Walk 48 - 20.5 miles - Total 657.5 miles - To Go 342.5 miles

Greensand Ridge Walk: Woburn, Eversholt, Millbrook, Ampthill, Maulden, Clophill and Haynes




Rob is back from Cyprus and 40 deg plus heat and 90 pct humidity and turns up this morning looking forward to rain and a cool English summers day. The weather men promised it but it was a beautiful English summers day full of blue sky, sunshine and warmth. We chose the Greensand Ridge expecting some hills to prepare us for Coast to Coast starting on September 6th. We had a lovely walk but Bedfordshire is as flat as flat can be. Instead our challenge was all wrapped up in completing our longest walk so far as we covered 20.5 miles.

We started in Woburn Park and what a stunning start that is. 9am Sunday morning and nobody around, surrounded by stunning views across parkland and soon stalking deer to see if Rob can get a great shot of a stag. We saw one but he was quickly off at the first whiff of Rob. As Rob is looking for new angles we are approached by Tim Dicks a ranger at Woburn. Previously a gamekeeper at Belvoir Castle for 22 years he has recently moved to Woburn and now is regularly required to herd humans instead of partridge and wildlife. He tells us we have gone astray and should not be where we are and leads us back to our path.

Not much further on we take a turn along a lane and step in to water over our boots and looking more like a stream. Fortunately we meet Brian and Chris from Ampthill out on their bikes who tell us we are going the wrong way and save us from wet feet and a big detour. Brian and Chris ride regularly as part of bikesbeerbanter.com which from the web site is clear about the fun they have together.

We notice we have now been walking for over a year as we see the farmers working their fields following a cycle we saw a year ago. We meet Mark Gordon down from Northfield Farm in Scotland carrying out work on the Duke of Bedfords land. Mark is studying Construction Management at Oxford Brookes and over the past two days has worked with a combine harvestor covering 200 acres yesterday starting at 9 in the morning and finishing at midnight before the rain comes. Today he is subsoiling 100 acres to avoid surface water gathering on the fields. Rob looks on enviously at the big machine Mark uses and imagines himself at the wheel shaping the land.
We meet a large group of cyclists from the rough stuff fellowship (rsf.org.uk) a group of people from all over the country that get together and bike. Rob also looks enviously on as the feet start to complain. The idea of a seat and some freewheeling looks rather appealing.

The blackberries are ready with a huge early harvest and lots of people are out collecting for apple and blackberry or even blackberry brandy. The bushes by Millbrook are covered with ripe blackberries ready for picking now.

We stop at The Prince of Wales for lime soda and a sit down. Rob gets in to conversation with Zbigmiew and Kamila about their Nikon and is talking the detail of lenses and the pros and cons of Nikon v Canon. I then hear Rob telling them there are no hills in Holland so it must be great to do the walking Zbigmiew and Kamila are doing in the UK. I am confused and so are they as they come from Poland and that is what I heard them tell Rob. They are very polite and listen with interest to Robs revelations about Holland!

We are now in autopilot and marching on. Only 5 miles to go seems such a simple challenge now. We pass through the churchyard of St Mary's at Maulden. It has an interesting mausoleum in the churchyard. There was also a sign offering tea and cakes so we go in for a second sit down. The church is a real delight inside and we meet Jenny Tim and John who brew a fantastic cup of tea and put on the most amazing offering of scones with clotted cream and jams and tea cakes. Jenny's daughter has just completed Coast to Coast and loved it and we are so looking forward to following in her footsteps and telling our tales from there.

On we trek to the end and our longest walk. A great day out with talk of football, writing, bridge, family, summer holidays and enjoying every moment. Can't wait for Coast to Coast to start.