Here is a collection of 20 tried and tested circular routes chosen for walkers with dogs. They include crucial dog factors such as livestock, stiles and roads, with warnings in advance when a lead is necessary and when it's safe to run free. There are also contact details for the nearest vets and recommended dog friendly pubs and cafes. Clear numbered route directions and a corresponding map for each route keep walkers on the right track and there are plenty of opportunities for dogs to roam safely off lead. The routes vary in length from 2 1/2 to 5 1/2 miles and provide a great introduction for dogs and their owners to the stunning Chilterns countryside. There are walks through beech woods, including at Great and Little Missenden; waterside walks by reservoirs near Tring, chalk streams, and the Wendover Arm; and bracing routes along the tops of hills at Ivinghoe, Dunstable Downs and West Wycombe. Many of the routes explore National Trust beauty spots; through ancient woodland and downland in the Ashridge Estate; in the rolling parkland of Hughenden; and high up on chalk and grassland at Whipsnade and Totternhoe.
Advice for Dog Walkers. The Walks:
1 Following the Thames Path at Whitchurch (51/2 miles)
2 Nettlebed and the Chilterns Way (3 miles)
3 Lewknor up to Beacon Hill (31/2 miles)
4 Bledlow and Chinnor Hill (4 miles)
5 Following the Ridgeway at Pulpit Wood (21/4 miles)
6 Bradenham Beeches and Park Wood (4 miles)
7 Beech Woods in the Hughenden Estate (41/2 miles)
8 Exploring West Wycombe's Hills and Woods (3 miles)
9 Roald Dahl's Great Missenden and the Surrounding Woods (21/2 miles)
10 Water and Woods at Little Missenden (41/2 miles)
11 Coleshill Village on top of the Chiltern Hills (21/2 miles)
12 Cholesbury Iron Age Camp and Common (21/2 miles)
13 Waterside Walking by the Wendover Arm (4 miles)
14 Coombe Hill and Wonderful Wendover (31/4 miles)
15 Tring Reservoirs and Towpaths (43/4 miles)
16 Aldbury and the Ashridge Estate (21/2miles)
17 Berkhamsted, Castle Ruins and a Canal (5 miles)
18 To the top of Ivinghoe Beacon (31/2 miles)
19 Dunstable Downs and Whipsnade Tree Cathedral (21/2 miles)
20 Walking above Totternhoe (3 miles)
Ruth Paley is an experienced dog walker. She is also the author of a number of walking books including Berkshire A Dog Walker's Guide, The Chilterns Year Round Walks, Kiddiwalks in Oxfordshire and Kiddiwalks in Berkshire.
