Next Walk
Marston Vale
On Saturday 11th September the B&MK are running a walk from Ridgmont Station to the Forest Centre at Marston Vale, as part of the Bedfordshire Ramblers 2nd Annual Walking Festival – see http://www.bedswalkfest.co.uk/Walk_Prog_11th.html. The walk will follow, as closely as possible, the planned route of a 5 mile section of the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway, with a minibus (courtesy of Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity) to take you back to the start point.
More details from the B&MK Project Office.
Milton Keynes
If you missed our last Milton Keynes walks on 3rd May 2010 (from St Lawrence’s church in Broughton to the Grand Union Canal in Campbell Park and back in a figure of eight via Willen Lake and historic Milton Keynes Village) then do come along to our next MK walking event on Sunday 12th September at 10am to the Old Rectory, Broughton, MK10 9AA, when we will again be offering a choice of 2 routes (4 miles and 6 miles) following the waterway route in Milton Keynes. This event is part MK Heritage Open Days – see http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/hodmk/index.html or contact the B&MK Project Office for more details.
Bedford
A Walk on the Wet Side
23 May 2010
The sun shone and the water glittered as a group of about 40 walkers set off from the cinema car park in Bedford to follow the Great Ouse through the town to Kempston Mill, to the point near the proposed junction with the new waterway. David Fowler led the group, using his extensive knowledge as engineer and Bedford town guide. The new interpretation boards were points of interest as were some of the obstacles on the route, such as the railway bridges. Bedford Borough and the Environment Agency have joined together and will be producing a Waterscape Strategy for improving navigation along this stretch in the near future. The King William IV pub was a welcome site just off the river at Kempston where the group stopped for drinks and a picnic. Chris Fox in the minibus kindly ferried the overheated back to the car park while a hardy 8 or 10 made it back on foot, with a stop for cold drinks and ice-creams.
Jenny Eardley
Guided Walks
The walks are informally guided by our volunteers and follow the B&MK waymarker posts across the Bucks and Beds countryside. Every year we aim to walk a 2-4mile section of the planned route of the waterway between Milton Keynes and Bedford. Everyone is welcome to come along and learn about how the vision for a new 26km waterway, paths and parkland linking the 2 towns, and all the communities in between, is being realised.
For those unable to join the walk itself, we usually stage an exhibition about the project at the destination or mid-point of the walk. Do watch this space or contact the project office for more details in 2010.
Hear the talk
Interested in the proposed building of the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway? Our experienced team of speakers has so far undertaken over 150 presentations and spoken to nearly 4500 people.
If your group/organisation would like an illustrated talk on the latest developments, please contact the Trust’s Talks Organisers, John & Sally Gunning, who will provide a speaker to suit your needs.
They can be contacted by phone (01234 305925) or use the contact form - Click here
We look forward to hearing from you.
We would welcome new blood to join our team of speakers. Full training would be given and regular updating is produced on the B&MK website. If you are interested please contact us.
2008-9 Talks: Our excellent team of speakers gave 22 talks over this period, using PowerPoint presentations of the latest information on the project, to many different groups in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire, even spreading into Oxfordshire and London, to well over 700 people. Groups included Probus, U3A, WI, Rotary, local IWA branches, Kingdom Tours and many others. We have made several ventures into schools and hope to continue to improve contacts in the future.
We regularly attend Crick Boat Show, the IWA Festival, Bedford River Festival and various other venues and pass on project progress and plans to all interested listeners.
Talks schedule
DATE |
SPEAKER | GROUP | LOCATION | TIME |
18-Feb-10 |
David Fowler | Milton Ernest WI | Milton Ernest Village Hall | 8:00pm |
01-Mar-10 |
Hilary Goldsmith | Gt. Denham PC | tba | tba |
31-Mar-10 |
David Fowler | Over 55 Club (mixed) | Wootton Blue Cross FC Hall | 2:30pm |
08-Apr-10 |
David Fowler | Carlton/Chellington W.I. | Carlton Village Hall | 8:00pm |
13-Apr-10 |
Hilary Goldsmith | Inst Highways/Transportation | Cambridge Golf Club | 6:30pm |
27-Apr-10 |
David Fowler | Salvation Army over 60s | Salvation Army Hall, Bedford | 1:50pm+lunch |
27-Apr-10 |
Roger Crews | Biggleswade Rotary | Stratton Ho Hotel, Biggleswade |
12:30- 2:00pm |
05-May-10 |
Roger Crews | Shefford Ladies' Club | Shefford Town Meeting Room | 8:00pm |
07-May-10 |
David Fowler | Cycling Assn. | Friends' Meeting House | 7:30pm |
17-May-10 |
Hilary & Mark | Thurleigh Ladies' Group | Thurleigh Village Hall | 7:45pm |
18-May-10 |
David Fowler | Bedford Round Tab/41 Club | Bedford Club, De Parys Ave | 8:00pm(Dinner) |
10-Jun-10 |
Roger Crews | Old Glory (U3A) | Gt. Billington Village Hall | 10:00am |
26-Aug-10 |
Roger Crews | Bow Brickhill W.I. | Pavilion Bow Brickhill | 7:30pm |
28/30-Aug-10 |
Hilary & Mark | IWA Festival | Beale Park | |
19-Oct-10 |
Hilary & Mark | Clophill WI | Clophill Village Hall | 7:30pm |
01-Feb-11 |
S Beds Farmers' Club | Tilsworth Golf club | 7:30pm (6:15 meal) |
|
03-May-11 |
Paul Leech | London Canal Museum | London Canal Museum |
