Three Shires Way
79 km (49 miles) from Tathall End, Milton Keynes to Grafham Water, Cambridgeshire, in England.
- Distance
- 78.7 km
- In miles
- 48.9 mi
- Day stages
- 4 at ~20 km
- Typical trip
- 3–4 days
- Countries
- England
- Highest ground nearby
- Boring Field 80.8 m
- Listed summits within 2.5 km
- 1
- Western end
- SP 8207 4674
- Eastern end
- TL 1447 6969
- Waymark
- Triple-linked horseshoes
About the route
49 mile route liking the Swan's Way to the Grafham Water circular walk, which it now incorporates, made up largely of bridleways.
Route description as recorded in OpenStreetMap by its contributors (ODbL).
How long it really is
We measure Three Shires Way at 78.7 km (48.9 miles), computed by walking the OpenStreetMap route geometry point by point . The route is tagged in OpenStreetMap as 79 km; where that differs from our figure, the difference is usually alternative sections, spurs, or a published distance that rounds.
This is horizontal distance only. Our trail dataset carries no elevation profile, so we will not quote a total climb or a confident walking time — on hill routes ascent can add hours a day. A flat-ground pace gives roughly 18 h 30 min of walking for the whole route, which is a floor, not an estimate. Add your own ascent figure in the walking-time calculator for something usable.
Access rights along the way
The route stays within England, so one access regime applies along its length.
England
Conditional Right to roam: Right to roam only on mapped CRoW open access land.
Conditional Wild camping: Permission needed — except on the Dartmoor commons.
A waymarked route is a route you may walk — it does not follow that you may camp beside it, leave it, or take a dog on it. Long-distance paths cross farmland, estates and access land in turn, and byelaws and seasonal restrictions override the general position. This is general information, not legal advice. Check a specific spot with the access checker.
Summits on and beside the route
Listed hills from our hill dataset whose summit lies within 2.5 km of the line — none of them directly on it. Distances are measured from the nearest point of the path, not from a trailhead.
| Summit | Height | From path | Lists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boring Field | 80.8 m | 1 km | Historic County Top |
The route in day stages
Three Shires Way cut into 4 stages of roughly 20 km, measured along the line itself. These are equal-distance splits computed from the geometry, not an official itinerary — they will not always land on a village, a bunkhouse or a station, and the real day you walk should be set by where you can sleep.
| Stage | Distance | Cumulative | Starts near | Ends near | Flat-ground time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20.4 km | 20.4 km | SP 8207 4673 | SP 9108 5631 | 4 h 29 min |
| 2 | 20.2 km | 40.6 km | SP 9108 5631 | TL 0376 6922 | 4 h 27 min |
| 3 | 20.1 km | 60.7 km | TL 0376 6922 | TL 1644 6843 | 4 h 25 min |
| 4 | 16.7 km | 77.4 km | TL 1644 6843 | TL 1447 6970 | 3 h 40 min |
Positions are 8-figure (100 m) OS grid references for points on the line, computed from WGS84 coordinates. Flat-ground times are Naismith at 5 km/h with a 6 min/hour rest allowance and no ascent — add the climb in the walking-time calculator before you plan around them.
Conditions on the route
Weather at the route midpoint live
Loading forecast for the midpoint of the route…
Forecast for the midpoint of the Three Shires Way, at MET Norway's own ground level — we hold no elevation profile for this route, so nothing here is altitude-adjusted, and conditions vary considerably end to end on a route this long. Weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0).
Daylight at the midpoint today
- Sunrise
- —
- Sunset
- —
- Daylight
- —
- Civil twilight ends
- —
Computed astronomically for 52.318, -0.453. Set a turnaround with the daylight safety planner.
Plan this walk
- Walking-time calculator — add ascent, terrain, pack weight and fitness to get a usable time.
- Pack-weight calculator — multi-day routes live or die on base weight.
- Kit-list generator — season and terrain aware.
- Access checker — what a specific grid reference on the route allows.
- Best month to walk — historical rainfall, temperature and wind by area.
- Safety notes — conditions change fast; build in margin.
Other long-distance paths nearby
Sources for this route
- Route geometry, name, waymark and operator: OpenStreetMap relation 302973 — © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
- Distance, stages, country crossings, park crossings and summit proximity: computed by OpenFell from that geometry.
- Boundaries: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3.0). Summits: Database of British & Irish Hills v18.3 (CC BY 4.0).
- Official route website: www.ldwa.org.uk
OpenStreetMap data is licensed under the Open Database Licence. Our derived trail measurements are published under the same terms — see data sources.