This walk was made up of sections of the Hertfordshire Way, Chiltern Way, Icknield Way and the Ridgeway. I wonder if there are too many official ways, perhaps that it a topic for a new thread.
I wanted to push myself a bit today as it is quite a while since I walked over 20 miles in a day and, if all the Covid madness calms down, I am hoping to walk the Pennine way later in the year. Also prompted by a comment in one of April's TRs I decided to take a a full rucksack. I must have looked very strange walking along with a stuffed 35l sack, never far from civilisation, on a day with no chance of inclement weather.
I left the village of Great Gaddesden heading NE. A large clearing in Hoo Woods was absolutely full of foxgloves, I have never seen so many. The photos just don't do them justice.
Walking through one small field this little guy and about 100 of his friends were engaged in some sort of bacchanalian butterfly orgy.
After the village of Jockey End I came to the grounds of Beechwood Park School where a very polite sign asked me to stick to the ROW with no indication on the ground where that actually was.
Towards Studham I met an older lady walker who pointed out these orchids to me.
On the outskirts of the village there is an cottage by a field where 2 young boys were catching grasshoppers in a jam jar in the early morning sun. It could not have been more Enid Blyton.
Next I skirted the edge of Whipsnade Zoo, briefly I stood almost nose to nose through the fence with an antelope before he saw me and was gone.
Looking over to Ivinghoe Beacon as I descended in to Dagnall. I wasn't planning, at this stage, to go up the beacon.
A short section of road walking allowed me to call in to a shop for more liquid, it was getting to be a very warm morning and I had a long pull up on to the other side of the valley.
The lovely outline of Gallows Hill and Beacon Hill, who can resist. I was going to walk within a mile of them anyway and, though it is always busy and I've been there twice recently, I amended my route to include them.
This whole walk was constructed round walking the stretch of the Ridgeway which I had seen heading south when I was on the beacon recently.
This picture is looking back at Incombe Hole, as I was walking round the top edge the darkest deer I've ever seen sprinted straight up the side of the bowl and leapt the path about 15 feet in front of me.
Looking back again towards the beacon, left, with Income Hole to the right.
Continuing on the Ridgeway I came to a gate which a couple were failing to open. It was one with a latch on one side and then a sprung bolt with a tall handle. Like this pic but we were on the other side.
http://www.fencingsupplies.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/easy-latch1.jpgI decided that if he couldn't work out how to open the latch bit I couldn't explain it from 2m away so told him to push the handle to the right and then, when that also failed, 'no, really push it'. He explained that they were from 'the city'.
On the Hertfordshire Way almost to Tring Station, which is way outside the town, and then up through Ashridge Woods
Across a golf course where the footpath sign pointed you straight across the driving range. Not wanting to be pelted with golf balls I made my way round the edge. The final section of the walk was through fields of these plants, whatever they are.
As the afternoon had progressed the clouds had rolled in and I thought I may get wet but made it back to the car before a few drops of rain.
A lovely and, at just under 22 miles, long day out.