Promoted Leaving the Forest Centre and Millennium Country Park Route the route takes you through small villages and hamlets and across cultivated farmland to the Community Let us keep you informed Woodlands known collectively as Gateway Woods. The 2 walk then returns to Wootton to the Forest Centre for a cup of tea and slice of cake. 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 cross falls between 1:10 and 1:15. A bridge has a restricted width of 660mm between points 2 & 3 on the map and a squeeze stile has a restricted width of 230mm at Church End Wootton and there are steps with a max step height of 310mm. For further information on all parts of the Forest of Marston Barriers along the path in- Vale, our activities, and the facilities of the Forest Centre clude stiles and kissing gates. please visit: Public toilets are available at www.marstonvale.org the Forest Centre. Receive news about the Facilities Forest including what’s on The Forest Centre has (either by post or email) by ample parking, toilets and a Peacock butterfly signing up via our website café bar, the Chequers Pub © Don Morris or by calling the Forest is located in Millbrook and Centre. Ampthill has an impressive mixture of shops, public houses and toilets. The Forest Centre Station Road Let the train take the strain! Marston Moreteyne From Bedford or Bletchley alight at Millbrook Station to Bedfordshire, MK43 0PR start your walk via the country park visitor centre (about 20 mins walk). Please note there is no Sunday service. T. 01234 767037 For timetable E. [email protected] details visit www.londonmidland.com or ring 08457 484950 This leaflet was delivered by the Forest of Marston Vale Volunteers with assistance from The Marston Vale Trust working in partnership with Central Bedfordshire Bus timetable details ring 01234 220030 or visit District Council, Bedford Borough Council & The Brit- www.travelsmart.com ish Horse Society and was funded by Natural England through the Paths for Communities Project. Let’s Go - for details of other walks or rides throughout Bedfordshire please visit www.letsgo.org.uk Partners: Forest Volunteers, Central Bedfordshire Council, Bedford Forest Centre to Borough Council, The British Horse Society and Marston P3 Group Gateway Woods (10 miles) Forest Centre to Gateway Woods Leaving the Forest Centre, walk past the continue on the path which emerges onto a Turn left along Hall End Road towards 1 cycle hire towards the map information driveway. Turn left here then right onto Upper 4 Hall End, then after 200m turn right into board and turn left along the surfaced Shelton Road taking care when walking along a lane and look for a FP sign about 50m track through the trees following the finger the road verge and turn left at the next junction on the left. Go through a kissing gate here and post to Marston Moretaine. At fork, take the towards Wootton Green Farm. head across the field towards another gate. right hand path following the edge of Stewartby Bear slightly to the right and diagonally across Lake and past a yellow waymark post (WMP). Walk through Wootton Green Farm along this field and through a gap in the hedge, then At the next fork bear right again, sign posted 3 the bridleway (BW). You will pass under a straight on, passing through another gap, then to Stewartby. The path heads to the pylon line, then shortly as you bear slightly left and diagonally across the next right where shortly you will reach a approach a second pylon line you will field towards a gate in the far right corner wooden footbridge (FB) on the left. see a metal gate on the right. Walk near a row of houses. Cross Keeley Lane and Cross the bridge and walk through through the gate and follow the field look for the FP sign and cross the adjacent Allens Court to Bedford Road. boundary with the hedge to your stile. The path emerges into a long narrow right. Pass another pylon towards field following a wooden fence. Go through Turn right along Bedford Road, Wootton Wood and then continue the hedge via a stile and continue on towards 2 then shortly left onto Lower along the woodland edge BW to the farm buildings and Wood End Lane. Shelton Road to the underpass. a fork in the path and turn right Emerging at the other end, head left Playbuilder through a gap in the hedge. Here and follow Lower Shelton Road as it your route descends Cross Wood End Lane and head left until winds through Lower Shelton village. towards Wootton vil- 5 you reach Buttons Ramsey plantation. Shortly after passing Chequers Close on the left, lage. Pass through the metal gate This is the first of a number of new a public footpath (FP) heads off right. Follow the near the large dead oak and im- plantations in the Forest of Marston Vale footpath past a gate, onto a dirt track. Keep to mediately turn left following the which you will pass through. Enter the the field boundary on the left where the path hedge. At the field corner turn plantation and follow the main surfaced soon heads through a gap in the hedge and over right towards a gate and head track which meanders through the trees. a small FB and WMP. Go straight across the next through towards Hall Eventually you will find yourself back at field towards a WMP and over another FB, then End Road. Wood End Lane. Mighty oak 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 Gateway Woods Cross here and immediately enter another After the second pub, the Cock Inn, head right short distance then turn right near some farm plantation known as ‘The Kill’. Again, follow the along Church Road. At the Memorial Cross bear buildings and on to Lower Shelton Road. Left surfaced track through three left, ignoring Church Row and up the gated here and back through Lower Shelton village to metal gates and onto Wootton track. Just before the gate take the FP to the underpass. Leaving the subway bear left Road. Cross the road here taking the left which soon emerges onto an open uphill onto the road then turn right into particular care, then head left field. Take the path that heads straight on Marston Moretaine. Shortly, cross and turn left alongside a row of houses. At with the field boundary on your right. into Allen Court then over the FB and back into the point where the road bends Go through a kissing gate into a small the Country Park. Turn right and follow the left take the FP to the right and plantation. The path then crosses a FB surfaced track back to the Forest Centre. follow the surfaced track into onto an open field. Head left along the Ridgeway Wood plantation. At Orange Tip field boundary, past a white house and the end of the track go through © Don Morris cross another FB. Again, follow the field the hedge and turn right. At Bell boundary to the left and through a kiss- Farm turn right. Passing through a gate, continue ing gate and then another, next to a tree lined ahead with the hedge to your right. Go through farm track. Follow the track to the left where the kissing gate below the oak and into Wiles you will soon reach Wootton Green Farm, re- Wood plantation. Head downhill for a short joining the outward bound route. distance then pick up the surfaced track to the left. Follow this as it meanders through the trees, ending at a five bar gate. Go through and right From here on you will be retracing your Wootton Bridleway and follow a BW then left at a finger post along 7 steps. Head down the road and turn right a track called Potters Cross towards a row of at the junction. After 150m take the small Look out for houses at the edge of Wootton village. road to the left then the FP to the right of a butterflies within Small Copper © Don Morris wooden fence. The path soon reaches an open the grazing fields Walk along Potters Cross to Bedford Road field. Head slightly left across the field towards around Wootton and 6 and turn left where you will pass a village a WMP and FB through a gap in the hedge. especially the small copper feeding on store, then pubs on either side of the road. Follow the right hand field boundary for a buttercup nectar. 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. Explore the A wildlife haven Grange Estate More than 240 hectares (600 acres) Ba of floodplain forest will be created in The Grange Estate To Great the Park, a rare and valuable habitat for was bought by the Marston Vale wildlife. The Park will provide one of the Jones Derek © ExploreTrust in 2006. New th trailse for walkers, A largestwildlife areas of woodland, have marsh, poolsn Hall on cyclists and horse riders were built in and channels in England; a haven away 2008Gr & 2009ange creating a wonderfulEstate 3 ½ © Dicc © from disturbance by people.