Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire

Both counties tend to be underrated by walkers, often overlooked in favour of the delights of the Thames Valley or the hillier Chiltern country of Buckinghamshire. But they do possess much fine walking country, with a diversity of terrain, gentle hilly regions, lots of pleasant woodland, attractive riverside landscapes and an impressive collection of pretty villages. There are a large number of country parks, especially in Bedfordshire, which make excellent starting points for walks in the local countryside, linking up with the public footpath network. Both Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire have an extensive network of well-maintained rights of way and a large number of well-waymarked recreational footpaths. Routes include explorations along the Greensand Ridge Walk, the Icknield Way Path, the Ouse Valley Way, the Lea Valley Walk, as well as the Grand Union Canal Walk, the Bunyan Trail and a part of the Chiltern way.