Woburn Sands to Ridgmont walk

Edgewick Farm, Aspley Woods, Greensand Way, Woburn Abbey, Church End, Woburn Safari Park, and Husborne Crawley

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Wed, 26-Oct-22 Woburn Sands to Ridgmont - Aspley Woods, Greensand Ridge Walk, Woburn Abbey, Church End, Woburn Safari Park and Husborne Crawley [new walk] 7 overcast turning to sunny and warm later
SWC 394 - Woburn Sands to Ridgmont

Length: 20.8 km (12.9 miles) Option to shorten
Toughness: 3 out of 10
London Euston: 10-15 hrs West Midland service to Northampton
Arrive Bletchley: 10-49 hrs Change trains
Leave Bletchley: 11-01 hrs West Midland service from Bletchley to Bedford
Arrive Woburn Sands: 11-12 hrs
Return
Ridgmont to Euston, via Bletchley : West Midland services at 16-20, 17-13, 18-20, 19-14 and 20-20 hrs
Rail ticket: buy a day return to Ridgmont
This is the inaugural posting of Mike P's new walk. Mike plans to attend today's walk to ensure we all get lost together. In places the walk dips in and out of TO Book 1 Walk 17 - Bow Brickhill to Woburn Sands - but in the main the walk covers uncharted territory.
Lunch on the main route is taken in the village of Church End at the Green Man pub, some 12.2 km (7.6 miles) into the walk, so your e.t.a is circa 14.00 hrs ( £10 fish & chips served all day on Wednesdays !). Alternatively, you could shorten the walk by some 4 km by diverting into the town of Woburn, for an earlier lunch at one of its pubs or restaurants. You then rejoin the main walk at the lodge as you leave Woburn Park.
After Church End you head for Woburn Safari Park to walk along the public footpath at the edge of the park, where you see for free a variety of animals, such as elephants, giraffes, rhino, buck and more. Leaving the park you head in a north-easterly direction to Husborne Crawley then on to Ridgmont. The limited tea options in Ridgmont are likely to be closed by the time you reach it, so you might consider an earlier stop at the pub in Husborne Crawley.
T=swc.394
Walk Directions are here: L=swc.394
  • Thu, 27-Oct-22

    A disappointing turnout for today's inaugural posting of Mike P's new walk in Bedfordshire of 7. Those that stayed away missed a treat. Autumn leaf colour was excellent in the many woods we passed through in the morning, crossing the TO Book 1 walk route just the once near Woburn Golf Club. The weather started as overcast turning to sunny and warm later , in fact shirt sleeve order. Leaving the Greensand Ridge Walk we came out into the vast open grassy expanses of Woburn Park as we headed for the Abbey. One large herd of deer was seen in the distance; otherwise the deer hid from us today. On then through mixed countryside to the pretty village of Eversholt where we found the Green Man pub almost empty. Being half term we expected this place to be buzzing - I hope it survives. All seven of us dined, with most enjoying the fish 'n chips special. A very pleasant luncheon experience.

    After lunch we proceeded through mainly open countryside to the Safari Park, to join the TO Book 1 walk along the public footpath beside the Park. The usual animals were spotted, plus - new for me - about 15 camels (the double hump variety) in a field of their own. The onward route after leaving the Park through Crawley Gate started through open countryside, then woodland, to Husborne Crawley, then over vast open fields where our walking boots became increasingly heavy as we picked up chunks of the field on our boots. Had we encountered wet weather this section would have been tedious. On then under the motorway and beside the railway line to arrive at Ridgmont railway station bang on our projected time and in good time for the 17-13 hrs train to take us back to Bletchley, then on to London on a fast service.

    Thanks and well done go to Mike P for writing up such an excellent new walk. But a shame many of our mid-week regulars stayed away. Perhaps next time.........well worth doing again.