Walk 2 Walk 2 to Downs Dunstable

This walk starts from Whipsnade, an attractive village clustered around a traditional Follow the8 bridleway until you reach 6 green. The route takes you from the Tree Cathedral to the open downs, offering a house (Dell Farm Bungalow) magnificent views over Vale. where you take the footpath immediately on your left just before Distance: 4 miles (allow 2 ½ hours) the kissing gate, through fields. Five Knolls This path goes through a couple of B4541 Start: Car park at the Tree Cathedral, Whipsnade. Bus service available gates to reach the entrance to the Tree Cathedral and car park. The B489 Access Information: Fairly level walk; gradual climb if you go as far as the end of the trees, laid out in the shape of a Downs at Five Knolls. The route should be suitable for pushchairs from cathedral, commemorate soldiers car park to either Five Knolls or Whipsnade Down. killed in the First World War. Gliding Refreshments: Pub in Whipsnade village or nearby . Visitor Centre with café Club P due to open at Dunstable Downs Autumn 2006.

Route: V P From the back of the car park 1 ignore the the glider airfield. Eventually you will reach 5 gate on the left to the Tree Cathedral, but Dunstable Downs car park and shop on North go through a gap in the fence on the right your right. 5 A visitor centre is due to open 0 1km at the far end and follow the bridleway here Autumn 2006. along the right hand side of the Tree 0 ½ mile Dunstable Cathedral. After a short way the bridleway The Five Knolls burial mounds are of Downs joins a lane where you turn left for a few Neolithic origin, with skeletons from the fifth 4 metres and then turn right along a public century A.D and are well worth a look. 6 footpath. On reaching the boundary of a To reach the Five Knolls pass through an 3 house 2 turn sharp left to rejoin the road. overflow car park and through a kissing B4541 Turn right along the road, which becomes a gate on a path slightly lower down on your bridleway, to a telecommunications mast left (waymarked Chiltern Way and on your left. 3 Continue straight on along Way). Follow the crest of the Downs curving Note: this route 2 the bridleway between two posts, with the left to the Five Knolls with views over follows the 7 waymarked telecom mast to your left, and follow this Dunstable below. P until you meet a minor road. Cross over ‘Chiltern Way’ and go straight ahead alongside a wood to Return following your outward route as far from 1 to 5 Tree Cathedral PH a bridlegate where you emerge on top of as the bridlegate where you emerged on to B4540 8 P Whipsnade Down. 4 Whipsnade Down. Continue past this gate B4506 1 P using either the permissive footpath or P Whipsnade Turn right following the top of the Downs bridleway along the edge of a wood on your under two lots of pylon cables, using either left until you meet a gate 7 where you turn The Green the permissive footpath, or the parallel left along a bridleway. Whipsnade bridleway below the footpath, both meeting Wild Animal Park to to up a few hundred yards further on above Studham

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