Route Discovery
Coombe Hill formed part of a full day exploring the north-eastern Chilterns, alongside walks at Tring Reservoirs and Penn Wood. With all three sitting within the same general area, it made sense to combine them into a day of shorter explorations rather than make separate trips. This was my first visit to Coombe Hill and I arrived with very little knowledge of the area, although two features had caught my attention beforehand: the monument on the hill and the former location of a trig point, which has since been removed.
Beyond those points of interest, there was no particular objective for the walk. This wasn't an equipment test or a navigation exercise; it was simply about getting out and exploring somewhere new. For the route itself I followed the published walk in the Short Walks Made Easy Chilterns guidebook. At around 4 km, it looked like a short introduction to Coombe Hill and the surrounding landscape, with the potential to provide a useful foundation for longer routes of my own in the future.
Preparation & Route Planning
Planning was fairly light. I spent enough time with the route to identify the monument and the former trig point location, while also checking a couple of sections where the published route appeared to double back on itself despite more obvious alternatives being visible on the map. The walk was planned as a circular route from the National Trust Coombe Hill car park, with the route bookmarked in the OS Maps app rather than downloaded as a GPX file or saved for offline use.
Looking at the OS mapping beforehand suggested a mixture of forest trails and more open ground, perhaps with something of a heathland character. The forecast was also favourable, following a long spell of settled weather across the UK, so there was little reason to expect difficult conditions. The route was short enough that I didn't feel a backup plan was necessary.
Trail Notes
The National Trust car park places you immediately within the wooded landscape of Coombe Hill, with very little transition between arriving and being on the walk. The opening section quickly settles into an enjoyable mixture of woodland and more open ground before climbing very gently through the remaining ascent towards the top of Coombe Hill. It never feels particularly demanding, and the paths were dry and straightforward underfoot, consisting mainly of compacted gravel and forest floor.
Turning left to head west towards the monument, its upper section soon becomes visible ahead. Reaching it opens up the landscape considerably, with far-reaching views sweeping from the west around towards the north. That openness gives the first part of the walk much of its character. The published route then turns back on itself, briefly retracing earlier tracks before heading east towards Bacombe Hill. This was one of the sections I had noticed during planning, and although it works perfectly well, it also suggested an obvious minor alteration for a future visit.
Re-entering the woodland, the route turns left and descends to join a short stretch of the Ridgeway Trail. Only a few hundred metres later the landscape opens again as Bacombe Hill comes into view, offering another angle across the Chilterns landscape rather than simply repeating the earlier panorama. The path follows the contours of the hillside for a short distance before eventually bearing right and returning to the trees. There is one short climb along the southern edge of Bacombe Hill as the route heads back into woodland, but it soon levels out.
For all the open views earlier in the route, the biggest surprise came on the return path. A broad woodland path passes beneath large beech trees, creating one of the most distinctive sections of the entire walk and, for me, the highlight. Return loops on short circular walks can sometimes feel like little more than the journey back to the car, particularly after the route has already delivered its main viewpoint, but here the woodland gives the closing stages a character of their own.
Instead of fading away after the vistas, the walk changes again. The denser beech woodland eventually gives way to areas of lower scrub, and that continuing variation helped the whole 4 km feel much more substantial than its distance might suggest. By the finish, that was my main impression of Coombe Hill: a short route that managed to pack in considerably more variety than expected, particularly through the contrast between its open viewpoints and woodland sections.
Skills & Takeaways
There were no major navigation or equipment lessons from Coombe Hill. The main takeaway was simply a better understanding of what this part of the Chilterns has to offer and how its paths fit together. That makes the route useful beyond the walk itself, because having now explored Coombe Hill and Bacombe Hill on foot, I have a much better starting point for building my own routes through the area. This published circuit could easily form the core of something longer in future.
There is also one small alteration I would make if repeating it. Rather than leaving the monument and retracing part of the outward route, it appears possible to join the short Ridgeway Trail section from that area and continue towards Bacombe Hill. That would remove the small amount of doubling back and give the circuit a more continuous feel. Otherwise, there is very little I would change.
Route Verdict
Coombe Hill is a good example of how much variety can fit into a relatively short walk. The open sections provide the obvious draw, particularly the far-reaching views from around Coombe Hill and the changing perspective towards Bacombe Hill, yet the walk through the mature beech woodland was the part that stayed with me most. It gives the return journey its own identity and prevents the route from becoming a simple out-and-back to a viewpoint.
The route was very easy to follow, and the stated distance and difficulty felt about right. At roughly 4 km, it should suit a wide range of ages and abilities, including families and walkers looking for something relatively short without sacrificing variety.
I would happily walk it again, probably incorporating the small Ridgeway Trail alteration after the monument. The National Trust car park also feels like the natural starting point, placing you immediately into the landscape without any unnecessary approach. Ultimately, the views are the strongest reason to come here, but they aren't the only reason the route works.
This is a short but varied Chilterns walk combining far-reaching views from Coombe Hill and Bacombe Hill with attractive woodland. At around 4 km, it is an easy, rewarding route that feels more varied than its distance might suggest.
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