Chiltern Society

Sir Stanley Spencer was one of the most important painters of the 20th century. This walk will take you round his home village, a place he regarded as ‘heaven on earth’. It also ventures out into the surrounding countryside and alongside the Thames.

The locations of several of his paintings are highlighted in the description with more details in the "to do or see" section.

This beautiful walk takes you from the outskirts of Watford into the depths of the countryside to see a host of wild flowers.

Walk from Luton Airport Parkway station along the disused railway to Welwyn before climbing to Chiltern Green and returning via a ruined Tudor castle and the airport perimeter.

A beautiful circular walk through woodland and pastures to Greys Court National Trust.

This walk takes a look at the evolution of the London to Oxford passage through the Chilterns as it has changed to meet evolving needs through the ages. Over the centuries a variety of routes have tried to find the easiest way over the Chiltern Hills. Just to the south of the start there used to be a Roman road. Henry II built a road from London to his palace in Woodstock and there are old packhorse trails, coach routes, turnpikes and now a motorway.

Explore the landscape and history of a special corner of Hertfordshire. Starts in Kimpton and includes two 12th century churches, a neoclassical church, a park designed by Capability Brown and the house of a famous playwright and author.

This walk demonstrates that modern Hemel Hempstead and its environs have much more to offer than cynics would have you believe.

A mixed route on footpaths and tracks through fields and woodland, visiting the picturesque village green at The Lee.

This walk is packed with so much of interest it’s impossible to describe it all here. It includes the history and architecture of Henley, the picturesque Thames and the natural beauty of Chiltern woodland.

A walk that’s attractive at any time of year. The route is quiet and peaceful, with magnificent views looking north into Bedfordshire and beyond. Visit the Iron Age hillfort at Sharpenhoe Clappers.

This walk takes you through beautiful rolling countryside, past the home of an English Civil War hero and the monument erected in his memory.

A walk through the largest continuous new native forest in England. We’ve chosen a route that features some of the best scenery throughout the year and has a magnificent display of bluebells in spring.

It is surprising how easy it is to escape from urban Luton to quiet open countryside. This walk is a short circuit from Bushmead to Lilley and back.

Particularly lovely late on a June evening, during the summer when the fields are full of ripe crops or in winter to blow away the cobwebs.

A walk suitable for families round the scenic Burnham Beeches National Nature Reserve, which is particularly colourful in spring and autumn, but well worth a visit at any time of year.

A very pleasant walk exploring the attractive woods and landscape in and around the village of Checkendon in South Oxfordshire.

This walk visits Rickmansworth and Croxley Green, whose current size and character owe much to the arrival of the Metropolitan Railway. The varied route includes woodland, fields, a moor designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a village green, rivers and a canal.

A lovely stile-free walk from Goring on the east of the Thames. Walk from the village out into the wooded areas to the east.

There’s a lot of lovely, rolling countryside in and around Studham Common, and dramatic views from Dunstable Downs. This walk visits a tree cathedral and a 16th-century church, and offers the possibility of spotting exotic animals at Whipsnade Zoo.

A walk along quiet country paths to Caddington and the ancient woodland of Badgerdell wood before emerging at the top of the steep hillside above Dunstable. Enjoy the extensive views from Blow's Down.

This walk follows the ancient Ridgeway with stunning views from the tops of both Pitstone Hill and Ivinghoe Beacon, before returning through the beautiful woodland of the National Trust’s Ashridge Estate.

A varied walk climbing to a hillfort in Wendover woods with beautiful views over Aylesbury Vale. Return by the peaceful Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal.

Visit some of the quieter parts of the Ashridge Estate on the way to Hudnall Common and Little Gaddesden.

A mainly level walk through open farmland to the foot of the Dunstable Downs, with a gentle climb to pick up the Icknield and Chiltern Ways. Great views over the Bedfordshire plain and Ivinghoe Beacon.

A rewarding, scenic country walk exploring several commons and villages along with an attractive river valley. Good pubs!

An interesting walk that passes the five hills south of the Thames that make up the ‘Munros’. It takes advantage of two of the area’s major long-distance paths; the Chiltern Way and Thames Path. The walk culminates in a majestic 3-mile stretch alongside the Thames.

This could be described as a Christmas walk for all seasons, or perhaps as a walk of two halves – a lovely woodland adventure or a breathtaking hilltop adventure. The choice is yours.

This lovely circular walk offers the opportunity to explore the local countryside and stroll alongside one of the most famous rivers in the world. There are stories of a Viking burial, a famous poet, a gambler and a mill with a new lease of life.

This short, stile-free walk shows the Chilterns at their best. There are quiet and hidden landscapes, a National Nature Reserve and superb views from the top of the escarpment.

A walk along the Thames Path to Temple Lock and through the picturesque Harleyford Estate to the woods of Marlow Common and the new Chiltern Society Local Nature Reserve.

A scenic walk around Naphill. Full of interest: there is a fascinating history of WWII codebreaking and you pass the home of a famous sculptor and a music camp.

A wonderful opportunity to combine a stroll round Prestwood Nature Reserve with a lovely walk in the surrounding area. At Peterley Manor Farm there is the opportunity to do a little ‘pick your own’ for such delights as strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries and various vegetables.

This route offers the walker some of the most stunning views in the whole of the Chilterns and visits a number of important wildlife sites featured in the book by Gay Beattie "The Pilgrim’s Progress Wild Flowers and Where to Find Them in The Chilterns." Pegsdon and Deacon Hills were a favourite of the writer and preacher John Bunyan who referred to them in as the "Delectable Mountains".

A beautiful walk through the beech woods of Marlow Common. Look out for bluebells in the spring, orchids in early summer, and deer and red kites all year round.

A varied walk taking in lovely woods, a hillfort, beautiful views over Aylesbury Vale and the peaceful Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal.

An undulating walk through woodland and arable farmland, via Penn House Estate, Common Wood and Penn Wood.

This wonderful, varied walk takes in ancient field patterns and hedges, old earthworks and the home of a famous author, as well as looking at the work carried out by Chiltern Society volunteers.

A walk linking three of the most picturesque Chiltern villages. Using the Chiltern and Shakespeare ways it takes you on a circuit through lovely scenery with fine views.

This walk gives you the opportunity to experience the abundance of wildlife in the beautiful Colne Valley across many different types of habitat. It’s a wonderful location for all ages to explore and enjoy with the possibility of spotting rare migrating birds.

A short circuit from Preston village through Hitch Wood, one of the finest woods in the North Chilterns. Worth following for spectacular bluebells in spring or as a pre-pub leg stretch.

This walk is about the treats that await you in and around Dancersend Nature Reserve. In spring bluebells, primroses and cowslips, in summer many species of butterflies and the Chiltern gentian, in autumn fungi and the trees with their colourful display and winter where the birds are easier to spot.

Explore the pretty ridges, valleys and woods to the north and east of Stokenchurch. You follow the Chiltern Way past Radnage and over Bledlow Ridge. Cross Lodge Hill before returning via Chinnor Hill and Crowell Wood.

Experience the Ridgeway and Chiltern Way on a walk linking the woods of Ashridge with the woods above Tring Park across the Bulbourne Valley (Tring Gap).

The highlight is a visit to Cholesbury Camp, a well-preserved Iron Age hillfort now managed by the Chiltern Society. You will also discover a fascinating history that includes historic buildings, a generous vicar and a local hero who fought at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Climb to the top of Chinnor Hill with fine views over the Vale of Aylesbury before following quiet rural paths and lanes to pretty Radnage. Return over Bledlow Ridge.

This walk explores the picturesque Chess Valley and the pretty village of Chenies with its Tudor manor house, 15th century church and village green. It climbs to Church End, Sarratt, passing through the churchyard of the 12th century church. There are fine views of the valley and the river Chess.

A route to the South of Redbourn with gentle hills, good views and pleasant walking through the Ver Valley and water meadows. On a fine day you might see families taking a dip at the ford! A minor detour is possible to look at Redbournbury Mill.

A circuit around the village of St Paul’s Walden passing through some of the finest woodland in the North Chilterns and the picturesque parkland surrounding the grand houses of Stagenhoe and St Paul’s Walden Bury. The bluebells in Hitch Wood are spectacular in spring!

The National Trust Estate at Ashridge is one of the best places in the country to see bluebells in spring. This gentle walk will take you through carpets of this beautiful plant, and also looks at the history of the estate. There are wonderful views over the valley from Duncombe Terrace.

A linear walk from Chesham to Wendover climbing to the top of the Chiltern escarpment with spectacular views over the Oxford plains from the top of Coombe Hill. The Chiltern Hills are the main point of interest - you walk up one side, to the shoulder, then back down to civilisation. The physical nature of the geography and geology makes this walk feel bigger than it is.

Discover the distinguished history of Ewelme, visit its watercress beds, and take in the exhilarating views over Oxfordshire from an old hillfort on Swyncombe Downs. At the right time of year you will see a wonderful display of snowdrops and aconites at St Botolph’s Church in Swyncombe.