National Grade:Moderate Distance: 10.3 mi /16.6km Leader: Mark C. Date: Jul 1st 2026
The lower temperatures this week were a relief after last week’s heatwave so it wasn’t a surprise to find a very healthy turnout of 27 for this walk. We met at Ashridge Estate, an ideal starting place with the holy grail of free parking, toilets and a coffee shop.
There was more good news in the walk briefing when Mark informed us that there were no stiles and only gentle undulation on this 10.3 mile route.
We set off along shady paths and soon arrived at Ashridge House where we stopped while Mark gave us a brief rundown of its 700 year history from monastery to wedding venue via royal residence, private estate, ww2 hospital and international business school.
Next we walked through the always lovely Golden Valley designed by Capability Brown for the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater also known as the ‘Canal Duke’ and commemorated by the Bridgewater Monument at our start point.
Morning break was in a well equipped playground allowing Richard and Alison to demonstrate their technique on the swings which must be the envy of their granddaughters!
Next stop was by an old cottage with the intriguing name of ‘Covetous Corner’ though sadly the name remains a mystery as the origin appears to have been lost in the mists of time.
We passed by the grounds of a Buddhist monastery and then up Spooky Lane also known as Roman Road and rumoured to be haunted. Mark told us that this road was used as the carriage drive to Ashridge House and it is said that the Duke of Bedford had the old Roman road sunken to hide the lady of the house from the eyes of the commoners.
Soon we arrived at our lunch stop at Frithsden. Our leader allowed us a very generous 40 minute stop which was fortunate for me as I had remembered to take my carefully prepared salad but not the cutlery I needed to eat it! There was time to order a salad in the pub and indeed it was much nicer than the one I had made. Everybody else had their picnic lunch on the green and then several moved to the pleasant seating outside the pub and enjoyed drinks while sharing round the complimentary Maltesers that were served with the coffee.
Leaving Frithsden we returned to the start point via Berkhamsted Golf course and Berkhamsted Common. We stopped to see the Inns of Court WW1 war memorial and hear about the WW1 officer training camp where recruits dug ditches and trained intensively. Sadly the war took a terrible toll with over half of the 12000 officers becoming casualties.
As we got close to our start point at the Ashridge Visitor centre Mark pointed out woodland areas that have spectacular bluebell displays in spring but are not as well known as the famous Dockey Woods on the Ashridge Estate.
We thanked Mark for a really enjoyable walk with many points of interest, lovely views, shady woods, a little bit of history and some historical gossip!
Report by: Catherine Kelly