The Chiltern Way
About the Chilterns
The Chilterns is a chalk escarpment stretching from the Thames in a north-easterly direction to just past Luton. It covers an area of 660 square miles. By length, it’s about 50 miles long and 15 miles wide. It is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and therefore enjoys some protection.
Like much of the south of England, the earth beneath the soil is chalk. What distinguishes the Chilterns are the woods that are found here – far more than on the chalklands of the Downs. And, whilst the Chilterns are hilly, they are not particularly high – never rising above 1,000 feet.
The Chilterns are easily accessible from London. Trains run from Marylebone into the Chilterns with stops at Beaconsfield, Princes Risborough, Wendover and Tring. The Metropolitan Line reaches into the Chilterns as far as Chorleywood, Amersham and Chesham.
Despite its proximity to London, the Chilterns remains largely unspoilt and infrequently visited. Unlike the Cotswolds, you won’t find hordes of tourists.
The Chiltern Way
The Chiltern Way was created by the Chiltern Society as a Millenium project. It was based on a previous walk, the Chiltern Hundred, a 100 mile circuit of the central Chilterns.
(The Chiltern Hundreds is also a term used in politics for MP’s to resign their seat: they apply for the unpaid position of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds which disqualifies them from being an MP and allows them to leave their seat). The Chiltern Way extended this route to take in all four Chiltern counties (Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire) thus creating a 133 mile walk.
Subsequently three extensions were created : a “Berkshire Loop” of 28 miles; a southern extension of 27 miles; and a northern extension of 25 miles. These take the total distance to 177 miles. Note: it’s not as simple as adding the sum of the extensions to 133 as will soon become clear.
We’ve decided to tackle this project in stages by bringing you, in 2026, what we will call the Chiltern Way- South. This makes use of the Southern Extension, starting in Marlow and ending in Ipsden near Wallingford. It makes use of the Southern Extension as that really adds to the quality of the walk. The Southern part of the Chilterns is also the section closest to us and is arguably the nicest. So it makes sense to start here. We have decided not to make use the Berkshire Loop. This runs parallel to the Chiltern Way but on the opposite side of the Thames. Since the river forms a natural boundary for the Chilterns, one could therefore argue that the Berkshire loop doesn’t belong here.
Stay tuned as our Chiltern Way – South goes live.
We also have a Chilterns “taster” – a 3 day 30 mile walk through the southern Chilterns, some of which is on the Chiltern Way. This walk is filled with deep woods and rolling hills. It starts in Marlow and finishes in Goring.
Ready to book?