Pete's Walks - John Bunyan Trail
Post-walk comments
I did not expect the John Bunyan Trail to be as good as some of the other long-distance paths I had walked. Somehow, I had the impression that the land around Bedford would be very flat and rather uninteresting. In fact it was a very enjoyable walk, much more interesting than I’d imagined. Although by no means a hilly route, it was generally rather undulating and there were one or two steeper sections on most days. Several parts of the route ran along ridges where there were good views over lower lying ground, and many of the lower sections of the route had views of the hills nearby. The associations with John Bunyan added some interest to the walk, and there were many other sites of historic interest too, such as the ruins of Houghton House near Ampthill. For me, the pleasantest part of the walk was the section along the river Great Ouse between the charming villages of Stevington and Pavenham. I also enjoyed walking along the greensand ridge between Ampthill and Ridgmont even though I’d done most of it before.
Ruins of Houghton House on the greensand ridge, overlooking the Ouse Valley and Bedford (Day 3)
As with all walks, it would be best to walk the John Bunyan Trail in the summer months. Not only would the paths be less muddy, the museums at Bedford and Elstow would be open as well! I regret missing out on visiting them – if I’d known they were closed I’d have made this a 10-day walk rather than eleven. I also partly regret walking from Elstow to Shefford in a thick fog – it was a nice walk, and it would have been nice to have seen some of the scenery! But walking in winter did have some compensations – the short walk through Bedford in a hoar frost will live long in my memory.