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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Wednesday 7 September 2016

Wednesday Walk: Book 1, Walk 11 - Tring to Wendover

Reservoir nature reserves and Wendover Woods

Length: 21 km (13 miles)
Toughness: 6 out of 10

London Euston: 10-24 (Milton Keynes train)
Arrive Tring: 10-59

Wendover to London Marylebone (journey time 50 mins)
16-26, 16-56,17-23, 17-58, 18-29

With the two stations on different lines, ticketing is a bit tricky - but worth the minor hassle for this lovely walk, with plenty of variety - and lots of water features! Either buy separate singles from the edge of your travel card or if you do not own one, buy an all zone travel card plus a single from the boundary of the zone to Tring, and for the return journey, buy a single from Wendover to the edge of the travel zone. You can usually buy all the tickets you need today from the Euston ticket office.

Leaving Tring station you are soon walking beside the Grand Union Canal before you walk around several large reservoirs. The morning leg continues mostly level as you walk across a vast field to enter the village of Aston Clinton, where you stop for lunch at the  Oak pub (serving food until 2-30 pm). If you maintain a steady pace, your e.t.a for the lunch pub is 1-45 pm.. Your afternoon leg is a contrast to the morning once you have walked along the side of an airfield and walked beside the canal again. Then its uphill into Wendover Woods - where you have the chance to "Go Ape" and act the big kid on the zip wires. Us oldies having watched you youngsters exert such energy, we join you on the walk  through woods down into the town of Wendover, where you have several choices for tea. My preference is the Shoulder of Mutton pub, a few minutes from the railway station.

Next Week: Wednesday 14 September: Book 1, Walk 3 - Netley to Botley - in reverse viz Botley to Netley 

L=1.11



9 comments:

Marion said...

Thank you Marcus for taking on the walk posting for this sub group at such short notice after the problems we've had in not getting posts in good time to make arrangements and book tickets. Whilst the special deal fares are still available please consider the more adventurous walks especially on the coast as there's quite a few of us who like a swim and an early evening supper with wine on the train home! I for one have not been able to do Tisbury for example as its only been posted on Saturday.

Marcus said...


Thanks Marion, and I'm looking forward to walking with Wednesday walkers on a more regular basis (hopefully) this autumn.

Unfortunately, South-West Trains' summer deal of £ 16 to most places expires on Friday 09 September - which means rail fares for my planned Botley-Netley posting for September 14th will now cost a bit more. Ditto any posting of the Tisbury walks. As for late summer swim options, I will see what I can find, although the continued shambles that is Southern Rail limits the options available.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Marcus for volunteering to post on Wednesdays and also thank you to Arthur Dent for all your work walk posting. I know it can be time consuming and your effort is appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Good luck Marcus don't let the anonymous posters grind you down

Thomas G said...

...on that note: Marcus in on record for saying that he won't ever reply to anonymous comments...we shall see, he might establish a new trend

Marcus said...


An addendum to my response below to Marion: as the weather forecast for this coming Wednesday is very good viz predicted sunshine and 25 degrees C temperatures, my partner in crime for future Wednesday postings, Thomas, will post a "Wednesday Swimmer's Walk" for the swimming contingent amongst mid-week walkers, taking advantage of the SWT rail fare offer for the last time this year. Non-swimmers are welcomed on this coastal walk or the inland Tring to Wendover walk, and I will not be the slightest bit offended if I am the only one on the Tring walk as I will be updating the directions as part of on-going Book 1 walk checking project.

Anonymous said...

Dear Walkers ,

I would like to thank Mike for his gallant efforts to act as walk poster.
Certainly the task has been a somewhat poisoned chalice. I am grateful to him.


I also welcome Marcus into his new role.

jfk


Anonymous said...

Also grateful to Mike, knowledgable, charming and a great person to walk with,
as is Marcus.

Marcus said...

Just n=4 of us (a fifth, seen buying her ticket at Euston, was never seen again). An w=overcast-warm-and-humid day but this did not spoil our walk, although the conditions made it harder work than usual and quite enervating. We arrived at the Oak pub in Aston Clinton in time for an excellent, inexpensive lunch, promptly served by very friendly staff. What a difference it makes when a pub actually welcomes ones custom !
After lunch we watched the tugs and gliders perform in the airfield nearby before three in a our group opted to follow the Wendover Arms Canal back into Wendover, and home for an early bath, leaving yours truly to ascend Aston Hill up into Wendover Woods. Resisting the temptation to have a go on the zip wire in the Go Ape Centre, I started my descent into Wendover just as the sun broke through - at 4-45 pm. A lovely, sunny evening was to follow -just a shame the sun didn't bless us with an earlier appearance.
A nice day spent in excellent company.