Pete's Walks - Kensworth and everywhere (page 1 of 3)
If you are considering walking this route yourself, please see my disclaimer. You may also like to see these notes about the maps and GPX files.
I did this 15.3 mile circular walk on Monday, 2nd January 2012 (Happy New Year!). It was yet another repeat of my 'Kensworth and everywhere' walk, which visits almost all the neighbouring villages around my home in Kensworth, Beds.
I had intended to go somewhere further afield today, but overslept badly and so decided to do a local walk instead. It was almost 10am as I set off, heading down Hollicks Lane and then taking the footpath running behind the hedge to its left. I dropped steeply down into the valley immediately north of Kensworth and climbed steeply back up the other side, rejoining the lane near the top of the hill. It was then just a short distance down the lane to Church End and the 12th Century church of St Mary. I took the path through the churchyard and on through the meadow behind the church - I decided to go straight on here and follow Beech Road towards Dunstable, thus omitting a very muddy section of the path round Kensworth Quarry.
View east from Hollicks Lane
The path beside Hollicks Lane
The path from Kensworth Church to Beech road
Beech Road
Beech Road (a lane, despite the name) dropped into a small valley and up the other side. Near the top of this slight incline I went a few yards left to join the quarry path. I followed it right (going anti-clockwise round the gaping white hole of the chalk quarry on my left). There was soon an open area of grass on my right with views out over the southern part of Dunstable to Blows Downs. Further on the path continued for some distance between the quarry fence and woods on my right. Eventually I reached a yellow-topped marker post where a short path led right for a few yards to meet a path coming up from Dunstable and here passing Dunstable Downs Golf Course. I turned left, and within a short distance reached the road over Dunstable Downs opposite the old car park.
Looking east from Beech Road, across the A5 towards Caddington
Kensworth Quarry
The path round Kensworth Quarry
The path round Kensworth Quarry
The path round Kensworth Quarry
Across the road I turned right and followed the top of Dunstable Downs, admiring the vast views out over the Vale of Aylesbury. I made my way to the tumulus on top of Orange Hill, and then continued past the ancient burial mounds called Five Knolls. I descended a broad grassy slope towards Dunstable, then turned sharply left to reach the start of the long path along the foot of the Downs. This initially passed garden fences on the right, then curved around the base of Orange Hill. I met several other people around here, this being a beautiful sunny Bank Holiday.
Dunstable Downs, looking northeast to Orange Hill
From Dunstable Downs, looking out over the London Gliding Club to Totternhoe and the Vale of Aylesbury
From Dunstable Downs, looking west to Ivinghoe Beacon and the Vale of Aylesbury
From Orange Hill, looking over the Five Knolls burial mounds to the northern parts of Dunstable and beyond
Looking west to Ivinghoe Beacon from the foot of Orange Hill