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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 30 May 2018

Wednesday walk Tring to Wendover - Grand Union and Wendover Canals, Tring Reservoirs - and Wendover Woods

Book 1, Walk 11 - Tring to Wendover

Length: 21 km (13 miles)  Short-cut available, reducing length to circa 10 miles.
Toughness: 6 out of 10   (one climb up into Wendover Woods, remainder of walk 3 out of 10)

London Euston: 10-24 hrs    Milton Keynes service
Arrive Tring: 10-59 hrs

Return: Wendover to London Marylebone: 15-56, 16-26, 16-56, 17-23, 17-58, 18-29 and 18-55 hrs

Rail ticket: a bit tricky as the two railways stations are on different lines. Either buy separate singles or an all zone travelcard plus singles at either end (from boundary of travelcard). Senior railcard holders - singles either side of your travelcard boundary


This walk had a recent weekend outing, but as I always enjoy this walk, here it is (again) as your Wednesday walk !
This is a walk in two halves; in the morning you walk beside a canal, then around large reservoirs before heading across (flat) country and a vast field to your lunchtime stop in Aston Clinton, the usually very good The Oak pub (newly refurbished and extended). If there are four or more of you planning to have lunch, best 'phone ahead from Tring station: 01296-630466. Your e.t.a is 13-40 hrs.
After lunch, and the second half of the walk, your terrain is totally different: having walked around the edge of a M.O.D airfield, then along a canal towpath, you head up into the hills But note: you can avoid the hills by taking a direct route along the canal to Wendover, giving you a flat 10 mile walk outing. Otherwise, having climbed up into Wendover Woods you walk through them, resisting any temptation to release your inner chimp in the Go Ape centre. You then have a steep(ish) descent down to the outskirts of Wendover, to walk up through the town. Chocaholics stop at Rumsey's Chocolaterie: I  stop at the Shoulder of Mutton pub, close to the railway station.
T=1.11
Walk directions here L=1.11

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Going, whatever the weather.

Marcus said...

Five on the posted train, one on an earlier train, and one on a later train, so that is n=7 on an w=overcast-and-humid-day, with the sun staying indoors all day, but no rain.
The woodland and meadow flowers were lovely and plentiful along our way, and the morning legs beside water were relaxing, even though we maintained a good walking pace. Young goslings, all bundles of fluff, said hello to us as we went around the reservoirs.
The caretaker of the Wilstone Cemetery kindly gave us a potted history of the resting place on our calling in to view the war graves, with their beautifully maintained Portland stone headstones. Onwards afterwards beside another reservoir, then over a vast field, then All Saints Church Buckland, for a quick peep at their famous tapestry. We reached The Oak in Aston Clinton at 13-45 hrs, for a frosty reception. However, the staff soon warmed to us as we started to spend lots of money, and some of the meals when they arrived were of more-than-generous size, and very tasty. The pub has just re-opened after an extension and an internal refurbishment, and it is now better than ever. Recommended, if you can get a smile out of the bar staff.
Two in our band opted for the Wendover Canal route to Wendover, with five heading uphill into the Woods, tough going for the oldies (me) in the humid air. A brief stop on top for an ice cream or ice lolly at the Wood's Visitor Centre (soon to be rebuilt - there is lots of building work on-going at present, making route following a bit tricky). A slippery descent to the outskirts of Wendover, and most of us were soon re-united (including the Canal walkers ) at the Shoulder of Mutton. Two on the 17-58 hrs, and five on the 18-29 hrs train, for a swift journey back to Marylebone.
A long(ish) walk and a long day, but an most enjoyable one.