Easter Sunday and the driest day of the holiday so time to put away the chocolate and get out and about. Our starting point was just down from Tring Railway Station. Near to Ivinghoe Beacon the official starting point of the Ridgeway but that will keep for another day. We walked along the Grand Union Canal which runs from the River Thames in Brentford, up through the Chilterns. From there onto Birmingham where it finishes some 137 miles later. Originally it was the Grand Junction Canal , opened in 1805 and went from Brentford to Braunstone, Northamptonshire to link with the Oxfordshire canal. The path took us past plenty of fisherman before raising upwards above the canal. Lots of free range hens going about their business on our right before arriving in Bulbourne. Crossing the railway bridge we picked up the footpath opposite Folly Farm making the climb towards Pitstone Hill.
To our left were the old chalk pits, much of which is now filled with a bright turquoise coloured water. The path climbs ever upwards and after all the recent rain is very heavy and muddy going. As you reach the summit of Pitstone Hill there are some great views and the first glimpses of Ivinghoe Beacon come into view about a further kilometer away.
From the summit of Pitstone Hill we picked up the Ridgeway which was Marina's first introduction to this historic trail. The path takes us through the beautiful Albury Nowers nature reserve (a site of Special Scientific interest). The site hosts the flowers of chalk grassland and has butterfly habitats with several different species of butterfly including the Duke of Burgundy, hairstreaks and the Essex skipper.
We descend our way downhill and have the option of turning off to the village of Aldbury which was tempting as there is a nice pub there. However we continue onwards to Station Road linking Aldbury to Tring.A kindly landowner had provided a permissive path along the side of a field which we followed back to our starting point.
It was a shame not to have seen the picture postcard village of Albury with it's duck pond and the original stocks and whipping-post which still stand on the village green next to it. So we had a little drive up and I enjoyed a fine pint of Badger Best Bitter (4%)to quell the thirst from all the walking.
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