Hike For Charity

We ask for a £5 donation for GOSH Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.

You pay for your own accommodation direct. Pay as you go for, food, drinks, personal expenses etc.

How do I secure a place on this trip?

• Just sign up to this Meetup.
• We will message you to confirm availability and options.
• Book your accommodation & transport. Let Carl R have details.
• A £10 deposit is required to reserve a seat in our car. The balance will be due on 14 April. We will use WhatsApp for communication.
• Pay £5 donation to GOSH.

Important information

• You must wear suitable footwear and hiking clothes for the planned walks. If you are well prepared it should be a very rewarding experience.
• If you are not sure about suitable footwear or clothes or your ability to do these walks please discuss with Carl R in advance so that you can make a considered decision.
• Participants must take full responsibility for their own welfare and safety.
• You sign up for and attend our activities at your own risk.
• This Meetup group does not have insurances to cover your activity.
• Please do not attend if you do not feel confident to walk on all types of surfaces with steep inclines.

Finally
Please message Carl R if you need additional information.
If you sign up for this trip you will be added to a WhatsApp group.

In cases where a section is less than 16km in length we may increase the distance by combining two sections, or by extending the walk to include additional locations.
See.... London LOOP - Transport for London

Walk facts (section 1)
Length: Approximately 16 km /10 miles.
Duration: actual walking time, circa 4 hours.
Walk grade: Easy, the paths are mainly level but with a few short climbs. Along the rivers they can become muddy.
Weather: Erith - BBC Weather
What to take: a packed lunch and plenty of water.

Donation to charity: £5 cash on the day
What to take: A packed lunch and plenty of water.
Also, we're not insured, so please have your own insurance for this type of activity.

Walk description
Our route will generally follow the route given on the Ramblers website. For info and walk highlights: London Loop section 1 of 24: Erith to Old Bexley
We will take the route passing Hall Place & also visit Braeburn Park, a London Wildlife Trust nature reserve.
Braeburn Park | London Wildlife Trust

Facilities along the route

• There is a café and toilets at the Morrisons supermarket near the start.
• There are cafés and pubs in Erith, Crayford and Bexley.
• There are toilets at Waterside Gardens.
• If the weather is fine we will stop to eat our snacks at a convenient outside location. If necessary we will seek shelter in a pub or café.
• At the end of the walk we plan to have a farewell drink before heading for home.

Meeting at
Erith railway station. We'll be outside the station exit holding a GOSH banner, please see the photo below.
Meeting time:11.30 am. We'll leave at 11.40 am.

TRAVEL
Both Erith where we start, and Bexley, the station closest to where we finish, are Oyster friendly. Trains are very frequent to central London from both stations.
Plan your route: TFL and The Trainline

KEY INFORMATION
YOU MUST READ THE THREE SECTIONS BELOW - if you join this trip, you're confirming that you have.

1. The perilous bit
2. Our FAQs, including an explanation of Group save tickets which will save you money.
3. See here for what to wear and take. Specifically make sure you bring good hiking boots and that you are ready for muddy conditions . Please - no trainers, they are not suitable for walking in the wintry muddy conditions.

AND FINALLY

• We're raising money for charity

We’ll deduct Meetup fees but all the profits will go to charity. After each hike, we’ll let you know exactly how much we’ve all raised. And if you’d like to join us and raise money by leading some hikes, please get in touch – the more the merrier 😊

Hike facts
Approximately 15 km /9 miles.
Duration: actual walking time, circa 4 or 5 hours.
Hike grade: Moderate, there are hills with total ascent 300m. More than a Sunday stroll.
Weather: see: Chinnor - BBC Weather
Donation to GOSH: £5 cash on the day.
What to take: a packed lunch and plenty of water. Also, we're not insured, so please have your own insurance for this type of activity.

Walk description
After catching the steam train from Princes Risborough to Chinnor, we'll leave the station to join the The Ridgeway - National Trail, and then on to an unspoiled, traditional 16th century Free House with outside seating. This location has featured in Midsomer Murders and other TV series. Here we can relax for a while and eat our packed lunches. Those that wish to can take a short walk to see The Lyde, a sunken aquatic garden, created by Lord Carrington.

Refreshed, we'll take to the Chiltern Way and Ridgeway to the top of Lodge Hill for some breath-taking views of the surrounding countryside.

We'll then enjoy a steady downhill walk back to the station to finish our adventure. There's a pub nearby if you have time to join us for refreshments 😊

MEETING AT
Princes Risborough railway station. We'll be outside the station exit holding a GOSH banner, please see the photo below. Meeting time: 10.45am. You will need to buy your ticket for the steam train which departs at 11am.
The steam train ticket costs Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway

• Adult (16-59 years) - Single £12
• Senior (60+ years) - Adult Day Rover £7.00

The train is run by volunteers who advise that there is no need to book on-line. They say passengers have never been refused a ticket due to the train being full, however there may be standing room only.

TRAVEL
by train
We start and finish at Princes Risborough.

1. Getting there and back
London Marylebone to Princes Risborough: get the 10am, arriving 10.33 am. A return ticket costs £29 but with a Network Railcard or Groupsave, it's £19.30.
Plan your route here: trainline

by car
There is a car park at Princes Risborough station.

Carl can provide a lift from Reading to Princes Risborough (return) for up to 6 people. Please message Carl to check departure time, availability etc.

KEY INFORMATION
YOU MUST READ THE THREE SECTIONS BELOW - if you join this trip, you're confirming that you have.

1. The perilous bit.
2. Our FAQs, including an explanation of Groupsave tickets which will save you money.
3. See here for what to wear and take

AND FINALLY

• We're raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children

We’ll deduct Meetup fees but all the profits will go to GOSH. After each hike, we’ll let you know exactly how much we’ve all raised. And if you’d like to join us and raise money by leading some hikes, please get in touch – the more the merrier 😊

• We're volunteers hoping to establish a community of friends, so please go with the flow and help out where and if you can.
• If you need to get in touch on the day, you can call Colin on 07941 646 035 or both of us via Meetup.

Hike facts
Distance: Approximately 23 km / 14 miles
Duration: Walking time circa 6 hours.
Grade: Moderate. We will maintain a steady pace over varied surfaces with a few hills along our route.
Weather: see here
Donation to GOSH: £5 cash on the day

Hike description
From Tring station, we’ll begin by walking alongside the Grand Union Canal before heading to the famous Bridgewater Monument, where we’ll take a quick break. Facilities here include public toilets, an ice cream van, and snacks.

Next, we'll walk through woods and open land to Ivinghoe Beacon. Along the way we’ll take in lovely views of rolling hills and the legendary chalk lion at Dunstable Downs.

Following the Ridgeway National Trail, we’ll continue enjoying panoramic views to Pitstone Hill for our lunch break.

From here, we enter Aldbury Nowers and on to Grim's Ditch, an ancient Celtic earthwork. Leaving the woodland, we head for Aldbury where you can nip into The Greyhound to buy a drink or sit by the village pond where you can see the old Stocks and Whipping Post that was last used in 1835 to punish a man for public drunkenness.

Aldbury has been featured in films including The Dirty Dozen, Bridget Jones, Midsummer Murders and more.

Refreshed, we’ll follow the Hertfordshire Way for the final 2 km to end our walk back at Tring railway station.

Meeting at
Tring railway station. We'll be outside the station exit holding a GOSH banner, please see the photo below.
Meeting time: 10.35 am. We'll leave at 10.40 am.

TRAVEL
by train
Buy a day Return to Tring. It will cost £22.20 but with Groupsave or a Network Railcard, the price is £14.75 (as of 27/5/25).
From London: catch the 9.54 am from Euston, arriving into at Tring at 10.32 am.
Coming back: there are 3 trains an hour from Tring to London.

by car
If you're driving there is a car park at Tring railway station.
Limited spaces will be available in a car leaving Reading Railway Station. Please message Carl for information.

KEY INFORMATION
YOU MUST READ THE THREE SECTIONS BELOW - if you join this trip, you're confirming that you have.

1. The perilous bit
2. Our FAQs, including an explanation of Group save tickets which will save you money.
3. See here for what to wear and take. Specifically make sure you bring good hiking boots and that you are ready for muddy conditions . Please - no trainers, they are not suitable for walking in the wintry muddy conditions.

AND FINALLY

• We're raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children

We’ll deduct Meetup fees but all the profits will go to GOSH. After each hike, we’ll let you know exactly how much we’ve all raised. And if you’d like to join us and raise money by leading some hikes, please get in touch – the more the merrier 😊