now simply had to follow this track for two miles to return to the Monument and the car park where I'd started. There weren't as many people walking this popular track as I'd feared there would be, and it was quite a pleasant way to end the walk.
The start of the long track to the Bridgewater Monument at Ashridge
The long track to the Bridgewater Monument at Ashridge
The long track to the Bridgewater Monument at Ashridge
The long track to the Bridgewater Monument at Ashridge, approaching the kennels on Clipper Down
The long track to the Bridgewater Monument at Ashridge
The long track to the Bridgewater Monument at Ashridge
The long track to the Bridgewater Monument at Ashridge
The long track to the Bridgewater Monument at Ashridge
The long track to the Bridgewater Monument at Ashridge
The long track to the Bridgewater Monument at Ashridge
The long track to the Bridgewater Monument at Ashridge
The long track to the Bridgewater Monument at Ashridge
I was lucky that I only had the one shower, as showers and then rain had been predicted from about 11.30am to 1.30pm. The day was generally sunny, with the sun occasionally going behind the clouds for brief spells. It was pleasantly warm, never too hot nor too cool. The Ashridge Estate Boundary Trail is a splendid route, and this shortened version was almost as good - it didn't bother me, but I think most people would not be happy missing the section over Gallows Hill and Ivinghoe Beacon as that is probably the highlight of the whole route.