Chess Valley Walk

Summary

The Chess Valley Walk is a 10-mile route following the River Chess upstream from the small town of Rickmansworth in southwest Hertfordshire to the market town of Chesham in Buckinghamshire. The river is a natural chalk stream fed by chalk aquifers in the Chiltern Hills. The route can be followed in either direction and is clearly waymarked. Most of the route is on public footpaths, with short sections on roads. Along the way, there are historic buildings and estates, water meadows, ancient field systems, and nature reserves. Starting at the confluence where the rivers Chess and Gade form the River Colne, the walk visits Little Lady’s Wood before crossing over the M25 London Orbital. After the road noise fades, the walk continues north past Church End and Sarratt Bottom before turning westwards through Frogmore Meadow Nature Reserve and past Chenies Bottom to reach Latimer. The walk then continues on a northwest course to its conclusion in Chesham via Frith Wood, Milk Hall, Chess Mount, and Waterside.