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How to get there

You can access the route by car but not easily by public transport. 

• Public transport - the number 42 bus (please check timetables)
• Car - The village can be reached from the A6 (Bedford – Luton) or from the B530 (Bedford to Ampthill). There is limited parking available at the village hall - otherwise you can park on the street (as long as you park considerately).

Start/finish points

Suggested starting point is the Church.

TL 043414

Length

2 - 2.5 miles

Accessibility

No cross falls recorded

Surface types – Varied, ranging from hard and firm with stones no larger than 5mm to hard with loose, variable sized stones; grass uncultivated paths with ruts and farmland. This route can become very muddy in wet weather.

Linear gradient – Steepest gradient is between 1:10 – 1:13 at point 5 on the map.

Width Restriction – 600mm at the entry to Rectory Lane.

Steps – At the foot bridge in Reddings Wood.

Barriers – Two 2-way opening gates with a width restriction of 750mm, three kissing gates with a restriction of 1000mm, one staggered barrier with a restriction of less than 950mm and one 1-way opening gate with a restriction of 750mm.

Shorter Route description 

1. From the Church (1) follow the road out of the village towards Ampthill to Kissing Gate Corner and follow the footpath straight ahead onto How End Road.
2. Turn left here and go to the end of the road and continue along the driveway entrance to Field Farm.
3. Ahead of you is a gate into a paddock with a large barn to the left. Go through the paddock and follow the footpath along the field edge with the ditch on your left. Pass through the hedge gap by a waymark post into a large open field.
4. The route now turns left (E) and follows the hedge to the next waymark post. Here, turn left, cross the bridge (through the hedge) and immediately turn right and continue along the hedge on your right to Kings Wood.
5. Follow the footpath along the edge off the wood and around the Glebe meadow to Rectory Land and back to the Village Centre. At (5) and (6) there are entrances to Kings Wood and Glebe Meadows Nature Reserve.
   
   

   Extended Circular Route description

1.From the Parish Church (1) follow the road out of the village towards Ampthill to Kissing Gate Corner and follow the footpath straight ahead onto How End Road.

2. Turn right and then left following the footpath through How End Farm, keeping to the right of the driveway and passing along a narrow alley between hedges before emerging into a stable area.
   
   3. At the next waymark post two paths cross (a left turn here will bring you to the end of How End Road and Field Farm). Go straight ahead, cross the field to the waymark post and through a 5-bar gate onto the Ampthill-Bedford road. Turn left and very shortly you will reach "The Chequers". Continue along the road to the layby at Reddings Wood, at the far end you will see a footpath signed to the left alongside Reddings Wood.
   
   4. At the end of the wood the path turns right across a bridge onto a playing field and immediately left. The footpath now follows the hedge to the waymark post at (4) where youre-join the route back to the village.

Pit stops/points of interest

How End Road (an ancient lane), Reddings Wood, The Chequers, The Knife and Cleaver and The Anchor. No public toilets, picnic tables or seats on the route.

All Saints Church 

Kings Wood and Glebe Meadows 

Historical buildings in Houghton Conquest 

Acknowledgments

Houghton Conquest Parish Path Partnership Group

Funding from the Parish Paths Partnership Scheme