VIDEO: Stotfold Walks
There is plenty of countryside to explore in this rural area and on Friday I stepped out for a walk in it.
Following the launch of six new walks in Stotfold earlier this month, I decided to try out one of the routes for myself.
I selected Walk Six: Wide open Spaces and Water as it is pleasant to get out into the countryside.
It was easy to find space to park at the start of the walk by the Common Road allotments.
The route took me away from the houses along a public bridleway. It was rather muddy after all the rain but my walking boots easily overcame this difficulty.
There was bird song all around me, although most of the feathered friends remained out of sight!
A small charm of goldfinches was the highlight from the bird world – there were also plenty of crows in the distance and a few blackbirds closer to the track.
The route continued between the field boundaries before following the River Ivel, which is narrow at this point, for a short stretch.
The walk beside the fields was peaceful – I didn’t see a single other person – but sadly the remainder of the walk took me on the Pendleton Way, alongside the busy Stotfold Road, which then becomes Arlesey Road.
There was a brief stop at a small nature reserve by this road. At the moment it is merely a pond surrounded by a very muddy patch of earth but it has the potential to be lovely once it has been improved in future years.
The walk rejoined the fields for the final stretch.
One of the longer walks at a distance of 3.8 miles, it took me an hour and a half at a leisurely pace with plenty of stops to film the route.
The other walks are entitled Astwick’s Ancient Church and Ruined Mill, The River Ivel, To Radwell Lake, Town, Church and River and Stotfold: Old and New.
The leaflets were written for Stotfold’s conservation group, Teasel, by group member Louden Masterton and his wife, Gerry.
Copies of the leaflets are available for free from several places in Stotfold; the library, Cards ‘n’ Crafts, Doug’s Barber Shop, the town council offices and Stotfold Watermill on open days. They will also soon be available to download from www.teasel-info.co.uk
There will also be a combined map of all the walks to show how they can be linked.
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Weather for Biggleswade
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 14 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Thunderstorm
Temperature: 12 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
