Thursday 29th July - Kimpton Walk

This walk was led by Debbie & Nick Thrower & was 6.5 miles in length - 11 walkers

We started from Parkfield Sports Ground car park in Kimpton & walked along a track leading to the Hitchin Road which we crossed to walk up a private byroad. At Hoo Park Cottages we turned right and crossed the Mimran at a nice stone bridge. On meeting a road we turned sharp right along a somewhat muddy track. Just before Kimpton Mill we left the track and turned left up a bridleway. Soon we made a short detour to reach the river where we stopped for a coffee break. On resuming the path we were passed by about a dozen lady cyclists. We then arrived at Codicote Bottom where we crossed the road before making our way up an incline along the Hertfordshire Way to arrive at Ayot St Lawrence. Here we stopped at Shaw's Corner for a group photo.

Debbie, Nita, Penny, Sue, Kate, Tony P, John, Beryl, Christine & Nick at Shaw's Corner

A few of us visited the old church before arriving at the newer Palladian church where we stopped for our picnic lunch. After lunch we walked through Prior's Wood before arriving at the road into Kimpton.  We crossed this road and continued along a footpath parallel to the road before walking through the sports field and eventually arriving at our cars. 

Track of walk, walked in clockwise direction.

 

 

Thursday 22nd July Toddington / Milton Bryan walk

 This walk was led by Tony Price, 8.3 miles in length and had 10 walkers

We started from Toddington Village Hall car park and used the footpath leading to Park Road which we crossed and walked down Long Lane for about 300 yards. We then left the lane by a footpath thought a field of beans. As it was a very hot day we had several water stops.

Tony R in front of Beryl, Kate & Torunn

John D, Sue, Kate, Brenda, Beryl, Tony R, Christine, Cathy & Tony P

  After 4 fields of beans we came to a couple of fields of oats.

The walkers passing through a field of beans

We passed Lodge Farm and, Herne Green Farm almost doing a circumnavigation of Toddington Manor.

 

Beryl, Tony R & Torunn in the foreground

We walked past Happy Land Farm. eventually we came out on Park Road at the beginning of Milton Bryan. Before reaching the Red Lion pub we turned left past Home Farm to the Village Pond where we stopped for a coffee break.

Coffee /Lunch break at Milton Bryan pond.

We saw some roadworkers busily mending a hole in the road before entering yet more fields of growing crop. During the day we walked through fields of beans, oats, barley, wheat, linseed and grass used to make hay. I thought of the old song, "Oats and beans and barley grow" We stayed in the fields but kept almost parallel to the road to arrive back in Toddington very hot and almost worn out. Just before the car park various walkers left the party to return to their homes. John D disappeared before the car park but soon appeared in the car park with a Magnum and became the envy of all.

Track of walk, walked in anti-clockwise direction

Saturday 17th July Biggleswade to RSPB Sandy

 This walk was 6.3 miles in length and led by Nita & Beryl - 14 walkers

We started off from the DAN ALBONE Car Park on the outskirts of Biggleswade. The sun was out and it was a very hot day. Joyce Corless, a new member, joined us for her first walk. We exited the car park and followed the River Ivel. We left the river and tried to cross the railway via an underpass. However several cows were in residence enjoying themselves in the shade. Maureen very bravely volunteered to move them on. This accomplished we all followed. The fields were ablaze with yellow flowers.

Tony P, Joyce, Maureen, Tony R, Vivienne, Malcolm & Jean S, Beryl, Malcolm G, Joan, Kate, Nita, Penny & Sue at our first water break.

We continued on  across Biggleswade Common, which is the largest area of common land in Bedfordshire and dates from 1200AD. We crossed a footbridge and soon entered the RSPB site known as The Lodge. Shortly afterwards we arrived at the gardens where we stopped for our picnic. Nita gave us a short talk & Tony R explained some of the history of the site learnt from recent a Zoom session. We then had another group photo in front of the lodge itself.

Joyce, Penny, Malcolm S, Kate, Malcolm G, Tony R, Vivienne, Joan, Jean S, Maureen, Tony P, Nita, Sue & Beryl

We then made our way to the Gatehouse where the shop is located. After a short stop, to enable members to make some small purchases, we followed more footpaths around the site before leaving it at the same point that we entered. Eventually we came to the railway underpass which thankfully was now vacant. Later we past Shortmead House, which is often used as a wedding venue, and on its approach road we met many cars coming in the opposite direction. After leaving this road we skirted Biggleswade Town football ground before arriving back at the car park. We all enjoyed being in a larger socially distanced group & meeting members that we had not seen for a while.

Track of walk, walked generally in clockwise direction.

Thursday 15th July - Woburn Elephant Walk

 This walk was 6.5 miles in length and led by Sharon Johnson - 8 walkers

We started off from Woburn village car park and walked along the High Street to Burnmoor Green. We past the cottages. then past Birchmoor Farm before almost arriving at Horsepool Lane. Here we turned off through the recently felled wood and across the fields before arriving at the memorial sign on Horsepool Lane.

Tony R, John D, Joan, Tony P, Beryl, Torunn, Sharon & Vivienne

We crossed the B5704 & entered the park at Crawley Lodge. We then followed to footpath to view the animals. Here we saw elephants & antelopes amongst others.

Sharon, Joan, John D, Vivienne, Torunn, Beryl & Tony P

We continued on past the Safari Park entrance and had a coffee stop sitting on some convenient logs.  We then climbed up to the estate road where saw many deer.

 

Stags by the road.

We followed the road for a while before coming to the prohibited notice where we followed the footpath to the Froxfield entrance. From there we crossed the main road & followed the footpath back past Park Farm to the car park.

Track walked in clockwise direction.

 

 

Saturday 10th July - Marston Moretaine Millenium Walk

 This walk was led by Sheila and Mike Briggs - 5 walkers. 

The walk was 6.5 miles and started at the Forest Centre car park.

Joan. Mike, Sheila & Nita

Mike, Joan, Nita and Sheila having drinks

Sheila leading the way

Tony P, Joan, Nita and Mike

Route walked in anti clockwise direction

Thursday 1st July Flitwick to Flitwick Moor, 8 ramblers led by Joan, 5 miles

 

Starting at Church Road, we walked through a housing estate and quickly onto a hidden path that crossed then followed a stream, went under the railway line through a tunnel, then soon through a strip of woodland near Puzzles Farm. We were delighted: most of us had never walked this path.

Vivienne, Anna, Rosemary, Sandra, Tony R, Joan, Annie & Tony P under the railway.

Disorientated, we reached a road and relocated: we had come out at Flitwick Mill, lavishly restored and in working order. The sound of the mill followed us a short way towards Flitwick Moor. We had a short break at a handy bench then tried to tiptoe past a bend in the river where we were promised was the location of a kingfishers nest in the bank, but to no avail: it is impossible to keep nine adults from chattering when we have been in lock down for so long!

Tony R, Tony P, Annie, Vivienne & Rosemary standing. Sandra, Joan & Anna sitting.

Next was a filed with a herd of cows that looked more threatening than they were. The sun had come out and they were reluctant to leave the shade of their tree.  The footpaths don’t follow the public rights of way on the OS map and once again all but Tony R became disorientated – and he was as usual relying on his modern technology to tell his where we were!  A map on a noticeboard confirmed that we were about to re-enter civilisation. 

We became well spread out as we passed the Tesco Roundabout and divided into separate parties as those in the lead took Temple Way and the rear-guard took a shortcut across the recreation ground, hoping there was a gate at the far diagonal end. There was, and it was padlocked. Just as we arrived a man in a huge form tractor pulled up and unlocked the gate, and we slipped through! We more or less returned to Church Road together.It was so nice to be able to walk in groups larger than 6 again.

Track of walk. Waked in anti-clockwise direction