a garden. Top marks for novelty value, but also for frustration, for this is the only inaccessible historic county top. Trespass cannot be recommended so unless you happen to encounter a friendly resident happy to invite you onto their land, you will not be able actually to stand on this particular summit. A crumb of comfort can perhaps be gained by venturing north along the busy A233 for a short way to reach Westerham Heights Farm (245m), the equally disappointing highest point of Greater London. Traversing Betsom’s Hill to the south is the Pilgrims’ Way, the route followed by pilgrims travelling from Winchester in Hampshire to visit the shrine of Thomas à Becket at Canterbury, now a 192km-long National Trail.
Looking up the lane to the highest publicly accessible point on Betsom’s Hill
Did you Know?
Famous native
Frontman and lead vocalist of The Rolling Stones, Sir Mick Jagger, was born in Dartford in 1943. Sir Mick was knighted in 2003 for services to music; he has been performing with the band since the early 1960s.
Interesting fact
The first person to swim the English Channel began his quest from the Admiralty Pier, Dover, in 1875. Captain John Webb arrived in Calais 21 hours and 45 minutes later, having covered 39 miles.
Route
There is room to park a car close to the entrance of the lane. From here, walk W along the track, which rises very gradually to a coachworks and Fort Cottages. The highest point in Kent clearly lies in gardens, which, as the name of the cottages suggests, were once the site of a fort, to the S of the lane. Walkers will have to satisfy themselves with reaching the highest point of the track or by wandering around an adjacent patch of scrubland to the N.
Descent
Return by the same route.
The Garden of England
This traditional title recognises Kent’s history of allotments and hop orchards, as well as its bountiful countryside and abundant wildlife. Charles Dickens once commented: ‘Kent, sir, everyone knows Kent. Apples, cherries, hops and women.’ However, a TV survey carried out in 2006 to find England’s 21st-century ‘garden county’ revealed that Kent had slipped in the public’s affections. Just five per cent of respondents said Kent deserved its title as the Garden of England, with people insisting Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire and Yorkshire were more worthy of the sought-after moniker.
Fields close to the summit of Betsom’s Hill
8 MIDDLESEX
Bushey Heath 153m TQ 1525 9378
| Location | Crossroads 3km S of Bushey (in Hertfordshire) |
| Start | Stanmore Tube Station (Jubilee Line), TQ 1760 9261 |
| OS map | Landranger 176 (West London), Explorer 173 (London North) |
| Difficulty | 1 |
| Enjoyment | * |
| Distance | 6km (3.5 miles) |
| Ascent | 70m |
| Time | 1–2 hrs |
The British do irony well. Why else would there be a pub called The Alpine and a road named Alpine Walk close to the low, traffic-choked summit of Middlesex? Alpine walk? Nothing could be further from the truth. There is nothing alpine about London’s northwest fringe. The summit’s absence of character and charm can be countered by a stroll through some of the area’s nearby green havens, including Bentley Priory Nature Reserve, Stanmore Common and Stanmore Country Park, on the way to or back from Bushey Heath.
Route
Turn left out of Stanmore Tube Station – the terminus of the Jubilee Line – and head along London Road towards Stanmore. The route continues along The Broadway, past cafés and shops, before turning NW up Stanmore Hill and The Common, passing Stanmore Common on the right and RAF Bentley Priory on the left. The top is a low plateau where four roads – Common Road, High Road, Magpie Hall Road and The Common – converge. Magpie Hall Road marks the boundary between the historic counties of Hertfordshire and Middlesex. The highest point appears to be a triangle of grass bordered by Alpine Walk, Magpie Hall Road and The Common, diagonally opposite The Alpine pub.
One of the four roads that converge at the highest point in Middlesex
Did you Know?
Famous native
Peter Sallis, who played Norman Clegg in the TV comedy series Last of the Summer Wine, was born in Twickenham in 1921. More recently, the entertainer has provided the voice of Wallace in the Wallace and Gromit movies.
Interesting fact
The county name Middlesex means ‘territory of the middle Saxons’, a reference to the area’s former dwellers. The region was recorded as ‘Middelseaxan’ in AD704 and as ‘Midelsexe’ in the Domesday Book in 1086.
Descent
Return SE along The Common and turn left into Warren Lane. Soon after passing a car park and a disused block of toilets, turn right onto a path immediately after a gated access track to Stanmore Cricket Club pavilion. This way follows a section of the Bentley Priory circular walk around fishponds. At the S end of the ponds, follow a footpath parallel to Springfield Close that emerges onto Little Common, a gravel road. At the end of Little Common, turn left along Wood Lane, right into Dennis Lane, then left into Valencia Road. Take a right turn to Kerry Avenue, from where Stanmore Station is directly ahead.
An ironic road sign close to the highest point in Middlesex
9 BEDFORDSHIRE
Dunstable Downs 243m TL 0088 1942
| Location | Northern Chilterns, 8km WSW of Luton |
| Start | National Trust car park (pay & display), Chilterns Gateway Visitor Centre, TL 0084 1958 |
| OS map | Landranger 166 (Luton & Hertford), Explorers 181 (Chiltern Hills North) and 182 (St Albans and Hatfield) |
| Difficulty | 0 |
| Enjoyment | * |
| Distance |
Negligible
|
