Pete's Walks - Caddington 'figure-of-eight' walk (page 1 of 2)
If you are considering walking this route yourself, please see my disclaimer. You may also like to see these notes about the maps and GPX files.
I did this roughly 11.8 mile walk on Sunday 30th May 2010, a repeat of a walk I did last August. This is the fourth time in a row that I've repeated a walk. I am on holiday this week, and hope to find time to work out some new routes although it is getting ever more difficult. There are plenty of paths I've yet to walk in the Chilterns, but linking them into 12-15 mile routes isn't always easy.
It was only a few minutes drive to Caddington, but it was still about 9.50am when I started walking as I'd dithered over whether or not to walk today. The sky was disappointingly grey and overcast, one large cloud looking quite ominous, so I just hoped the forecasters had got it right about sunny intervals. I took field paths heading northwest from Caddington, heading towards the southern end of Blows Downs.
Near the start of the path from Caddington
Near the start of the path from Caddington
The path from Caddington to Blows Downs
The path approaching Dame Ellen's Wood
I then followed a path heading north along the top of Blows Downs, at first through an area of bushes and tress and then through an open area of grassland, all the time with the southern part of Dunstable down below to my left.
The start of the path going north along Blows Downs
Going north along Blows Downs
Going north along Blows Downs
View north from where Blows Downs turn eastwards
I reached the corner where the down turn eastwards, with a view out over Dunstable. I continued along the path at the top of the downs, with views over Luton ahead of me. This was a pleasant stretch, but there was a bit of wind which actually blew my hat off at one point.
Looking eastwards along Blows Downs
The path going east along Blows Downs
The path going east along Blows Downs
I eventually took a path down the downs and crossed the Luton-Dunstable Relief Road by the roundabout at its western end. I hadn't seen many wildflowers so far, apart from some Wood Avens, but here I saw Wild Mignonette, Kidney Vetch, Bladder Campion and White Campion. My route continued along Skimpot Lane and its former continuation, then through a large overgrown meadow. I crossed back over the Relief Road, and soon picked up a bridleway heading away from Luton back towards Caddington.
The path down from Blows Downs
The path along the remains of Skimpot Lane
Overgrown meadow near the M1
The start of the bridleway heading back towards Caddington