Rickmansworth - Sarratt - Little Chalfont

Howard Dell

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This is a delightful, untesting, linear walk of eight miles on the edge of the Chilterns, as close as the Chilterns get to London (the start is inside the M25) and accessible by Tube and Chiltern Line from Marylebone.

Initially the walk is along the bank of the River Chess before heading northwards across varied farmland to Sarratt where, if you've planned your start time properly, you'll find the cosy Cock pub serving excellent lunches and beers. The path then heads back to the river and rejoins the Chess Valley Walk, which it follows for the remaining three miles or so. The riverside habitat of reedbeds and water meadows is home for many birds. En route you'll see a medieval field system, a large old house that played host to Rudolf Hess in the '40s, watercress beds and a husband and wife of the Liberty family who have their tomb in the middle of a field: why? – you'll have to do the walk to find out.

Remember that the Chilterns are famed for their mud after extended periods of rain, so stout boots are recommended. Most of the hills on this walk are little more than inclines, apart from a steepish climb through a wood at the finish which is a bit 'puffy'.

England - Central England - Buckinghamshire - River Walk