Essex, Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire

Ivinghoe Hills butterfly walk

Duke of Burgundy butterfly on the Ivinghoe Hills walk, on the Ashridge Estate — A rare Duke of Burgundy butterfly on the Ivinghoe Hills | © Lauren Wise

Follow this easy circular walk where you can spot the various species of butterflies found on the Ivinghoe Hills. Species to see include the rare Duke of Burgundy and other species that thrive on rough chalk downland, such as chalkhill blue, dark-green fritillary and marbled white butterflies.

Near to

Ashridge Estate

Start point

National Trust Steps Hill lower car park on west side of C road (Beacon Road), grid ref: SP96415

Trail information

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Difficulty*

Full trail

DistanceMiles: 2 (km: 3.2)

Duration3 hours

Dog friendly**

*Circular route down, along and back up the Chilterns escarpment. Some muddy paths. For further details, please see Terrain section.
**Dogs are welcome but should be kept under close control at all times. For further details, please see section marked Facilities.

Discover a variety of butterflies

The lower slopes of Ivinghoe Hills have one of the strongest colonies of Duke of Burgundy butterflies left in England. Also look out for dingy and grizzled skippers, brown argus and green hairstreaks.

Address
National Trust Steps Hill lower car park on west side of C road (Beacon Road), grid ref: SP96415
Directions via Google Maps
By train
Tring Station, 2 miles (3km). Cheddington Station, 3.5 miles (5.6 km)
On foot
Off the Icknield Way, east of Ivinghoe.
By bus
Bus stop on B489 above Ivinghoe Aston, within a mile of the route.
Cycling
Access on road only to the Ivinghoe Hills via B489 or B4506 (both leading to Beacon Road). No cycle trails along the walk.
By road
Turn south off B489 or west off B4506. Park in the bottom, southern end, of the National Trust car park on the west side of this C road (Beacon Road).
Total stages: 6
Total stages: 6
Start point
National Trust Steps Hill lower car park on west side of C road (Beacon Road), grid ref: SP96415
Stage 1
From the south-west corner of the grassy Steps Hill car park on the west side of the road, take the public footpath by the large brown sign marking the old military training area. Follow this widened path through glades in scrubby woodland, turning right onto the bridleway before the crest of the escarpment. Follow the bridleway through scrub and young oak woodland, passing the first gate out on to the downs on your left.
Stage 2
Take the second gate on your left, by another large brown sign, onto the downs above Incombe Hole. You don't need to go down the steep track into the Hole. Instead, follow vague sheep tracks that run above the right-hand crest of Incombe Hole, past isolated scrub bushes. Head for the ancient earthwork (embankment and ditch system) that runs down the spur on the right side of the Combe. Follow this ditch almost to the bottom of the scarp slope, but bearing right to cut across to the vehicle track that runs along the foot of the escarpment, joining the track to the right of a cattle trough.
Stage 3
By the fence, bear right on a chalky track that runs along the foot of the downland slope. Carry on along this track until you reach a rickety gate.
Stage 4
After a stile by the rickety gate, turn right up a sunken track sheltered by tall bushes. Here you have an option to make a detour before turning right: carry on along this bottom of the slope path, through a shady section, with a badger's sett, into a large paddock of rough grassland and bushes. This is a good area for dark-green fritillary and chalkhill blues on the shorter turf upslope. Retrace your steps and turn left up the sunken track.
Duke of Burgundy butterflies
The sunken track leading uphill, especially the broad open bay on the right (just past a cattle trough on the left), is good for Duke of Burgundy butterflies. The linear bay is a gathering ground for Burgundy males. Check the bushes in spring for green hairstreaks too. Further upslope, the track leads past short turf banks, just before a bend in the road. Chalk blues fly over these banks in August.
Green hairstreak butterfly on a blade of grass | © National Trust Images / Hugh Mothersole
Stage 5
Just before the road bends, bear right to pick up the vehicle track that leads up the scarp slope crest southwards. You can do another detour here: cross the road carefully, follow the broad chalky path for 110yd (100m), then veer off left to explore short turf banks and gulleys, before recrossing the road and rejoining the route. On the vehicle track, ignore the footpath leading off to the right and carry on up the steep slope through open grassland.
Stage 6
Just before the track disappears into the scrub, fork left down a bumpy track that takes you through patches of hawthorn scrub. Then turn left to join a rutted track, which leads back to the car park where you began.
End point
National Trust Steps Hill lower car park on west side of C road (Beacon Road), grid ref: SP96415
Trail map
Map route for Ivinghoe Hills butterfly walk | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey
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