Chipperfield Common & the Grand Union Canal – Country Hike

Walk length 13 miles/20km approx. Circular.

An interesting country hike following a circular route from Boxmoor towards Chipperfield Common with a final section along a small section of the Grand Union Canal.

The walk follows passes the small village of Chipperfield with an ancient Common containing eight Spanish sweet chestnut trees estimated to date back to the 1600s. The trees were supposedly planted 'for the delight of Isabel of Castile'. Isabel of Castile (1355 – 1392) was the first Duchess of York and the wife of Edmund Langley who lived at the Royal Palace of Kings Langley.

Another section of the walk follows a very short stretch of the Grand Union Canal an impressive civil engineering legacy of the Victorian era that stretches 137 miles from London to Birmingham and is Britain's longest canal.

This hike is undulating with flatter sections on the grand union canal but also fairly long.

Lunch and Finish

Please bring a snack lunch and water for the walk. The hike should finish about 4.30pm and include a 30min lunch stop and pub stop at the end, however the time may be earlier or later than this depending on the weather and pace. We will have some optional end of hike drinks at a riverside pub close to the station.

Walk Cost: £7 cash on the day organizer fee (the host is a qualified London guide). For paypal it is '[email protected]' Please send as friends and family to avoid charges. For bank transfer message organizer.

Train from £19 return (may be reduced by a third with a network railcard or groupsave).

Meeting:

Meet for the hike to start at 10.25am (after the train from London arrives ) outside Hemel Hempstead Train Station (the organizer is not coming by train).

Train:

The 9.56am from London Euston gets to Hemel Hempstead for 10.23am See National Rail Enquiries www.nationalrail.co.uk

I would encourage you to seek out other members who can go as part of a group save on the train and meet from 9.20am to give you time to get tickets/group saves. The organizer will not be taking the train for this hike but driving to destination station.

Meet close the ticket kiosk at Euston (see photo below).

Please make a note of the organizers numbers - Colin 07709305681

Car: The Station Car Park at Hemel Hempstead is £4.80 weekends. Free roadside parking may be available in Boxmoor a short walk away (please check for restrictions and leave enough time to park).

Walking Safety: Walking is a great way to keep fit and generally very safe; however it does contain an element of risk. Before going on any of these walks you need to be reasonably fit and be prepared to be responsible for your own safety. You must wear appropriate clothing such as proper walking boots, warm and wet weather clothing and carry sufficient food and water. Please see our Terms and Conditions (https://4142298.xyz/Chiltern-Explorers/pages/Terms_and_Conditions/)

COULD EVERYONE PLEASE AVOID COMMENTS BELOW THAT ARE NOT SPECIFIC TO THE EVENT AS THIS GENERATES SPAM, JUST CHANGE YOUR RSVP IF YOU CAN'T GO. YOU CAN MESSAGE ME. MANY THANKS.