Chess Valley Walk: Complete Guide Including GPS Map

This is the perfect linear day- walk, from Rickmansworth to Chesham following the River Chess in the middle of the beautiful Chilterns, AONB. The Chess Valley Walk is among the popular walks accessible from London by tube, easy to do, it offers incredible sceneries over the valley and you discover some small villages along the way. A must-do for city dwellers looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the capital for a day.

For a long time on my to-do list of day walks accessible from London, I finally got the opportunity to walk the Chess Valley route from Rickmansworth to Chesham. Here is a detailed guide of the route and things to see on the way. You can download the GPS map of the walk at the end of this post and upload it on your navigation app.

Logistics for the Chess Valley Walk

Highlights of the Chess Valley Walk

• Rickmansworth
• River Chess
• Latimer
• Loudwater
• Chorleywood
• Chenies
• De Vere Estate
• Chilterns AONB
• Chesham

The Chess Valley Walk Guide

Rickmansworth

Rickmansworth was settled in the Stone Age. It has a rich history from being the home of Cardinal Wolsey, who gave Hampton Court Palace to Henry VIII when he fell out of favour, to being the centre of booming industries such as silk, paper and brewing. However, following the failure of the Watford and Rickmansworth train line to bring new businesses into town, Rickmansworth suffered economically. It regained dynamism during the 1920s and became a commuter town thanks to the extension of the Metropolitan Railway.

To the River Chess

Our walk starts in the commuter town of Rickmansworth, on the Metropolitan Line. When you come out of the train station, take left onto Homestead Road. Follow the road, and walk past the Waitrose Customers Car Park, until you reach Park Road. Cross Park Road and on the other side you enter Rickmansworth Park.

Take the footpath going up and when you get to the top turn right. Ignore the footpath signpost that you can see a little bit further down and continue straight until you reach Our Lady Help of Christian RC Church.

If you take a closer look at the map below you will notice all the circles around the Church. This is because we wanted to check every facade of the Church, so we went off track a little. Now, back on the actual Chess Valley route! Once you get to the Church, take the path on your left. You then follow a footpath behind the playing fields leading you straight to the River Chess.

Loudwater

And there you are, the River Chess! At the start of the walk, the landscape is a mixture of green and tall yellow grass on the border of the river with trees on the opposite bank. Follow this path until you reach a wooden bridge. Don’t cross over, but it is a good spot for pictures.

You then get further away from the river bank and walk across meadows with tall yellow grass. When you arrive at Loudwater Lane, cross over and take the footpath on the opposite side of the road. You are then walking on a lane fenced on both sides with tall bushes to obstruct the view over private properties. In the end, you encounter Troutstream Way. Cross the street and you enter meadows with horses grazing. Continue on this path until you reach Trout Rise Farm.

From this moment onwards and for a total of a whopping 0.4 miles (600 m), I want to say “close your eyes“. But actually, “close your ears” would be more appropriate. Indeed, you would be walking on a footpath along the M25 (Hashtag smiley with a scary face!!!). Don’t be pulled off by what I just said, it’s a small pain for a great gain (or something along those lines). The Chess Valley Walk is really worth doing and if it is a such highly rated walk, it is because this little inconvenience on the way does not take away its beauty of it.

When you get to the end, take the footbridge to cross to the opposite side of the M25.

Chorleywood

On the other side is the affluent village of Chorleywood, voted the “Happiest Place” to live in the Uk in 2004 and in 2011 the “Least Deprived area” in the country. Follow the path across the green fields and you are back on the river banks.

You then arrive at another wooden bridge. This time walk across the bridge. Enjoy the walk on the towpath by the river, admiring the endless lush green fields around, and the wildlife such as ducks or swans taking a dip in the river and horses grazing on the hills.

As you come to the crossroad with Holloway Lane, don’t do the same mistake as we did, and continue straight on.

Chenies

A little bit further down the path, you arrive at the village of Chenies. You find an old mill, refurbished in a red brick house and next to it a bench. At first, it sounds like the perfect spot for a lunch break but the bench does not seem very stable. Therefore we decided to keep going waiting for a safer place to eat, but you can of course live dangerously and try the bench.

Well, this is THE muddiest part of that walk – and where we met a couple of walkers with trainers in a precarious situation. Lace up your waterproof hiking boots, zip your gaiters up and be brave! Remember the longer you stay still the more you sink.

On the other side of that muddy section, you find a field. This is where we chose to have lunch, sitting on the grass rather than on an unstable bench.

Latimer

After lunch, you are leaving the flat river bank path and go uphill to get a better view over the Chess Valley. Don’t worry, it is a very easy hill to do with a low gradient so you can take your time. As you walk up the path, you come face to face with the De Vere Latimer Estate. The estate was first mentioned in 1190 AD and has been owned by English noble families over the centuries and became the centre of intelligence services during WWII. Nowadays a hotel, the estate offers a perfect venue for weddings, corporate events, or romantic weekends away.

Continue on the same path and you arrive at Tooley’s croft, a recognisable crop with a single tree in the middle. Walk on the side of the crop and then go down the hill following the path alongside Frith Woods. If you want to add a bit more difficulty to the walk, take the path going in the woods to get down. The terrain in the woods is more challenging than on the field.

Once at the bottom of the hill, walk alongside a line of bushes. Wave goodbye to the Chilterns and the Chess Valley as we are approaching Chesham.

Chesham

It is now near the end of our Chess Valley Walk. As you come out of the fields, take the left on Latimer Road. At the crossroad with Rowan Farm, turn right. You find a footpath at the end of the street taking you back to the River Chess, but this time you are in the town.

Follow the paved path alongside the river until you reach Moor Road. There, you can either continue walking on Moor Road or turn right onto the footpath to get a bit of nature. If you chose option 2, you would be walking past Christ Church. Both routes lead back to Moor Road. At the roundabout, cross Amersham Road on your right. On the opposite side, you find a footpath leading you to the Old Town.

This is the end of the Chess Valley Walk. To continue enjoying the day, I recommend you go to the Queen’s Head Pub where you find a nice beer garden. When you feel it is time for food, head to the new town centre on the High Street. Just at the corner with Station Road, which as the name suggest leads to the train station, you find the Jasmine Thai Kitchen restaurant ( yes it is not a traditional British Pub but a Thai restaurant). I do hope you enjoy Asian cuisine because the food here is amazing! And when you see a Thai family eating at the table next to you, you know you are being served traditional Thai food.

Bon appetit!

Chess Valley Walk GPS Map

Do you want to walk the Chess Valley Walk? No problem! Download the map by clicking on the button below and upload it on your navigation app so you can follow the same route as I did. For more information on how to upload the map on your phone, follow my step-by-step guide here.

Final Thoughts on the Chess Valley Walk

If you enjoy a nice river walk on a bright sunny day, why not try the following walks?

Thames Path: Belvedere to Greenwich

Arundel to Amberley via the River Arun

Thames Path from Richmond to Kew

Eynsford Circular via the River Darent

Thames Path Bourne End to Marlow

And you, what is your favourite riverwalk? Let me know in the comments below.

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