The Ramblers' Association is Britain's biggest organisation working for walkers, a registered charity with 137,000 members across England, Scotland and Wales. We've been looking after Britain's footpaths and defending its beautiful countryside for more than 65 years byWithout the Ramblers' Association, Britain's stunning landscapes and unique path network could easily disappear. There are numerous benefits for you and ways that you can help us by joining today.


 


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Information
Recreational Route: Southern/Eastern England

Chiltern Way

Circular via Hemel Hempstead with alternative routes 275km/172 miles total

Meandering, varied and largely rural trail stretching from north to south across the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and offering a good cross-section of the characteristic Chiltern scenery.

The original circular route of 200km/133 miles runs from Hemel via Chalfont St Giles, the edge of Marlow, Hambleden, Bix Bottom, Ewelme, the Ridgeway, Stokenchurch, Great Hampden, Aldbury, the Dunstable Downs, Sharpenhoe Clappers and Harpenden. A southern extension adds a loop from Bix Bottom via Mapledurham on the Thames, while a northern extension adds a loop from Sharpenhoe Clappers via the Icknield Way and the outskirts of Hitchin. A short cut from Bix Bottom creates a 16km/10-mile loop via Ewelme.

Based on an earlier unofficial route, the Chiltern Hundred, the Way was established by the Chiltern Society as a millennium project in 2000, with the extensions following in 2003.

Connects with Chess Valley Walk, Grand Union Canal Walk, Icknield Way, Lea Valley Path, Midshires Way, Nicky Line, Oxfordshire Way, Ridgeway, South Bucks Way (see Midshires Way), Thames Path 

Local authorities Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire

Public transport. For more on public transport in the Chilterns, see Public Transport: Southern England

Click to begin your search Click here to find bed & breakfast accommodation on this path.

Explorer maps 171, 172, 181, 182, 192, 193
Landranger maps 165, 166, 175, 176
The Way is marked on recent editions of these maps.

Publications

  • The Chiltern Way & Chiltern Way Extensions by Nick Moon (2nd edition), ISBN 1 903747 33 3. Book Castle £9.99. Order here!
    Background information, sketch maps, route description, dividing the Way into several sections. [2004]
  • Circular walks along the Chiltern Way: Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire by Nick Moon, ISBN 1 903747 48 1. Book Castle £7.99. [2004].
    20 circular walks using sections of the southwest part of the Way, 7km/4.5 miles to 14km/9 miles, some of which can be combined to create longer walks. Detailed route descriptions, background information, clear sketch maps.
  • Circular walks along the Chiltern Way: Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire by Nick Moon, ISBN 1 903747 49 X. Book Castle £7.99.
    20 circular walks using sections of the northeast part of the Way, 9km/5.5 miles to 15km/9.5 miles, some of which can be combined to create longer walks. Detailed route descriptions, background information, clear sketch maps. [2005]
Contacts

Long Distance Paths | Alphabetical Index | Regional Index | S England | E England