About three quarters of a mile back along the Aldbury Road from Ivinghoe is a small car park on the west side of the road where the Ridgeway path may be accessed. This will take you to the top of Ivinghoe Beacon, 747 feet above sea level, due east of Ivinghoe and a very pleasant walk.

This view, on the opposite side of the road from the car park, shows the Ivinghoe Hills with the beacon out of the left-hand edge of the picture.

Gaining height we look across Incombe Hole, the deep valley in the foreground, to Ivinghoe Village, the small white patches around the centre of the picture near the horizon, which is just visible through the rather thick haze.

This is about the halfway point on our one and a half mile walk.

We still have to gain some height in order to reach the top of the beacon but it is definitely getting closer. You can see the chalk showing through on the path where numerous walkers have eroded the thin cover of turf.

Edward Thomas, well known for his poem 'Adlestrop', walked this same path. In fact he walked the full length of The Ridgeway in three days and the skylarks sang here for him as they did for us.

Still below the top of the beacon we see the ridge extending eastward from Ivinghoe Beacon to Gallows Hill and beyond that in a direct line is Whipsnade Wild Animal Park.

Finally at the top the tremendous view across the Vale of Aylesbury is partly obscured by the thick haze.

Ivinghoe Beacon is sometimes quoted as being the highest point in the Chilterns and I hate to disappoint but it isn't. That accolade goes to Combe Hill, five miles south west of here, near Wendover at 848 feet compared with 747 feet here.