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Luton — Harpenden

Luthar three
Verified route

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

By Jane Taylor on 27 Apr 2022

Distance

11km/7mi

Ascent

-

Descent

-

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Description

Following suggestions for changes by reviewers of Luthar Two, this is an easy-to-follow, no fuss, modified and improved route, which makes the most of the well-surfaced off-road Upper Lea Valley Way to connect Luton with Harpenden.

Starting from Luton station, swerve the main town centre and head towards Luton Airport Parkway station along Park Street. At around the 2km mark you will reach a combined cycle and footpath, which goes all the way to Harpenden.
The path passes a mix of woodland and agricultural fields. It is well surfaced all the way. There are some benches too. At the highest point there is an information board and some memorials, including one to Eric Morecambe.

At Harpenden come off the footpath and walk up residential streets for about 1km to the train station.
No refreshment opportunities between the town centres, but it's not a long route.

Luton has a pleasant traffic-free town centre, which it would be nice to route through; but direct access from the railway station is through a large shopping mall, only open during retail hours; hence the swerve. The route touches the edge of the traffic-free town centre area at the start of Park Street, so it gives easy access to this part of town

Following suggestions for changes by reviewers of Luthar Two, this is an easy-to-follow, no fuss, modified and improved route, which makes the most of the well-surfaced off-road Upper Lea Valley Way to connect Luton with Harpenden.

Starting from Luton station, swerve the main town centre and head towards Luton Airport Parkway station along Park Street. At around the 2km mark you will reach a combined cycle and footpath, which goes all the way to Harpenden.
The path passes a mix of woodland and agricultural fields. It is well surfaced all the way. There are some benches too. At the highest point there is an information board and some memorials, including one to Eric Morecambe.

At Harpenden come off the footpath and walk up residential streets for about 1km to the train station.
No refreshment opportunities between the town centres, but it's not a long route.

Luton has a pleasant traffic-free town centre, which it would be nice to route through; but direct access from the railway station is through a large shopping mall, only open during retail hours; hence the swerve. The route touches the edge of the traffic-free town centre area at the start of Park Street, so it gives easy access to this part of town

Status

This route has been reviewed by 6 people.

There are no issues flagged.

Photos for Luthar three

Photos of this route will appear when they are added to a review. You can review this route here.

Information

Verified route

Route status - Live

Reviews - 6

Average rating -

Is this route good enough? -  Yes (6)

There are currently no problems reported with this route.

Downloads - 9

Surveys

What is this route like?

Surveys are submitted by fellow users of this website and show what you might expect from this Slow Ways route. Scroll down the page to read more detailed surveys.

Grade 2X based on 1 surveys Sign up or log in to survey this route.
Description Note
Grade 2: Mostly smooth and compacted surfaces, but there may be some loose gravel, muddy patches or cobbles.
Access grade X: At least one stile, flight of steps or other obstacle that is highly likely to block access for wheelchair and scooter users.		 Grading is based on average scores by surveyors. This slow way has 1 surveys.
Full grading description

Only people who have completed our training can become Slow Ways surveyors and submit a survey. We do not vet contributors, so we cannot guarantee the quality or completeness of the surveys they complete. If you are dependent on the information being correct we recommend reading and comparing surveys before setting off.

Survey Photos

Facilities

Facilities in the middle third of this route.

Not present at time of survey Public toilet (1)
Not present at time of survey Wheelchair accessible toilet (1)
Not present at time of survey Supermarket (1)
Not present at time of survey Restaurant (1)
Not present at time of survey Vegan restaurant (1)
Not present at time of survey Accommodation (1)
Not present at time of survey Accommodation < £50 (1)
Not present at time of survey Campsite (1)
Not present at time of survey Bothy (1)
Not present at time of survey Free wifi (1)
Not present at time of survey Public phone (1)
Present at time of survey Mobile phone coverage (1)
Not present at time of survey Train station (1)
Present at time of survey Bench (1)
Not present at time of survey Picnic table (1)
Not present at time of survey Bus stop (1)
Not present at time of survey Ferry (1)

Challenges

Potential challenges reported on this route. Some challenges are seasonal.

Not present at time of survey Scrambling (1)
Not present at time of survey Wading (1)
Not present at time of survey Swimming (1)
Not present at time of survey Climbing (1)
Not present at time of survey Stepping stones (1)
Not present at time of survey Very slippery (1)
Maybe present Very muddy (1)
Not present at time of survey Very icy (1)
Not present at time of survey Likely to flood (1)
Not present at time of survey Long grass sections (1)
Not present at time of survey Crops encroaching on path (1)
Not present at time of survey Diverted path (1)

Obstacles

Obstacles on this route.

Not present at time of survey Stiles (1)
Present at time of survey Step and kerbs (1)
Present at time of survey Possible to avoid steps, if applicable (1)
Not present at time of survey Flights of steps (1)
Not present at time of survey Gates (1)
Not present at time of survey Kissing gates (1)
Not present at time of survey Locked gates (1)
Not present at time of survey Disables access gates (1)
Present at time of survey Cycle barriers (1)
Not present at time of survey Ladders (1)
Not present at time of survey Cattle grids (1)
Not present at time of survey Fords (1)
Not present at time of survey Narrow bridges (1)
Not present at time of survey Ferry required (1)
Not present at time of survey Acceptable road walking (1)
Not present at time of survey Unacceptable road walking (1)
Not present at time of survey Dangerous road crossings (1)
Present at time of survey Walking on paths beside roads (1)
Not present at time of survey Walking on verges beside roads (1)
Not present at time of survey Railway crossings (1)
Not present at time of survey River crossings (1)
Not present at time of survey Cattle possible (1)
Present at time of survey Horses possible (1)
Not present at time of survey Tidal area (1)
Not present at time of survey Potential falls (1)
Not present at time of survey Exposed to elements (1)
Not present at time of survey Remote area (1)
Not present at time of survey Mountainous area (1)
Not present at time of survey Military training area (1)
Not present at time of survey No visible path (1)
Not present at time of survey Seasonal nesting birds (1)
Not present at time of survey Other hazards (1)

Accessibility

Is this route step and stile free?

Present at time of survey Free of stiles (1)
Not present at time of survey Free of single steps/kerbs (1)
Present at time of survey Free of flights of steps (1)
Maybe present Free of other obstacles (1)

Measurements

Surveyors were asked to measure the narrowest and steepest parts of paths.

The narrowest part of the path is 68.0cm (1)

The steepest uphill gradient walking East 6.0% (1)

The steepest uphill gradient walking West 6.0% (1)

The steepest camber gradient across the path 2.0% (1)

How clear is the waymarking on the route: Clear (1)

Successfully completed

We asked route surveyors "Have you successfully completed this route with any of the following? If so, would you recommend it to someone with the same requirements?". Here is how they replied.

Small Pug-sized dog (0)
Small Labrador-sized dog (0)
Large St. Bernard-sized dog (0)
Standard pram (0)
Off-road rugged pram (0)
Standard wheelchair (0)
Off-road rugged wheelchair (0)
Standard mobility scooter (0)
Off-road rugged mobility scooter (0)

Recommended by an expert

We asked route surveyors "Are you a trained access professional, officer or expert? If so, is this route suitable for someone travelling with any of the following?" Here is how they replied.

Small Pug-sized dog (0)
Small Labrador-sized dog (0)
Large St. Bernard-sized dog (0)
Standard pram (0)
Off-road rugged pram (0)
Standard wheelchair (0)
Off-road rugged wheelchair (0)
Standard mobility scooter (0)
Off-road rugged mobility scooter (0)

Terrain

We asked route surveyors to estimate how much of the route goes through different kinds of terrain.

There is no data on how much of this route is on roads

20.0% of the route is lit at night (1)

100.0% of the route is paved (1)

80.0% of the route is muddy (1)

There is no data on rough ground

There is no data on long grass

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1 surveys

Information from verified surveys.

2X February 2025 by Laura Cheek
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Geography information system (GIS) data

Total length

Maximum elevation

Minimum elevation

Start and end points

Luton
Grid Ref TL0917321598
Lat / Lon 51.88227° / -0.41527°
Easting / Northing 509,173E / 221,598N
What3Words salsa.tricks.truth
Harpenden
Grid Ref TL1369614210
Lat / Lon 51.81497° / -0.35201°
Easting / Northing 513,696E / 214,210N
What3Words fast.mutual.lifts

Sorry Land Cover data is not currently available for this route. Please check back later.

reviews

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Overall ratings

6 reviews

3 reviews

3 reviews

0 reviews

0 reviews

0 reviews

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Other Routes for Luton—Harpenden See all Slow Ways

Luton—Harpenden

Luthar two

U U

Distance

11km/7mi

Ascent

147 m

Descent

146 m

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