The Greensands Ridge Section 4: Haynes - Sandy
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The Greensands Ridge is Bedfordshire's premier long-distance route from the canals of Leighton Buzzard to the rolling green fields of Gamlingay. It traverses forty miles of the county along a ridge above clay valleys on each side. The route covers heaths, ancient and modern woodland, meadows, green fields and some charming villages with buildings from the local sandstone. It provides a varied habitat for wildlife including heather, gorse, bluebells, nightjars on the heaths, woodpeckers, buzzards and of course muntjac deer.
Section 4, from Haynes to Sandy, starts from the Greyhound pub in Haynes. After Warden Great Wood we reach Old Warden Tunnel, with views towards Bedford. Old Warden Tunnel, 882 yards long, was part of the former Midland Railway between Bedford and Hitchin; the mounds are now managed as a nature reserve. The route moves through Home Woods, with its rare network of medieval fishponds, to Northill with its attractive church and thatched cottages and pub, just off-route.
Northill and neighbouring Ickwell are among Bedfordshire's most attractive villages. The sounds of the skylark can be heard on Beeston Fields just before reaching the village green and finally crossing the River Ivel, a haven for water voles and kingfishers, into Sandy.
England - Central England - Bedfordshire - Countryside
Features
Birds, Butterflies, Church, Flowers, Great Views, Mostly Flat, Pub, Public Transport, River, Toilets, Wildlife, Woodland
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