Let Us Keep You Informed Community Woodland Called Folly Wood

Promoted A pleasant 6.5 mile walk that leads you through the Route Millennium Country Park and surrounding farmland to the village of Lidlington and the Marston Vale Trust’s Let us keep you informed Community Woodland called Folly Wood. The return 3 journey provides the option to walk a further mile into the Vale then back to the Forest Centre.

Access information You will walk across surface types ranging from hard & firm without stones to uneven cultivated ground and the steepest linear gradient is 1:6 with minimal cross falls. Stile steps at a railway crossing severely restrict access and have a restricted width. Barriers along the path include a couple of stiles and a number of kissing gates. Public toilets are available at the Forest Centre. For further information on all parts of the Forest of Marston Facilities Vale, our activities, and the facilities of the Forest Centre The Forest Centre has please visit: ample parking, toilets and www.marstonvale.org a café bar and there are two shops and the Green Receive news about the Man pub in Forest including what’s on Lidlington. (either by post or email) by Small Copper signing up via our website Let the train take © Don Morris or by calling the Forest the strain! Centre. From Bedford or Bletchley alight at Millbrook Station to start The Forest Centre your walk via the Country Park Visitor Centre (about 20 Station Road mins walk). Please note there is no Sunday service. For Marston Moreteyne timetable details visit www.londonmidland.com or ring Bedfordshire, MK43 0PR 08457 484950 T. 01234 767037 Bus timetable details ring 01234 220030 or visit E. [email protected] www.travelsmart.com This leaflet was delivered by the Forest of Marston Vale Volunteers with assistance from The Marston Vale Let’s Go Trust working in partnership with Central Bedfordshire For details of other walks or rides throughout District Council, Bedford Borough Council & The Bedfordshire please visit www.letsgo.org.uk British Horse Society and was funded by Natural England through the Paths for Communities Project.

Partners: Forest Centre to Forest Volunteers, Central Bedfordshire Council, Bedford Borough Council, The British Lidlington & Folly Wood Horse Society and Marston P3 Group (6.5 miles) Forest Centre to Lidlington & Folly Wood

From the map board outside the the finger post on the right, the track drops 1 Forest Centre walk past the cycle hire 3 Just past the level crossing continue along down. At this point bear right and follow a shed, through the pergola and turn right a bridleway to Granary Wood. Follow a smaller track round the base of a mound down a bridleway passing a picnic table and a surfaced track through the young woodland and climb up to left end of a fence line at waymark post (WMP), following the right hand that consists of oak, ash, birch and hawthorn. the top of the hill. Turn right here to a picnic grass track. Continue forward past a field gate Exit the track through a gate onto a footpath site, viewpoint and information board. Leave on the right, turn right at a WMP and right by the side of houses and at its end, continue the picnic site by passing a bench and follow again over a wooden foot bridge. Continue straight ahead along Lombard Street to a the track downhill, keeping a fence on your ahead keeping a hedge on the right. There’s a T-junction. Turn left onto right. At a 3-way finger post follow the arrow bench after about 100m. Continue along Church Street, uphill, passing pointing to a bench in front of some trees. a surfaced track parallel with the Marston shops on the right. Shortly Pass the bench and walk Vale railway until you come to a wooden after the shops take the through a kissing gate kissing gate that leads out of the Park and narrow surfaced footpath into young woodland. onto Station Lane and Millbrook Station. leading right from Church Street. Continue to the Cross a track and end of this path crossing climb some steps onto Cross over Station Lane to a surfaced Whitehall. At the end of a waymarked path. 2 bridleway running parallel with the View of the Vale from the path turn left on to Continue on this path, railway line and continue for ¼ mile. At Folly Wood Greensand Ridge and passing further WMPs the end of a surfaced path continue following bear round to the right, to the end and keeping trees on Black Cap permissive bridleway signs bearing away from of a cul-de-sac and a footpath signpost between your right. At WMP © Don Morris railway. At the end of the track bear left by the last two houses and enter Folly Wood. before ‘PRIVATE’ sign immediately a WMP keeping bushes on your right and bear right down four steps and follow the path Follow the footpath across the grass fields continue towards a road gate. Just before the through trees to WMP. Follow the footpath of Folly Wood. At the first bench turn road gate turn left onto another surfaced 4 straight down a hill keeping trees to your right left onto a track sloping steeply upwards permissive path. At the end of this path turn left following WMPs straight across a field towards keeping to the right of the trees. Shortly after onto Marston Road and cross over the railway. the railway line.

Maps This promoted route is not waymarked and the leaflet map is basic so purchasing an ordnance survey map is recommended whenever venturing into the countryside. Explorer Maps 193 & 208 cover this walk. Forest Centre to Lidlington & Folly Wood

At a WMP do not cross the railway line. Pass through the hedge and turn left keeping On entering the village turn right down a road 5 Rather, turn right and follow the field edge the hedge to your left. At a tree, cross the field called ‘The Green’ and follow it past some old path back towards Lidlington. heading towards a farm. Cross the footbridge cottages. Enter the church grounds and follow Cross a footbridge amongst trees and and head towards a ‘Give Way’ sign on the the path around to the right of the church. continue along a path parallel to the railway main road (old A421) passing to the left of line eventually passing through a gate and a pylon. Exit through a gateway and cross over a bridge along a track to Bye Road. Follow Bye Road and follow the Timberland Trail signs back to to Lidlington Station.Turn right at the station the Forest Centre and Cross the road carefully and head and then left into Lombard Street. Where the the Millennium Country towards a finger posted footpath to the road bears right continue on into The Grove 7 Park. and retrace your earlier steps. About 30 yards left of a large road route sign. Follow the beyond the last lamp post turn left onto the path through three kissing gates and across a track that leads across the railway line using footbridge and some trees to a WMP. ladder stiles. Cross the cultivated field to a Walk across a cultivated field to the right of WMP within the field hedge. a pond and trees, following WMPs through a small gap in the hedge out onto a bridleway. For a shorter route follow the Turn right down the bridleway onto a road Bee Orchid at Folly Wood 6 Timberland Trail signs back to the and continue straight on. Forest Centre and Millennium Where the road bends to the Country Park via Marston Church with left continue straight on past its separate tower. For a longer route a gate and footpath sign to the that will add 1 mile to your walk, from end of a track. Cross the main the hedge and waymark post continue road (old A421) to a WMP on a about 15 yards into the field and follow track directly opposite and walk Footpath post on ridge at the right hand path to the corner of the along the track and through a Folly Wood field and a WMP. Continue across the Path from Country Park woodland to exit onto Woburn field to the furthest corner and a WMP. to Marston Church Road towards Marston village.

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