The North Chiltern Trail

Saturday 19th September 2020

With good weather continuing in September I wanted to go for another walk, but not in the Peak District where I have walked many times this year and away from the crowds, so I decided to head south to an area that I first visited in 2017 and have returned many times since, to the Chiltern Hills. I’d noticed that there is an area of the Chilterns AONB that is disjointed from the rest, on the far side of Luton, not far from the M1 motorway, which would make access convenient for me. I’d never been there before so I thought I’d explore the north Chilterns making use of an extension to the Chiltern Way called the North Chiltern Trail that passes through the area. The total length of the North Chiltern Trail is forty-two miles, which is too much for one day, however, it splits easily into two halves with the northern half staying inside the Chilterns. Driving down the M1 I parked at the car park for Sharpenhoe Clappers setting off through the woods and soon had extensive views to the north from the top of the chalk escarpment before climbing to the remains of an Iron Age hillfort amongst an impressive beech wood where a war memorial dedicates the area to the National Trust. Plunging steeply down the escarpment I came into the small village of Sharpenhoe following signs for the North Chiltern Trail under clear blue skies though with a brisk wind. This was great weather to be walking in so I happily set off along the trail briefly leaving the Chilterns AONB to head across farmland and the A6 to reach the large village of Barton-le-Clay.

After a short walk through the village I was back in the Chilterns climbing the steep escarpment of the Barton Hills National Nature Reserve. There were stunning views to the north as I climbed the fabulous chalk slopes beside gorgeous wild flowers in what is simply a great place to walk and reminded me of why I love the Chilterns. The ground was rock-hard, which made walking very easy as I slowly climbed to the top of the hill and followed the edge of the escarpment looking out to the extensive views until, all-too-soon, I turned south and headed through relatively dull terrain past many fields until I reached the Icknield Way. This is an ancient trackway that runs from Norfolk to Wiltshire and further south is called the Ridgeway, which I walked on my first visits to the Chilterns. I was already by this point becoming concerned about the length of the walk having already taken several hours and only being about a quarter of the way round so I considered turning right, but this would have shortened the walk far too drastically, so I turned left and headed east along the Icknield Way.

Eventually I came off at the Pegsdon Hills Nature Reserve where more chalk downs with the same extensive views north grabbed my attention as I slowly descended once more past meadows ablaze with wild flowers even though it’s not the best time of year. At the bottom I didn’t have to wait long before I was climbing the escarpment again, this time to reach Knocking Hoe National Nature Reserve after which I finally said goodbye to the extensive, northern views and turned south. The walking now deteriorated as nothing could compare with the northern escarpment though there were many wild flowers to see, but not as many as if I’d been walking earlier in the year with the impending autumn season acting against me. A field of sunflowers attempted to lighten my mood as I kept following the North Chiltern Trail and despite my earlier misgivings I seemed to be making good progress. Passing beside many, many fields I slowly made my way along the trail past Wellbury House until I came to the point where the North Chiltern Trail turns left towards Great Offley and I maintained a straight course soon returning to the North Chiltern Way after it has made its more than twenty mile diversion south.

I was now also on the original Chiltern Way as it makes its swing around Luton, but the terrain still didn’t improve until I came near Warden Hill where I had views across the large town of Luton at the top of another chalk escarpment and here I turned north following the edge through an abundance of lush vegetation and stunning views. Passing through the Nature Reserve I made my way to Galley Hill and down to cross the Icknield Way slowly heading to the village of Streatley, which is just a short distance from Sharpenhoe Clappers where I had parked, but I had still one final treat to come. North of the village I came across the northern escarpment again, but frustratingly trees now blocked my view down into, first, Cow Hole, and then the much large and deeper, Watergutter Hole. I had to be content with walking around the top before the view north finally opened out on the far side of Smithcombe Hill before I turned away from the views and over the hill to the car park where I had started. This was a very long walk of over twenty miles, but most of the walking had been on the flat so I had been able to maintain a brisk pace throughout almost the whole walk so it was completed in just seven hours and despite sometimes passing through dreary farmland was enlightened thanks to the extensive views from the Chiltern escarpment in fabulous weather.