Ashridge Estate boundary trail walk

Saturday 1st May 2021

Four years before this walk I came to the Ashridge Estate for the first time as part of the Ridgeway trail and on that occasion I saw some of the bluebells that the National Trust property is famous for and I have wanted to return ever since to see these most delightful flowers. Bluebells flower for only a few short weeks in the spring and generally peak in the first weekend in May, however April last year was cold which delayed the bluebells flowering so they were not at their peak yet, nevertheless I was still hoping for a good display. I parked beside the road in Hudnall Common on the edge of the Ashridge Estate and after setting off along a bridlepath I immediately saw some bluebells in the woodland on the edge of the common, which encouraged me for the walk to come. The path took me out of Hudnall Common and upon crossing a road I entered a wood in the Ashridge Estate and was confronted by the gorgeous smell of garlic from the ramsons that littered the woodland floor as I descended into the Golden Valley. There I joined the route of the Ashridge Estate boundary trail walk, which is described on the National Trust website and provided me with a good, long walk around the estate.

The boundary trail as described starts from the Ashridge visitor centre going in a clockwise direction, but since I was starting from the other side of the ridge I decided to do the walk in the opposite direction so I headed up the grassy Golden Valley with woodland lining either side and the sun shining overhead, but sadly the good weather would not last.  After passing over a tarmac road I skirted around a golf course and followed the waymarked path past the backs of houses with large gardens filled with flowers including bluebells and daffodils. Leaving the golf course behind, the well signposted path took me through woodland and over a road to a small reservoir. Turning left I followed the edge of Ringshall Coppice where I could see some bluebells desperately trying to come through, while to my left was Dockey Wood, which is famous for its bluebells. Although I couldn’t enter the wood from my path I could see many bluebells and also many people walking through the wood. I diverted to the corner of the wood to have a peer inside, but I couldn’t get very close to have a good look, though I was happy with the distant sight of carpets of bluebells so continued along the path towards Ward’s Hurst Farm.

Entering a wood called the Coombe I found an abundance of wild garlic and dog’s mercury as I continued along the path through the wood until I emerged with a view before me of Irvinghoe Beacon. Diverting onto a wide track I walked around the edge of an arable field and up to the top of the descending ridge that comes down from the Beacon where I had far-reaching views to the north and west across the Vale of Aylesbury. Turning up the wide, grassy ridge I slowly climbed up to top of Irvinghoe Beacon where the Ridgeway trail has its northern terminus and where I had visited four years earlier. Now, I set off along the Ridgeway again passing lovely displays of cowslips, but by this point in the day the sunshine that I had enjoyed earlier was marred by dark clouds that threatened rain. The Ridgeway took me around the top of Incombe Hole and down the hill, until at a crossway of paths I turned left to keep to the undeveloped land climbing back up the hill and into the woodland where I found more bluebells and it started raining. With a wide track underfoot I headed along the ever more popular path heading towards the Ashridge visitor centre while the rain continued to fall until I reached the Bridgewater Monument.

Four years before I had seen a vast number of bluebells just a little way south of the visitor centre so now I attempted to find that spot as the rain eased and I found that, as elsewhere, the bluebells were not as extensive as they had previously been due to the cold spring. With the skies remaining overcast it was now quite cold as I continued along the trail. On reaching Northchurch Common I, without realising it, left the boundary trail taking a route straight across the common as I simply headed straight ahead and even when I realised I had gone the wrong way I still just kept going straight ahead of me until eventually I reached Northchurch Farm where I found a signpost for the boundary trail as if I’d never left it. As the boundary trail crossed several farmer’s fields I seriously considered abandoning it as it was no longer fun. A direct route back to my car was an easy straight course and would avoid another golf course, but instead I turned right in a wood following the boundary trail, though I was still undecided on whether to keep to the trail. The walk through the wood kept my spirits up and the sun appeared to further encourage me while the path avoided almost any problems while traversing the golf course, so in the end, much to my surprise, I kept to the boundary trail.

Coming off the golf course, I passed between houses and into Great Frithsden Copse descending steeply through the gorgeous woodland where immature bluebells were scattered across the woodland floor. The undeveloped bluebells let this walk down when at this time of the year they are usually better developed, but when the boundary trail was not on farmer’s fields it was an enjoyable walk. Climbing up the hill beyond I passed through several grassy fields and soon I was descending into the Golden Valley and back to the point where I had joined the boundary trail. It was probably never worth cutting the trail short as I didn’t have much left to do and it wasn’t long before I was climbing out of the valley onto the bridlepath that took me back to Hudnall Common. This was a rather mixed walk with some bluebells and other wildflowers, but not as many as I’d hoped. The weather was also mixed with not much sunshine and some prolonged rain in the middle of the day. The boundary trail was generally well signposted, though there were sections where I had difficulty and at one point I went completely the wrong way. However, it was great to do a prolonged walk to stretch my legs and woodland walking is always a pleasure.