Two Ridges Link

Today was one of those lovely days when we walked a whole long distance footpath in one day; this walk even features on the website of the Long Distance Walkers Association, so it must be a long distance walk! The Two Ridges Walk links Ivinghoe Beacon (where the Icknield Way Path meets the Ridgeway) to the start of the Greensand Ridge Walk in Leighton Buzzard (and we later used it as part of the Grand Union Canal Walk). The official route of the Two Ridges Link is only slightly over 8 miles, but you can't park on top of Ivinghoe Beacon(!), and in Leighton Buzzard we also parked a short distance from the walk because parking at the nearest car par (Tesco) is for a maximum of three hours and we needed longer. The walking was varied, from ridge walking on a short section of the Ridgeway, and a steep descent from Ivinghoe Beacon, to gentle walking across farmland and a few miles on the towpath of the Grand Union Canal. The other notable thing about the walk is just how close it is to Milton Keynes, where I work; I had previously thought Ivinghoe Beacon to be miles from anywhere I usually visit, but that just isn't true, and the attractive ridge was in sight for much of the day.

At its best the signposting was surprisingly good, with very clear "Two Ridges Walk" signs, but we had some problems on a couple of occasions, once where we were meant to go across a field but it was densely planted with broad beans (so we just went around the edge) and once near Northall where the correct route was somewhat overgrown (with no signpost to reassure us that this was the right route); it might have been fine, but we tried two alternatives, the first of which turned into a no hoper; we persisted with the second alternative, but it took us out of our way and necessitated a walk back along the road. In Slapton we discovered by chance that the route had been slightly rerouted from what is shown on our 2011 map. In general though it was, as usual, both helpful and interesting to have Ordnance Survey maps with us, on this occasion Explorer sheets 181 and 192.

We were last on Ivinghoe Beacon in November 2011, on a misty day when we finished the Icknield Way Path and started the Ridgeway; the weather today was rather different. The forecast was for a cloudy start to the day. but a very hot afternoon, and that was essentially what happened. We were staying at the Bedford South Premier Inn on both Saturday and Sunday nights, following a Newport Pagnell Singers' concert on the Saturday evening, so we were able to make an early start and therefore to avoid walking in the hottest part of the day. We left one car in the Hockliffe Street car park in Leighton Buzzard (SP923251 - free on Sundays) and the other in a National Trust car park on the route of The Ridgeway at SP955149. There were lovely views to Ivinghoe Beacon and the ridge of the Ridgeway from here, and there were lots of walkers about, heading in all sorts of different directions.

The climb up onto the ridge past Incombe Hole was most enjoyable, with wildflowers where last time there had been autumn colours and, as last time, good views down to Ivinghoe Church and Pitstone Windmill. We crossed the road to the west of the summit and passed the point where the Icknield Way Path heads off to the east, with familiar views in that direction (including to the Whipsnade White Lion). We climbed up to the summit where three model aircraft were being expertly flown.

I fell off a cliff when I was 10 and, perhaps as a result of this, I really struggle on steep descents. The Two Ridges Link descends straight down the side of Ivinghoe Beacon, and with the benefit of hindsight I might have been best advised to walk around on the road. However I was determined to take the 'proper' route, and ended up with a seated descent! It was at least a short route and when we reached the road at the bottom, the first "Two Ridges Link" signpost of the walk confirmed that we had come the right way. We crossed the B489 and meandered across undulating fields, with good views back to the Beacon.

We reached a road and turned left through the village of Ivinghoe Ashton, then right past Vine Farm and to the broad bean field mentioned above. After finding our way around and out of the field, we passed Butler's Manor, with sheep in an ancient moat. We reached a road and, slightly further on, turned left onto another road, which soon became a track then a footpath. We were running parallel with Northall. We were making good progress and beginning to think that we'd reach the Grand Union Canal in time for lunch. However, we were diverted around the end of short row of modern houses and it was immediately thereafter than we encountered the second difficulty described above. We should have been on a track going straight past Orchard Cottages but instead we were traipsing around the edge of various fields of cereal crops. We eventually emerged onto Slapton Lane opposite Hall Farm and regained the correct route, heading towards Slapton.

Ah well, perhaps we could have lunch in Slapton...We walked across fields then, we thought, went slightly off route to the Church. Here we found ourselves in the middle of the Slapton Strawberry Fayre - but too early for the cream teas! We also discovered, on leaving the Church, that we were after all on the route of the Two Ridges Walk, which appears to have been re-routed onto a footpath to the south of the village rather than following the road all the way through it. Eventually...at a road junction there was a bench and we stopped for lunch.

We were now within about half a mile of the Grand Union Canal and the route to the canal was straightforward, past some nervous bullocks. We crossed the canal at Bridge 118 and descended to the western towpath. From here the route to Leighton Buzzard was extremely straightforward. Up to Church Lock we were walking at almost exactly the same speed as a boat which was a bit awkward. We tried slowing down, but it then got delayed in passing another boat; we tried speeding up, but we then got delayed by watching a duck and ducklings clambering over a panel from a climbing frame which had been deposited in the water. The boat got properly delayed at the rather ramshackle Church Lock, whilst we crossed to the opposite side of the canal by way of an attractive bridge.

About half an mile further on and we passed a marina and then The Grove lock and pub - the marina and pub were both on the other side of the canal, which was not great for ice creams (though the people immediately ahead of us clambered over the lock to the pub). There were quite a lot of people about now. We passed underneath the A4146 then through parkland (with works of some sort to the right) and so into the centre of Leighton Buzzard. Both we and a woman who was sitting reading on a houseboat noticed a few drops of rain but it didn't come to much.

The Two Ridges Link ends where the Greensand Ridge Walk starts, under a bridge near Tesco, with Linslade to the west of the canal and Leighton Buzzard to the east. We walked up through the town to the car, hoping to find somewhere to stop for refreshments en route, but in the end we drove back to Tesco and bought ice creams there.

Click here to see more photographs of our walk along the Two Ridges Link.

Following leg of Grand Union Canal Walk.