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Verified Slow Way

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I walked from Flitwick to Ampthill. It is a short but easy walk, which would be good for people wanting to come by train to visit Ampthill (which is a lovely small town). It is, however, largely (the first 1.5 miles) on quite a busy road between the two towns so not the most interesting of walks, hence the fairly low rating I have given it. The bit through Cooper's Hill Nature Reserve is very nice. Most of the route would be fine for wheelchair users but some bits in the nature reserve might be challenging. There is also one busy roundabout which has a steep footbridge over it but there is an alternative way across on the other side of the road but this might be tricky at busy times as there are no pedestrian crossing lights. It is generally a straightforward route to follow. There is only one place where people may take a wrong turning (as I did). This is as you come up from the aforementioned roundabout and need to take a left turn off the main road. There is a public footpath just before the turn you are meant to take, which if you are not sufficiently zoomed in on your map looks like your turning, however you should stay on the road for a few more yards and turn into Tavistock Avenue.

Lovely start to the walk through Ampthills green spaces, followed by a lot of walking on pavement alongside the main road. Enjoyed scenery and woodlands of the first half greatly. Second half was why I didn't score it higher. There are a few points that would limit access for wheels.

I walked this in the opposite direction to Saira, from Ampthill to Flitwick.

Overall the route is perfectly acceptable and is the quickest way between the two settlements on foot. The first half has several 'pinch points' for wheelchairs at around 30-40cm seen in photos below (photo 4 , 5) but Coopers Hill should be avoided if using a wheelchair due to slopes, camber and narrow paths.

The Alameda and Coopers Hill is however a lovely part of the route, being Bedfordshire's largest remaining area of heathland.

On leaving Ampthill's residential area ,there is a road bridge (photo 6) over the A507 which would present an issue for wheels, but you can just cross via the junction by the fuel garage (photo 7) After this point there is a further 2km of pavement walking alongside the busy Flitwick Road, which is tolerable but not overly pleasant. Onward travel from Flitwick is good via the train station.

This is a straightforward and pleasant route that takes you from Flitwick to Ampthill ion Bedfordshire. You mostly follow the high street before veering off to follow quieter paths (shrouded in flowers) in residential areas. The cut through Cooper's hill is really nice. It's very green and wild. I met some lovely people along the way, and Ampthill is a very picturesque little market town.

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