local countryside. local Sand 01767 682728 01767 Office Information Tourist y enjoy, understand and improve their improve and understand enjoy, based community groups to get into, get to groups community based Bedf 01234 215226 01234 Office Information Tourist ord Bedfordshire P3 encourages parish- encourages P3 Bedfordshire For further details on accommodation, please contact: please accommodation, on details further For 01234 870234 870234 01234 House Farm Church There are guesthouses and B&Bs in the area. the in B&Bs and guesthouses are There (across the footbridge at 4 on the map). the on 4 at footbridge the (across Funded and suppor and Funded ted b ted y: (11 on the map) and The Anchor pub Tempsford pub Anchor The and map) the on (11 Centre (marked 12 on the map), The Royal Oak pub Oak Royal The map), the on 12 (marked Centre Meals and refreshments are available at The Garden The at available are refreshments and Meals f or w or heelc hair and difficult for pushchairs. for difficult and s Accommodation and refreshments and Accommodation Please be aware that much of the walk is unsuitable is walk the of much that aware be Please and do let someone know where you are going. are you where know someone let do and on 0870 6082608. 0870 on r ecommended. T ak care where conditions are rough are conditions where care e Line on 01234 228337 or the Stagecoach Traveline Traveline Stagecoach the or 228337 01234 on Line heavy rain, so strong waterproof footwear is footwear waterproof strong so rain, heavy and timetables please contact the Bus Information Bus the contact please timetables and Parts of the walk can become muddy especially after especially muddy become can walk the of Parts ough an attractive part of the Ouse V Ouse the of part attractive an ough thr . alley ewe xodadCmrde o eal fbuses of details For Cambridge. and Oxford between g a r w t ea ay to relax. We hope you enjoy your visit. your enjoy you hope We relax. to ay delightful and easy 2.25 miles/3.5 km walk km miles/3.5 2.25 easy and delightful A Point B is on the route of the X5 service that runs that service X5 the of route the on is B Point Walking in the countryside is good for your health and health your for good is countryside the in Walking Roxton transport Public ips for enjoyng your walk your enjoyng for ips T Hall. Please park considerately park Please Hall. Landranger sheet no 153 and OS Explorer sheet 208. sheet Explorer OS and 153 no sheet Landranger Y ou can park in Roxton High Street near the Parish the near Street High Roxton in park can ou T his walk is also covered by Ordnance Survey Ordnance by covered also is walk his Parking Useful maps Useful Circular Walks Circular Planning your walk your Planning A delightful and easy 2.25 miles/3.5 km walk through an attractive part of the Ouse Valley. Roxton is a small, unspoilt village situated near the • Protect plants and animals, and take your litter home. The Parish Church junctions of the A421 and the A1 about 7 miles • Keep dogs under close control. The Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene was built in east of Bedford. Its history dates back to the • Consider other people. the 14th century, but has a 15th century embattled Bronze Age when people settled here on the River west tower. The building is Grade II* Listed because of Great Ouse floodplain. This area was also used by Roxton High Street its rare 15th century Rood screen. The stained glass the Romans in about 50 AD and later by the Anglo There are some lovely buildings in Roxton High Street. window at the eastern end contains a dedication to Saxons, the Vikings and the Normans. Some of the older timber framed houses date back to Joseph Brimley, the village carpenter; he made the the 17th century. Behind the white thatched cottages pews and was organist for 50 years. The churchyard The walk meanders through grassy meadows by and tarred farm buildings you can see the beautiful has some fine trees, walls, hedges and fascinating the banks of the River Great Ouse and through trees of Roxton Park. The unique thatched gravestones. Look for the gravestone of the blacksmith Roxton – along one of the most attractive village Congregational Church, set back from the road, was John Barnett; it has an interesting epitaph. High Streets in the county. The complete walk is once a barn. It was converted to a place of worship in about 2 miles, but can be shortened to about a mile the early 19th century by Charles Metcalfe – the Lord My sledge and hammer is declined, of the Manor. Later two wings were added. The north if you take the ‘shortcut’ (marked 5 on the map). My bellows too have lost their wind, wing was used as a schoolroom, and pupils paid two My life extinct, my forge decayed, All footpaths are marked. Look out for the circular pence a week for their education. This Church is still And in my dust my vice is laid, route waymarkers showing this walk. Other rights of used today, and holds regular coffee mornings and My coals are spent, iron gone, way are also waymarked with yellow or blue discs. fundraising events as well as the usual services. My nails are drove, my work is done. Yellow arrows denote public footpaths; blue arrows, public bridleways. Please remember the You can just see the red bricks of Roxton Park House. countryside code Constructed in the 17th century the house was • Be safe – plan ahead and follow any signs. re-fronted in the 18th century and enlarged in the 19th. • Leave gates and property as you find them. The Walk Approx 2.25 miles/3.5 km Please park at the Parish Hall in the P High Street. Travelodge N 1 The walk begins at the entrance to the Black Cat Parish Church in School Lane. roundabout Go diagonally across the churchyard keeping the church to your right.; head towards the large weeping willow tree then 1 A go through the fence using the Y gate. Continue along the clearly defined path that passes between arable fields. There is a small pond on the right where you often see 1 2 4 Roxton Garden ducks and occasionally moorhens. 4 4 12 A C Centre (restaurant) Turn left at the way marker post and 2 follow the path alongside the recently S H planted grove of trees. t r i g e h e t At this point the walk crosses another rd 3 fo footpath. Continue downhill through a d e B small copse and over a footbridge. rd Start point o o T rf a Enter a large field by climbing over the B Park Ro t a stile, and walk across the field keeping the a d e 11 e r B School Lan hedge to your left. Leave the field using G o another stile. T 1 P Roxton Continue heading east until you reach the next waymarker post. Here the walk swings Roxton Park H 3 to the right and parallels the river, which you i g h 2 can see through the trees. S t r e Pass the footbridge across the River e 4 t Great Ouse on your left and continue Roxton House to the bottom of Ford Lane. 4 10 Ford Lan You can take the ‘shortcut’ back to the 9 e 5 5 village at this point. To continue the walk cross the lane and use the footbridge to cross the ditch.Turning left you enter into the river meadow. Follow the waymarkers keeping the fence and river to your left, walk to the river bank and turn right. 6 Follow the river upstream; cross over a wide ditch using the footbridge; 6 continue to the field boundary. Great Barford Leave the field using the stile and 7 follow the path across a bridge over the old Roxton Lock. The new modern lock, G 8 to your left, was built in 1972. Do NOT cross re 7 at the river; the Kingfisher Way starts here. Riv er Ou se Pass the Environment Agency building and walk to the riverbank using the Y gate. Keeping the river to your left, walk upstream Kingfisher Way along the bank. There is a large trout lake to Ouse Valley Way your right where you can spot herons and the occasional kingfisher. You may also see coots, great crested grebes, mallards, tufted el River Iv ducks, and Canada and greylag geese. Tempsford © Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Bedfordshire County Council. 1000 17358 2005 8 Turn right at the signpost and follow a wide, grassy path that leaves the river bank and leads back to the village. At Ford Lane follow the lane to the 9 The walk Shortcut N Church P Parking right to a small triangular green. Footpath Permissive path Woods Public house Turn left into the High Street and walk 10 back to the Parish Hall. Bridleway B Bus stop.