Connect Bedford with Slow Ways

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more walks and reviews are needed to fully connect Bedford to the verified network. Can you give a hike and help?

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Bedford

Bedfordshire


Slow Ways linking Bedford and Biggleswade, Bromham (Bedford), Kempston, Riseley, Sandy, Sharnbrook, Shefford, St Neots

England / Bedfordshire / Bedford

Bedford’s eight Slow Ways are 72% checked

Drawn: 8/8
reviewed: 7/8
verified: 4/8
and surveyed: 4/8

Help connect Bedford

Many Slow Ways have several route options. Some will be better than others, or good for different reasons.

Our goal is for each Slow Way to have at least one route that is verified and surveyed. To be verified – and get its snail badge – a route needs at least three positive reviews.

Give a hike and help get a for every one of Bedford’s Slow Ways.

Walk to Bedford from further afield

Slow Way Route To do
Bedford—Biggleswade
Bedbig one Pioneer me Distance 22km/14mi Ascent 111m Descent 106m
Bedford—Sandy
Bedsan one Pioneer me Distance 16km/10mi Ascent 55m Descent 53m
Bedford—Sandy
Bedsan two Review me Distance 16km/10mi Ascent - Descent -
Bedford—Shefford
Bedshe one

Double check Distance 20km/12mi Ascent 120m Descent 109m
Bedford—St Neots
Bedstn one Review me Distance 22km/14mi Ascent 67m Descent 80m
Bromham (Bedford)—Bedford
Brobed one Enjoy me Distance 5km/3mi Ascent 22m Descent 43m
Kempston—Bedford
Kembed one Enjoy me Distance 5km/3mi Ascent 15m Descent 17m
Riseley—Bedford
Risbed one

Double check Distance 17km/11mi Ascent 162m Descent 134m
Riseley—Bedford
Risbed two Enjoy me Distance 18km/11mi Ascent 109m Descent 135m
Sharnbrook—Bedford
Shabed one Enjoy me Distance 15km/9mi Ascent 108m Descent 84m

Fancy stretching your legs a bit more?

If you’ve polished off all of the routes between Bedford and its neighbours, how about walking its whole web?

This includes the great ring of routes that join its neighbours to each other!

Collective progress

68% of Bedford’s eight route options are drawn, reviewed, surveyed and/or verified

10/10

drawn

8/10

reviewed

5/10

surveyed

4/10

verified

14 people have contributed to Bedford’s Slow Ways

8 people have pledged to walk and review a route

5 people have surveyed a route in Bedford

117km out of 155km have been walked and reviewed

210km of reviews have been shared in Bedford

Latest Updates

I started at the Riseley end, and you reach the fence about a mile south of Riseley as you turn left (east) along the edge of Galsey Wood. When I finally escaped the fence I ran into the problem that the line of the footpath across open fields east of Blackburn Hall, had not been reinstated since harvesting....

Brian Pinsent

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The route follows National Cycle way 51 out of Bedford and picks up route 12 in Blunham so you will be sharing the path with cyclists and sometimes with horse riders too but no cars for most of the way. There are car parks on the route at Priory Park and Willington (Danish Camp). This route can get busy at weekends and sometimes parts near Priory Park and the Grange estate are used for running events such as Race for Life and the Bedford Half marathon but the path is not closed then just very busy....

Tom Campbell

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Leaves Bedford by a pleasant route - not long before the traffic is left behind - but once outside Bedford there are no refreshment opportunities or bus stops until Riseley. The signage is poor across the golf course (but maybe the golfer I annoyed by asking for directions will ask the committee to rectify this). The tedium of the long tramp around the airfield perimeter is alleviated by sweeping views across the Great Ouse valley; definitely the highlight....

KB

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Note - along the Great Ouse, the footpath near Queens Bridge can be walked right along the river, there is no need to dog leg here as the route suggests. This could be revised if needed, but the current meeting place does help in the fact it isn't miles away from connecting a little triangle of routes between Kempston, Bromham and Bedford....

andy_mackay

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The bus station is a good final destination, it seems to serve more locales than the train station (which is easily reached anyway from the route)....

andy_mackay

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Sharnbrook—Bedford

Gemma Notarangelo pledged to walk Shabed one

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Riseley—Bedford

Gemma Notarangelo pledged to walk Risbed two

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Bedford—Sandy

Gemma Notarangelo pledged to walk Bedsan two

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Bedford—Biggleswade

Gemma Notarangelo pledged to walk Bedbig one

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Bedford—Sandy

Gemma Notarangelo pledged to walk Bedsan one

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We choose to walk along the river when going from Oakley to Pavenham as there is no need to walk on the road. Its a little bit confusing at the golf club but soon picked up the route again. Came across 2 stiles that were not very dog friendly just outside of Sharnbrook....

Selena Ibbott

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Selena Ibbott took this photo on Shabed one

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Starting in Bedford town centre it's a pavement all the way from Bedford to Clapham through to Oakley until you reach the train tracks and go through a field to reach a bridge leading to an exit near the memorial. Instead of following the road you can go through the fields next to the river and road (a sign said there were bull in the fields but when I walked through there weren't any) Past this its mostly just clear fields between the villages until you reach sharnbrook...

Jacob

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The bridge at Bromham has no path, but there are passing places for walkers to use to allow cars to pass safely. Not sure how easy this would be for pushchairs/wheelchairs....

Helen

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At one point in Bedford the path passes below a bridge which had a height restriction of 1.4 meters....

Helen

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Bedford—Sandy

_Josh_justJosh added Bedsan two, a new walk from Bedford to Sandy

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It would be easier if the route followed the path all the way, though this route is more attractive in Bedford following the Ouse and the Priory park....

Jujones2

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Footpath all the way apart from Bromham Bridge. There is a nicer way, but you'll need to get wet ....

James Adams

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Liz Cox surveyed Risbed two

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It passes mostly through farmland, both pasture and arable, as well as a golf course. In places it is not clearly signposted....

Liz Cox

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The footbridge at Kempston Mill is currently closed, so this route cannot be completed....

Liz Cox

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The first 5 miles are rural and the final 4 miles are urban and involve walking alongside roads....

Liz Cox

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watsonp63 surveyed Bedstn one

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Difficult access in places for less mobile people and busy in places with cyclists especially at the weekends Beautifully quiet in the evenings...

watsonp63

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3) At GR 043585 (Blackburn Hall) the route shows you walking through a farm yard when in fact the footpath goes right round the edge and then heads NE across the field and then sharply west back to the main path. 4) At GR 035606 (Park Farm) the download shows a route across the field to GR 033608 (Red House Farm). This path doesn't exist and you need to turn sharp right at the farm and follow the route along the field edge....

Tom Barwood

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Riseley—Bedford

Tom Barwood added Risbed two, a new walk from Riseley to Bedford

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Bedford

danravenellison surveyed Bedford

View facilities

The majority of the walk is on good quality pavements alongside roads....

Liz Cox

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Only slightly dodgy bit is the bridge across the Great Ouse at Bromham Mill - pedestrians need to dive between regularly spaced passing places to avoid passing cars (see photo), easy enough though and the cars do have good visibility of walkers....

Heidi

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Bedford—Biggleswade

Martin Hibbert added Bedbig one, a new walk from Bedford to Biggleswade

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Bedford—Sandy

Slow Ways added Bedsan one, a new walk from Bedford to Sandy

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Bedford—Shefford

Slow Ways added Bedshe one, a new walk from Bedford to Shefford

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Bedford—St Neots

Slow Ways added Bedstn one, a new walk from Bedford to St Neots

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Bromham (Bedford)—Bedford

Slow Ways added Brobed one, a new walk from Bromham (Bedford) to Bedford

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Kempston—Bedford

Slow Ways added Kembed one, a new walk from Kempston to Bedford

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Riseley—Bedford

Slow Ways added Risbed one, a new walk from Riseley to Bedford

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Sharnbrook—Bedford

Slow Ways added Shabed one, a new walk from Sharnbrook to Bedford

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1

Bedford, Wed 6 November

12°

Overcast

Bedford’s Slow Ways starting point

Grid ref

TL0466449893

Lat / Lon

52.13744° / -0.47212°

Easting / Northing

504,664E / 249,893N

Fancy stretching your legs a bit more?

If you’ve polished off all of the routes between Bedford and its neighbours, how about walking its whole web?

This includes the great ring of routes that join its neighbours to each other!

Facilities

Users have reported that the following facilities can be found within 1km of Bedford's meeting point

Public toilet

Wheelchair accessible toilet

Supermarket or convenience shop

Restaurant, cafe or pub

Accommodation

Accommodation for under £50 a night

Campsite

Bothy

Free wifi

Mobility scooter hire

Off-road wheelchair hire

Disabled Parking

Train station

Bus stop

Ferry

Official ‘Walkers are Welcome’ town

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