A few weeks ago Aylesbury MP, Laura Kyrke-Smith, joined Doug Landman and Tom Chevalier from the Icknield Way Association at the newly-installed Great Chalk Way information board on Ivinghoe Beacon on the Bedfordshire/Buckinghamshire/Hertfordshire borders to celebrate the launch last year of the longest oldest prehistoric coast to cast trail in Britain which is now seeking National Trail status for all of tis 375 miles.
“I was delighted to join Doug and Tom from the Icknield Way Association at Ivinghoe Beacon to see one of the brand-new information boards for the Great Chalk Way,” said Laura, “This ancient route stretches from Norfolk to Dorset tracing the chalk spine of southern England and passes right through the Aylesbury constituency via the historic Icknield Way and Ridgeway.” Laura went on to say “The new board at Ivinghoe Beacon is especially important since it marks the Beacon as a gateway to the Chilterns and helps walkers and riders connect our local landscape to this coast-to-coast trail. Huge thanks to the Icknield Way Association and the Friends of the Ridgeway for their dedication in preserving and promoting this historic path. Their work keeps our countryside accessible and our heritage alive.”
The Icknield Way Association is part of the Great Chalk Way group; and is actively seeking Government support to designate the Icknield Way and the Wessex Ridgeway as National Trails to complete National Trail status for the entire route which has already been granted to the Peddars Way and the Ridgeway, two of the four long-distance trails that make up the Great Chalk Way.
Doug Landman – Development Officer of the Icknield Way Association and leading member of the Great Chalk Way group (pictured in the kilt) said, “Once National Trail status is granted for the Icknield Way and the Wessex Ridgeway the Great Chalk Way will be better protected and enhanced for current and future generations who will feel the benefits to their mental and physical health, and the pure joy and exhilaration of being outdoors in one of our most wonderful and ancient landscapes in Britain.”
The board was funded by the Icknield Way Association and installed by the National Trust adjacent to their Beacon car park, W3W location using artwork prepared by the Friends of the Ridgeway. Photo shows: Doug Landman, Tom Chevalier, Josh Kyle and Laura Kyrke-Smith with Ivinghoe Beacon in the background.