Leave the pub car park via the vehicle entrance and turn right along the road edge. Immediately after passing in front of the pub, turn right again onto the small village lane signed as the Icknield Way. On the left you’ll see Little Manor, a property with a particularly ornate ‘pargetted’ exterior believed to date back to the early 1500s.

Keep straight ahead on the country lane climbing steadily between properties, taking care of any occasional traffic. A little further along you’ll pass Frithsden Vineyard on the right. The lane now climbs more steeply into trees. At the brow of the hill you’ll pass the entrance for Highridge Farm on the left. At this point take a moment to enjoy the views of the rolling Chiltern Hills.

At about 10 o’clock you’ll be able to see a white building within the trees, Ashridge House. In medieval times this was the site of a monastery, Ashridge Priory. After Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries the estate passed to the Dukes of Bridgewater and the current house was built in the early 1800s. Today the house is used as a management training college and the estate and grounds are managed by the National Trust.

Ignore the footpath off to the left, simply keep straight ahead on the narrower path between hedgerows. At the fork keep left, staying on the main path as it descends fairly steeply between impressive tall flint and brick walls. This track, Roman Lane, was an old access drive to Ashridge House. It is also known as Spooky Lane as it was thought to be haunted by an Ashridge monk. The lane was created in the early 1800s, dug deep into the hill so that visitors using the driveway could avoid contact with the local villagers.

Follow the track under the bridge and you’ll emerge alongside Nettleden Farm. Simply keep ahead along the access lane to reach the T-junction with the main road in Nettleden.

Cross over the road and turn left for just a few yards, taking care of any traffic, and then turn right to join the public footpath signed to St Margarets. Pass through the staggered barrier and follow the path climbing steadily between hedgerows. (Watch out for any nettles – the name Nettleden means ‘valley where nettles grow’ so you have been warned!)

The path leads you through a number of tunnels of ancient gnarled trees. At the top of the climb the path levels off, keep ahead on the path passing a camp site on the left. Continue down through the woodland and you’ll emerge to a gravel driveway. Keep ahead along this, passing a property to the right. You’ll emerge to a T-junction with the main road.

Turn left for a few paces to pass the entrance to Amaravati Buddhist Monastery on the left. This site was once home to a medieval convent, was a transit camp for the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II, a boarding school and now a monastery. The monastery provides retreat centres and weekly meditation workshops for visitors.

Immediately after the monastery entrance on the left, you’ll see a small track off to the right. Do NOT take the track itself, instead look for the wooden gate set within the hedge to the right of it and pass through this. Follow the fenced footpath which runs around the outside of a horse paddock.

Follow the path steadily downhill, enjoying the views across the valley ahead. You will come to a kissing gate ahead, pass through this to enter a large open pasture (which may be holding sheep or cattle). Go ahead through the field, passing to the right of the large clump of trees. In the far corner pass through the kissing gate and keep left through the arch in the hedge to enter the next pasture. Cross this diagonally to reach the opposite corner where you’ll see a choice of two kissing gates.

Take the right-hand one into a section of the church graveyard. Keep ahead for a few yards and you’ll find a gate into the main churchyard on the left. Pass through the gate and follow the stone path which runs to the left of the church. The Church of St John the Baptist in Great Gaddesden retains features from every century since the 1100s, including a Roman brick chancel and a flint tower from the 1400s, topped with stone gargoyles.

Follow the path along the side of the church, right in front of the church and then turn left to pass the war memorial and leave the churchyard via the lych gate.

You will emerge from the churchyard to a tarmac driveway, with the village school on the left. Follow the drive as it swings right to reach the main road. Cross over with care and turn right for just a few yards. Ignore the stile on the left, instead take the track immediately afterwards (the driveway for Sybden), a footpath signed for Nettleden Road.

Keep left of the entrance gates to join the narrow fenced footpath ahead. You will emerge to the corner of a large crop field. Keep ahead along the left-hand boundary. In the field corner you’ll come to a junction of paths. Turn left through the metal kissing gate into the Water End water meadows, part of the Gaddesden Estate. Walk straight through the centre of the meadows, heading for the wooden footbridge (the ground can get a little marshy). Do NOT cross the bridge, but take a moment here to appreciate the surroundings.

The river in front of you is the River Gade. Rising from chalk springs, its clear water meant that for many years it was used for farming watercress, including right here in Water End. In 1947 water was diverted from the river to supply the rising demands of Hemel Hempstead. The water meadows form part of Gaddesden Estate, which has been managed by the Halsey family since the mid 1500s.

With the footbridge still in front of you, turn right onto the path alongside the river (on your left) heading directly for the telegraph pole. A sleeper bridge will lead you over a small stream and alongside the telegraph pole you’ll see a yellow arrow waymarker for the Chiltern Way footpath. Follow this, bearing right away from the power lines, and stay on the fairly obvious grass path through the water meadows. The ground can get very marshy so, if necessary, you can make your way over to the right-hand fence and follow this higher ground around the edge of the meadow instead.

In the far right-hand corner pass through a pair of gates to reach Nettleden Road. Turn right along the grass verge and after just a short distance cross over to turn left through the wooden kissing gate to join the path signed to Potten End Hill (and still part of the Chiltern Way). Follow the stone path straight ahead climbing steadily between crops to reach the woodland ahead, Heizdin’s Wood.

Follow the path which enters the woodland and then swings right through the centre of it. Locally the woodland is known as Badger Wood. You will be passing between a number of old beech trees and the ground is awash with bluebells every spring.

Continue just until you reach a footpath marker post on the right. Here you need to fork right, leaving the main path to join a smaller path heading down through the trees. Follow the path (marked with yellow arrows) and you’ll emerge out into an open crop field. Keep straight ahead on the stone path through the centre of the crops.

Take time to enjoy the glorious views ahead and down the valley to the right. If you look back over your right shoulder, you will have a great view of Gaddesden Place beyond the marsh you crossed earlier. The mansion was designed by famous architect James Wyatt and built, for the Hasley family, between 1768 and 1773. The mansion is a popular filming location and has appeared in shows as diverse as Jeeves and Wooster, Foyles War, Spooks, Little Britain and Sense and Sensibility.

Stay on the main stone path which descends steadily heading for the buildings of Crossways Farm in the hollow ahead. You will come to a fenced horse paddock ahead. Turn left and then, at the corner, turn right to join the fenced path with the horse paddock on the right. You will emerge to a T-junction with the main road.

Turn left along this, taking care of any traffic and using the grass verges for your own safety where possible. On the left you will pass the Folly’s Farm sanctuary for donkeys. Follow the road as it bends right and then left. Immediately after the left-hand bend, turn right into the smaller side road signed to Frithsden. Follow this for just a short distance and you will come to the Alford Arms on the right for some well-earned hospitality.