Eleven off the train, but a latecomber caught up, so 12, with 2 newbies. Once you're in the first hills, shortly after escaping the town the wild flowers beside the path were a real joy. 7, I think ate at the pub (which seemed efficient and good) , joined by a picnicer wanting a drink. The other picnicers moved on, but we all caught up at the splendid Barton Hills. This unity was short lived as a pitch was made for a map led extension. The onward route down split into 3 with 2 doing the full extension. We almost had a regroup around a stretch of excellent blackberries, but most seemed to go straight for the train. The Carpenters Arms for two of us and deciding on a a second drink, got joined by the extension walkers and the 1803 train home. overcast with a welcombe breeze . An enjoyable day out.

The last train back is at 17.33 due to the strike.

Indeed. The walk takes 5 hours at average pace (Naismith's Formula), which leaves 2 hours for lunch and other stoppages. Anyone still concerned should consider the Walk Options (shortcuts and buses) or start half an hour earlier.

Do we bring our own train?

Austen

It is very kind of you to offer, Austen, but I think the issue is not so much trains as drivers and signallers to operate them safely.....

But the serious answer is: no, don't worry. Even during the strike some limited train services operate. The trains to Harlngton today are exactly as My Learned Friend describes. My personal experience is that these skeleton service trains are pretty empty (famous last words...). My only point was that they finish early, as described in my previous comment. I just thought people should be aware of that, though judging from past walk posts, most walkers finish well before that time anyway.

2 I was told today.

4 in mostly sunny with a biting wind weather. 3 off the train and 1 came by car from North London. Not overly muddy.

Two lunched well in The Bull and the other two joined them for a drink. During lunch we had a very heavy shower, miraculously, the only rain of the day.

5 got off the train and started the walk. Weather was nice and sunny, and we opted for the short walk. 4 went for lunch into Chequers Inn, 1 brought sandwiches and opted for the church courtyard.

At the end of the walk 4 of us stayed for a drink (and some very nice chocolate cheesecake) in The Carpenters Arms. At the station met another walker who missed the morning train, so 6 in total.

6 nice and sunny

Most of the walkers had not done this one before so we added the diversion to The Source of the Lee, in the process getting more of an out-and-back than we had bargained for, as we tested a return on the other side of the young river, meaning a nice little detour through a wood and across two early Lee tributaries.

The 'urban' bit through Luton's suburbia was about to wear out the patience of one or other walker, when we reached the Warden and Galley Hill Nature Reserve and our first hill. The route along the ridges was pleasant as always with fine views, and with plenty of skylarks making themselves heard. Also further along, on the Icknield Way, through the woods and along the fields we were rarely without birdsong for the rest of the day.

Lunch at The Raven was a solid affair as always, the sandwichers joined us for a drink, the two first-timers moved on before us and we belatedly proceeded along field boundaries to Barton, up the Barton Hills and back down to the springs and along the nascent stream. Everyone seemed to love it and we then turned left into the Olde Watermill 'Dickensian Village' cornucopia of strange shops for a tea outside its cafe by the (artificial) pond. Pushing on in the later stages, we got to Harlington just in time for the 18.04 train.

Plenty of colours out there at the moment, all shades of green in the foliage, bright new green in the half-grown cereal fields swaying in the wind, still some yellow in the many rape oil seed fields (practically any sloping ground), many buttercups, swathes of cow parsley, blooming thorn bushes, dandelions and even a few (discoloured by now) bluebells. Early on we had 5-10 minutes of the finest drizzle, not enough to even bother with getting jackets out, later the clouds broke at times to let the sun through and provide for some fine cloudscapes.

9 off the train, incl. 1 first-timer missing her delayed friend, who caught up at lunch. And then in the afternoon, on the path we found a pristine, dry, printed A4 page with pages 7 and 8 of the walk directions on the one side and a bank's letter on the reverse to a certain Mike Powell, Northampton, so the Sherlock Holmes in me deducts that our recently-moved-to-Northampton SWCer was on the walk, but ahead of the group. 11 overcast later breaking with some sun

Well done Holmes! I got to Leagrave from the other direction a few minutes later, fully expecting to catch the group early on, but I guess you were exploring the source of the Lea! I enjoyed the Barton Hills, though I got a bit confused approaching Barton-le-Clay both times (second time probably alcohol induced) and near the finish. Only once did the sun come out properly, in the garden of the Raven.

I'd like to do the shorter option with a quality pub lunch. if the weather looks reasonable. Any other takers?

10 in on and off rain , about as much on as off, with very occasional sightings of that recently quite rare phenomenon: the sun.

Tis walk's strong sections are w/o doubt in the middle section of the walk: Warden and Galley Hills, the Icknield Way, Barton Hills with its steep downs and plenty of springs, and some fine-ish views of surrounding hills and hillfort sites. The rest is suburban river meadows (The Lea), residential roads and grassy field boundaries, some of which were quite muddy today.

Lunch was perfectly good for a large pub, and certainly quickly delivered. Not quick enough for the picnickers though, who sped on. Us lunchers then got split into fast and slow group when descending from the magnificent Barton Hills (quite a refreshing breeze on the top there), and the faster ones lept into The Olde Watermill compound (always a thrill: there are not many other spots with so many quirky and ridiculous shops in such a small space) for tea at their cafe, as it just started to chuck down for real (previous 'rain' was more drizzly than serious). Alas, the slower walkers overtook us while we were in there and we therefore finished last. 17.48 train.

Is anyone going on this walk tomorrow?

sure. barton hills: not to be missed. best downs north of the river

Absolutely glorious walk and views with a flutter of snow dusting the hills till lunch.

...so it was, wasn't it?...

8 (incl. 1 first-timer) got off the posted train in snow flurries and temperatures just above zero. We quickly embarked on the urban bits to get out of Leagrave (=Luton North) and then up the first ascent of the day: Warden Hill, then on to Galley Hill. The pace was good, despite the snowy surface, and we reached Hexton just after noon, having just before been caught by 1 walker off a later train (deliberately chosen as it provided him with a better connection from his SE London home).

After a quick lunch at the ever efficient Raven, on we marched along grassy field boundaries to the star of the show: Barton Hills, truely stunning downs with a very steep and slippery ascent (by now temps had risen enough to turn any soil into gooey mud), its curving hillocks and great views from the top, with the highlight being - as always - the springs gushing out of the chalky hill flank.

Onwards through Barton-le-Clay, where we were all surprised to bump into walker number 10, leaving Pete's Place (a cafe), just as we passed it.

She had taken a train 45 minutes earlier, cheekily taken a taxi to get past the urban bits and then extended the walk to Pegsdon Hills (2nd best downs north of the river). The late starter had left us by then to pursue a different route from Barton Hills via Sharpenhoe Clappers, seeing that he "doesn't come out walking this far north very often, so might as well do two walks in one outing".

Fair enough. We met him again in the pub in Harlington.

A pleasant tea and cake-stop was had at the cringe-worthy assortment of bric-a-brac stores that is The Olde Watermill.

The rest of the route was a bit dreary today, admittedly, as the warmer temps meant that all the field boundaries were very muddy indeed. And that's what the rest of the route from Barton onwards is, basically: field boundaries (plus one large arable field, cue massive mud agglomerations on boots).

3 off to the pub, the rest straight to the station.

Nine off the train and we picked up another two who had caught different trains near the end so 11 in all. Weather sunny .

Nice walk with friendly lunch pub but the best is after lunch with excellent views from the Clappers. Route finding in the woods after lunch can be tricky with drifts of leaves often obscuring the paths before you tackle a steep stepped descent. (Perhaps a few too many route options given here?) Five of us had a drink in the excellent pub near the station before enjoying the almost "supermoon" in the cloudless sky. We met up with those who had gone for an earlier train after theirs had been taken out of service.