Chiltern Chain Walk 2:
Studham and Little Gaddesden

30 May 2009

The Chiltern Chain Walk is a series of 20 circular walks which link together to create a chain across the Chilterns, running from the northern edge near Dunstable to the Thames at Goring. After a nine-month break since doing the first, today Stephen and George returned to Studham to continue with the second link.


George on Studham Common


Looking across Studham Common to Studham


The route then skirts Great Bradwin's Wood along a field margin


Cattle watching us


Sheep not watching us


Walking through Hob Wood


Descending the hill towards the village of Great Gaddesden


An extended double bridge takes us over the infant River Gade, whose waters join the Grand Union Canal in Hemel Hempstead


Climbing away from Great Gaddesden


A couple of monks from the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Nettleden


There is then a long (over two kilometres) plod through this field, with only the lone tree and later a few bushes round a small pond to break up the walk.


George by those bushes


Children playing in a playground on the edge of Cromer Wood


Golden Valley, in the huge National Trust Ashridge Estate.


Deer in Golden Valley


Ashridge House, now a management college


The impact of the contractors doing some thinning of the woodland is rather untidy at present, but no doubt will produce an improvement in time.


The Bridgewater Arms in Little Gaddesden


A buttercup-filled meadow as we head east from Little Gaddesden


One of the diminutive beneficiaries of the meadow


Little Gaddesden church is outside the village: the bells were being rung


Descending back into the Gade valley - we have come far enough up from the crossing over that bridge earlier that there was no water to be seen.


Reaching Studham Common once again and we are nearly back at the car.

Total distance 17.2 km in 4 hours 16 minutes with 381 metres of ascent.
 

 

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Unless otherwise stated, all images copyright (c) Stephen and Lucy Dawson