13.7 miles/22 km
A walk off the beaten track in mid Bedfordshire, the highlights include Marston Vale, the Greensand Ridge, open parkland, Bedfordshire's largest area of heathland, Georgian Ampthill, the ruins of Houghton House, and Flitwick Moor (one of the most important wetland sites in the South East).
Trains: Take the 10:01 Corby train from London St Pancras, changing at Bedford (arr 10:36) for the 10:55 service to Bletchley, arriving at Lidlington at 11:15. Return trains from Flitwick to St Pancras/Blackfriars run every 15 mins. A return ticket to Lidlington will allow you to travel there from Euston via Bletchley as well, but a cheaper option is probably a return to Bedford (9.75 with network card) plus a single from Bedford to Lidlington (2.90 with network card).
Lunch: Ampthill is located about 5 miles/8 km into the walk and has plenty of choices for lunch. The Queens Head, 20 Woburn Street (01525 016292); The Hide Bar & Lounge, 2b Woburn Street (01525 837007); The White Hart, 125 Dunstable Street (01525 305200); The Prince of Wales, 24 Bedford Street (01525 840 504).
A possible mid-afternoon stop is at the 17th century thatched White Hart at Maulden (01525 406 118).
At the end of the walk, Flitwick is a sizeable place with plenty of places for refreshments, see the walk notes for some suggestions.
3 comments:
Intend going. Fine walk.
You can, as an alternative, get to Bedford at 1035 if you take the 929 from Farringdon. Thameslink.
Lidlington to Flitwick, Saturday 6th of May.
A happy band of four enjoyed the variety offered by this distinctive walk.
The often carefully landscaped vistas were followed by the rough beauty of the Baskervillesque Flitwick Moor towards the end. The suspiciously quiet Prince of Wales in Ampthill is, perhaps, not what it was - the food seemed merely adequate, though service was friendly. Perhaps walkers should try another option next time. One of our number tried a walk variation around half-way and was not seen again. I hope he got back safely. Thanks to Bridie 2 for scheduling this walk.
n=4
Largely-cloudy.
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