Backup Only

This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Wednesday 14 December 2016

Wednesday Walk - Flitwick Moor, the Greensand Ridge & Rolling Fields: Flitwick Circular (short)

This walk, originally planned for Dec 28, has been swapped with the original Dec 14 posting due to strike action.

SWC Walk 231a –Flitwick Circular (short walk)

Length:  17.3 km (10.8 mi) (longer walk possible, see below)
Ascent/Descent:  141 m; Net Walking Time: ca. 4 hours
Toughness:  2 out of 10 
  
Take the 10.04 Bedford train from St. Pancras I’nal (lower level platforms) [West Hampstead Thameslink 10.11], arrives Flitwick 10.53. The train also calls at all the usual Thameslink stations from East Croydon (09.25) via Blackfriars (09.54) to Farringdon (09.59).
Return trains: up to 5 an hour (from 43 minutes journey time to St. Pancras).

For the full 24.4 km walk take the train an hour earlier, and meet the group at the lunch pub in Clophill, a rtn ticket for that train is £18,60, railcards don't apply.

This Central Bedfordshire walk just north of the easterly end of the Chilterns initially follows the tranquil Flit River along the shady wooded fringes of Flitwick Moor, one of the most important wetland sites in the south east of England, and then veers away from the river through a couple of quiet villages, en route passing the Grade I-listed De Grey Mausoleum in Flitton. This is followed by a stretch through rolling fields with views to the Greensand Ridge.
After lunch in Clophill it’s up on to the Greensand Ridge for a long stretch through and along Maulden Wood, at times with far views south to the Chiltern Hills. The highlight of the return route from Maulden to Flitwick is the passage through Flitton and Flitwick Moors, including a stretch along a narrow path through the very heart of Flitwick Moor.

Lunch is in Clophill, either at the The Flying Horse or the Green Man Italian Restaurant (both 7.2 km/4.5 mi) or at The Stone Jug (a little off-route, at 7.8 km/4.8 mi).  For tea en-route (or late lunch) there is The White Hart in Maulden (12.3 km/7.7 mi, food to 14.30). For tea in Flitwick The Crown is recommended (700m from the station, but possibly closed for the afternoon when we get there), as is The Lounge Coffee Shop, just beyond the station (open to 17.30).

For walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here.

Next Week:   SWC 5 Wadhurst Circular (via Bewl Water) 16.8 km 5/10 (longer version possible)
T=swc.231.a

4 comments:

Thomas G said...

aiming for the 9.00 train (arrives 9.42) to walk the full walk

Anonymous said...

Thinking of doing the full walk.

Marcus said...

Planning to catch the 10-04 hrs train.

Marcus said...

14 alighted from the posted train, to set out on the short version of today's walk, with the walk author one hour ahead doing the 15 mile "Full Monty" version, so that made n=15, including one first timer.
Weather w=very-mild-and-sunny with no rain. Some muddy paths beside the River Flit in the morning but nothing too bad, although in deep winter making progress in muddier conditions will be hard work. Our regular Wednesday walker and boatswain took us off piste later in the morning (too much chat and not enough concentration on the directions !!) but after some road walking we were soon back on route, across fields, and over the A6 road, into the village of Clophill and the Flying Horse pub, where the walk author was patiently
waiting for us short walkers to join him for luncheon. Just 3 of us partook of the fare on offer, served by friendly staff (although drinks took a while to arrive). Most of our sandwich eaters headed off before the diners were ready, although 2 did stay back, so 5 of us set out together on the afternoon leg, still in mild and sunny conditions. The section on the Greensand Ridge through Maulden Wood, with trees now bare but with a thick floor covering of colourful leaves, was particularly nice, followed by two nature reserves and the re-appearance of the River Flit, before a final stretch over Flitwick Moor as the sun was setting. Tea or a pint for some in the Swan pub, next to the railway station, before we kept our appointment with the 17-00 hrs train back to London.
A walk of pleasant variety in mild and sunny conditions, lovely nature reserves, a good water feature, and the usual excellent mid-week company, made it not too bad a day.