Pete's Walks - Walks Diary 2009

NOTE: For most of 2009 I was unemployed and looking for a job. So for financial reasons most of my walks were local ones, therefore there is an inevitable overlap in descriptions and photographs.

WARNING: When I originally started writing up these walks, I didn't really intend them to be used as 'route descriptions' for other people to follow. However I am aware that a few people are using them that way - so I should point out that I don't always give enough details in the written descriptions for them to be used that way. Also, unfortunately, I have a dreadful tendency to get 'left' and 'right' confused. So if you want to try any of these walks yourself, I very strongly recommend that you try to follow the route on a map first.  The Google Map I provide with each walk may be of some help with navigation. If you do find (or think you find) any mistakes please let me know by email  and I will make any corrections as soon as I can (usually I check emails every day).

The distances and times given are usually only very rough estimates!

Date Route Area Distance Time
28/12/2009 Kensworth, Hudnall, Dagnall Local 10 miles 3h 50m
22/12/09 Short Kensworth walk (in the snow) Local About 2 miles 1h 20m
20/12/09 Kensworth and Whipsnade Downs Local About 6 miles 2h 30m
18/12/09 Kensworth, Markyate, Studham, Whipsnade Local About 9 miles 4h 15m
17/12/09 Coombe Hill and Great Missenden Chiltern Hills 12.3 miles 4h  35m
9/12/09 Cowleaze Wood and Radnage Chiltern Hills 12.5 miles 4h 50m
15/11/09 Pitstone Hill and Wigginton Chiltern Hills 11.6 miles 4h 5m
30/10/09 Kensworth and Bison Hill Local About 4.5 miles 1h 30m
26/10/09 Four Hills Walk again Chiltern Hills About 13 miles 5h 10m
19/10/09 Stockgrove, the Brickhills, Woburn Sands Local 13.4 miles 4h 45m
17/10/09 Kensworth to Ivinghoe Beacon again Local 15 miles 5h 15m
14/10/09 Shorter Ashridge Walk again Local 5.5 miles 2h 15m
12/10/09 Blows Downs, Caddington, Markyate Local 15.5 miles 5h 20m
8/10/09 Marsworth canal walk, again Local 8 miles 3h 15m
5/10/09 Kensworth and Blows Downs Local 6.9 miles 2h 30m
2/10/09 Walk 1 of the Chiltern Chain Walk again Local 12.3 miles 4h 40m
28/09/09 Grand Union Canal 'figure-of-eight' walk Hertfordshire 18.3 miles 6h
26/09/09 Circular walk south from Royston Hertfordshire 11.8 miles 4h 15m
23/09/09 Alternative Ashridge Walk again (clockwise) Local 15.5 miles 5h 50m
21/09/09 Grand Union Canal circular walk, Hemel Hempstead-Berkhamsted Chiltern Hills 12 miles 3h 55m
17/09/09 Day 4 of the Stevenage Outer Orbital Path (STOOP)

Langley End to Gravely

Hertfordshire 13.8 miles (6.9 miles each way) 4h 45m
14/09/09 Harpenden circular walk, clockwise Chiltern Hills 13 miles 4h 25m
12/09/09 Ashridge Estate Boundary Trail (anti-clockwise) Local 16 miles 5h 35m
9/09/09 Day 3 of the Stevenage Outer Orbital Path (STOOP)

Mardley Heath to Langley End

Hertfordshire 14 miles (7 miles each way) 4h 50m
7/09/09 Kensworth and Briden's Camp, by an alternative route Local 17 miles 5h 50m
5/09/09 Markyate, Caddington, Blows Downs Local About 14.9 miles 5h 20m
3/09/09 Pitstone Hill, Dagnall, Ashridge Local About 12.8 miles 4h 30m
31/08/09 Kensworth to Redbourn and back Local About 15 miles 5h 20m
29/08/09 Slightly shortened Kensworth-Ivinghoe circular walk Local About 15.5 miles 5h 35m
27/08/09 Day 2 of the Stevenage Outer Orbital Path (STOOP)

Walkern to Mardley Heath

Hertfordshire About 13.4 miles (6.7 miles each way) 4h 30m
22/08/09 Stockgrove, Woburn Sands, The Brickhills Beds/Bucks About 13.4 miles 5h 10m
19/08/09 Day 1 of the Stevenage Outer Orbital Path (STOOP)

Gravely to Walkern

Thanks to Roger Turner for suggesting this long-distance path to me!

Hertfordshire About 13 miles (6.5 miles each way) 4h 30m
17/08/09 Kensworth, Great Gaddesden, Dagnall Local About 14.2 miles 4h 50m
13/08/09 Caddington figure-of-eight walk Local About 11.8 miles 4h 40m
10/08/09 Kensworth and everywhere (yet again!) Local About 15 miles 5h 30m
9/08/09 One-hour walk at Kensworth Local About 3 miles 1h
3/08/09 Whipsnade Heath and Studham Church Local About 6 miles 2h 10m
2/08/09 Thursley Common

(This wasn't really a walk, but a look round the common for wildlife with some fellow members of the WildAboutBritain web site)

Surrey Maybe 3 miles 8h
30/07/09 Circular walk round Harpenden Chiltern Hills About 13 miles 4h 20m
25/07/09 Grand Union Canal Circular Walk, Berkhamsted-Tring Chiltern Hills About 19.6 miles (9.8 miles each way, though 0.5 miles was off the proper route) 6h 30m
22/07/09 Aylesbury Arm of the Grand Union Canal Buckinghamshire About 13 miles (6.5 miles each way) 4h
20/07/09 Studham Common and Redbourn, clockwise Chiltern Hills About 17 miles 5h 45m
9/07/09 Four Hills Walk Chiltern Hills About 13 miles 5h 15m
4/07/09 Buckland Common and The Lee Chiltern Hills About 11 miles 3h 45m
29/06/09 Pitstone Hill and Wigginton Chiltern Hills About 11.5 miles 4h 10m
24/06/09 Lilley to Barton circular walk (anti-clockwise) Chiltern Hills About 14.5 miles 5h 15m
22/06/09 Kensworth to Briden's Camp circular walk Local About 16 miles 5h 35m
18/06/09 Day 2 of The Beeches Way

Stoke Common to West Drayton

Buckinghamshire About 18 miles (9 miles each way) 6h
16/06/09 Kensworth Quarry path Local About 5 miles 2h 20m
12/06/09 Day 1 of The Beeches Way

Cookham to Stoke Common

Buckinghamshire About 16 miles (8 miles each way) 5h 25m
8/6/09 Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal Local About 14.5 miles (7.25 miles each way) 4h 45m
4/6/09 Kensworth to Ivinghoe again Local About 17.5 miles 6h 5m
1/06/09 Kensworth and everywhere again Local About 15 miles 5h 30m
31/05/09 Pitstone Hill, Ashridge and Ivinghoe Beacon Local About 8 miles 2h 50m
30/05/09 Kensworth, the Downs, Studham Church Local About 8 miles 2h 40m
28/05/09 The Lynch (Kensworth) to Redbourn

I did this walk along the first part of the Ver valley as a sort of 'addendum' to the Ver-Colne Valley Walk, which I had just completed

Local About 14.8 miles (7.4 miles each way, 6 miles each way along the Ver valley) 5h 20m
25/05/09 Day 2 of the Ver-Colne Valley Walk, Colney Street to Watford

(this walk is also in the 'Long-distance Paths' section)

Hertfordshire About 11 miles (5.5 each way) 3h 40m
23/05/09 Day 1 of the Ver-Colne Valley Walk, Redbourn to Colney Street

(this walk is also in the 'Long-distance Paths' section)

Hertfordshire About 18 miles (9 miles each way) 6h 15m
20/05/09 Chess Valley Walk

(this walk is also in the 'Long-distance Paths' section)

Chiltern Hills About 20 miles (10 miles each way) 7h 30m
11/5/09 Watlington Hill, Cookley Green and Pishill Chiltern Hills About 13 miles 5h 15m
2/5/09 Kensworth to Briden's Camp circular walk Local 16.2 miles 5h 50m
1/05/09 Bluebells at Ashridge Local About 6 miles 2h 30m
29/04/09 Kensworth to Totternhoe and back Local About 13 miles 5h
26/04/09 Whipsnade Downs and Holywell Local 6 miles 2h
24/04/09 Marsworth canal walk Local 8 miles 4h
22/04/09 40-minute Kensworth walk Local 2 miles 40m
20/04/09 Lilley- Barton walk Chiltern Hills 14.5 miles 5h 15m
15/04/09 Ashridge figure-of-eight walk Local About 15 miles 6h 10m
13/04/09 Kensworth to Little Gaddesden and back Local About 14.5 miles 5h 5m
7/04/09 Kensworth to Toddington and back Local 20.2 miles 6h 45m
5/04/09 Kensworth, Roe End, Studham Common Local About 8 miles 3h
2/04/09 Woburn to Ampthill and back Bedfordshire About 20 miles 6h 20m
27/03/09 Wendover Woods and Wigginton Chiltern Hills 12.5 miles About 4h 30m
20/03/09 Hambleden and Turville Chiltern Hills About 11 miles About 4h 15m
18/03/09 Coombe Hill and the Hampdens Chiltern Hills About 14.5 miles About 5h 15m
16/03/09 A walk in the Chess Valley Walk Chiltern Hills About 12 miles About 4h 30m
15/03/09 Kensworth to Whipsnade Downs Local About 6 miles About 2 hours
13/03/09 Kensworth to Pitstone Hill and back Local 17.75 miles About 6 hours
11/03/09 Kensworth, Studham church, Whipsnade Local About 6 miles About 2 hours
6/03/09 Studham Common and Redbourn Local 17 miles About 6 hours
4/03/09 Kensworth and Whipsnade Downs Local About 6 miles About 2 hours
2/03/09 Cowleaze Wood and Turville Heath Chiltern Hills About 11 miles About 4h 30m
28/02/09 Studham Common and Markyate Local About 5 miles About 2 hours
27/02/09 Kensworth, Studham, Whipsnade Local About 7 miles About 2h 15m
26/02/09 Short Ashridge Walk Local About 5.5 miles About 2 hours
11/02/09 Kensworth-Redbourn in the snow Local About 15 miles About 5h 45m
7/02/09 Whipsnade Downs in the snow Local About 5 miles About 2 hours
3/02/09 Kensworth and everywhere in the snow Local About 15 miles About 6 hours