Dunstable to  Warden Hill, A6. Luton.

The Icknield Way probably went through what is now Dunstable and Luton. The Icknield Way Trail takes a long loop to the north with little accommodation, so I compromise and plan my own ‘green route’ out of Dunstable to the north of Luton. The alternative, suggested in the guide, which I did consider, is to catch the bus. 

Breakfast is as I expected and quickly passed over. I walk the short distance to the centre of town, which is much like any other.

Looking at the map, there appears to be a network of paths and cycleways I can use. I wonder if these will turn out to be dingy alleys. But no, my first two or three miles are a delight of parks and open green spaces threading through housing developments.

It is a Sunday morning, so there is hardly anyone about, just a few dog walkers. The sun is shining. 

I  pass through Houghton Regis, only noticing Houghton Hall in its park…

…and then follow the virtually dry chalk stream, Houghton Brook. On open ground at Parkside, I just manage to catch a red kite overhead.

I arrive at the area of roads linking to and around the M1, where I will need to follow the tarmac. But things around here are changing, a new housing estate has gone up – Linmere.

Lots of green spaces, pathways, and more importantly, a cafe and community centre on the edge of it all. Coffee always tastes better when you are not expecting it

 I then brave the roundabouts and speeding motorists; it seems there are a lot of boy racers in Bedfordshire.

I’m soon over the motorway and onto a bridleway away from the traffic. A narrow way between blackthorns is used more by cyclists than walkers.

At the end, I’m deposited into an industrial estate, and for a moment, I think my way ahead is blocked. But looking more carefully, I spot a bridleway sign and I’m back on the edge of fields, albeit with housing to my right. There is a route marked on the map in fields on the edge of the downs all the way to the A6.

A trig point hides in an alley, having once stood at the edge of a field before the houses were built.  

An old water tower looms up.

I go into a cornfield looking for somewhere to have lunch, when there in front of me are some pallets to sit on. It’s my day today, little things mean a lot.

From my perch, I can see tomorrow’s hills.

Those boy racers have been in the woods here.

I arrive at the A6 in good time; the walking has been easy today. A bus takes me to Luton and I realise I will arrive well before my hotel check-in time. I read somewhere that the Luton Museum is worth a visit. A quick Google on the bus for its whereabouts, and I’m alighting at Wardown Park.

Wardown House is at its northern end and is free to visit. I’m lucky that it is open on a Sunday. The staff seem friendly and after storing my pack, I head straight to the cafe for a welcome mug of tea. All the rooms have a period feel, and the cafe had been the original dining room.

The museum is all things Luton, so I get to look at the history of Vauxhall,  the Bedfordshire Regiment and hat making, straw and felt, for which Luton was renowned, as well as a general overview of the last two centuries with excellent exhibits.

There is only a small selection of paintings, probably by local artists. I need to look them up. art uk is a good source

 

I wander through the park alongside the boating lake. There is a fun fair in full swing, and many Asian families are enjoying a picnic on the grass.

This has been a good way to spend an hour or so. I catch a bus into town, knowing I will be able to check in after the 3 o’clock start. I arrive at the interchange station and try to locate the Thistle Express hotel. My phone directions take me into shopping mall hell, where I wander for 30 minutes, unable to find a way out that takes me to the hotel.

I eventually escape and arrive hot and flustered.

Check-in is easy with helpful staff, and there is free coffee in the foyer, so I’m soon feeling relaxed again. The receptionist shows me the way I should have come. My room is excellent with a bath, which I need by now.

I later venture out to find food, and I end up at a Southern Indian restaurant for authentic cuisine. Of course, I am the only white Englishman dining – always a good sign to me.

I feel embarrassed in a little Asian convenience store when a young English lad is caught shoplifting beer and then gives the staff racial abuse. The lot of inner cities these days, it seems.

Apart from the transport system, the centre of Luton shows the worst of the 60s/70s inner city planning. * see below.

An eventful day. 

* Hats off to Luton.

I have been a little harsh on Luton’s town centre. The Mall has destroyed much and is like any other mall in any other town. But if you are visiting Luton, this leaflet would give you ideas to explore the hat trade buildings and what is left of them. https://www.luton.gov.uk/Transport_and_streets/Lists/LutonDocuments/PDF/luton-hat-trail-leaflet