ISE VALLEY VAGABONDS

PROBABLY THE BEST WALKING CLUB IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

 King William IV Walk  BWF App No PT197 

START & FINISH:  King William IV Pub, 56 High Street, Kempston,

Bedford  MK42 7AL

OS map 153    GR 024473    Distance 13km

Fee £1.00    Patch £2.00

Route last updated on 23 December 2007

This route description is valid until 31 December 2008

This walk has been established by members of the Ise Valley Vagabonds Walking Club (BWF Club No 70) and is a qualifying event in the IVV award scheme. 

 It can be walked at any time. 

Exit pub car park and turn right along King William Road.  At the bend in the road turn left, still King William Road but becomes Riverview Way after 15 metres.  Follow this as it bears round to the right.  At second road, turn left, signed Public Footpath to Biddenham and 5MPH Maximum Speed.  Follow to the river, the Great Ouse, and ahead over bridge.  Pass through right hand kissing gate and ahead to wooden bridge, Kempston Mill Bridge.  Cross the bridge and ahead with hedge and ditch on right, field on left for 900 metres.  Ignore all gaps in hedge.  Where the ditch turns towards the river, keep ahead with copse on your right.  Past the copse, the river nears the track which you are on, from the right.  In 300 metres the track forks at a yellow waymarker post.  Bear left along track with hedge on your left.  DO NOT FOLLOW THE RIVER!  Ahead towards the middle of 3 electricity pylons.  Ahead across golf course, passing under the power lines, noting the high-class housing estate on your left.  Ahead with a fence on your right.  Gravel tracks join from the left, but continue ahead to a steel gate.  Go through the gate onto a small tarmac road.  Go straight ahead for 50 meters to the T junction.

QUESTION 1. DIRECTLY AHEAD YOU CAN SEE A HOSPITAL.  WHAT IS THE NAME OF THIS HOSPITAL?

Turn left along the road.  You are now in the older part of Biddenham village.  Ahead until you get to the Church.  This is an old Norman church and is open to the public every day.  The first rector of the church was recorded in 1231.  Just past the church, turn right on tarmac path and go past the church and churchyard, then ahead onto grass path with hedges on both sides, then on left only.  Keep ahead to a main road.  Pass through the kissing gate, cross road (A428) with care and pass through kissing gate on the far side.  Ahead along field with hedge on your left, to wooden gate. 

 

Pass through the gate, cross road and turn left along pavement on the right hand side of the road.  Ahead to cross the old river bridge into Bromham, using the niches above the buttresses to avoid the traffic.  Points of interest:  The length of the bridge as it spans the flood plain as well as the river itself, and the old mill with its integrated mill-wheel and mill race.  After the bridge, keep straight ahead along the main road, passing the village green on the left.

QUESTION 2.  WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE PUB ON THE GREEN?

The pub is open from 12 noon daily.  Continue along the main road ignoring the roads on the left to Kempston, and on the right to Oakley.  Walk along the main road, passing a petrol station on the right.  Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing and continue in the same direction, ignoring all roads to the left and right until, opposite Budgens supermarket.  Turn left into Thistley Lane, signed Private Road and Bridleway.  At the fork in the track, bear right following the blue CR waymarker.  Continue ahead to pass through a gateway to the main road (A428).  Cross with care as there can be very heavy traffic here.  Across the road take pathway rising to the right to pass through a wooden swing gate and finger post marked Public Bridleway and CR (close gate behind you).  Ahead between wire fences towards the wood.  In 100 metres look back to enjoy the view.  At the edge of the wood is a way-marker marked CR and Marston Vale Clay Way.  Ahead with wood on your right.  In the season this is carpeted with Bluebells.  At the next way-marker, go ahead with the wood on the right and the hedge on the left along a woodland path.  Along this path there is a sign on a tree on the right.

QUESTION 3.  WHO ARE THE ARCHERS?

On exiting the wood, turn left.  You have another golf course on the right, and the wood on the left.  Please keep between the white markers and the wood, as this indicates the width of the bridleway.  At the end of the golf course, go through the gate and keep ahead on the bridleway with hedge on left and field on right.  At the road, turn left downhill, enjoying the views all round.  At the T-junction, turn left.  In 20 metres turn right on the Public Footpath (finger post) across the field bearing slightly right to follow the footpath to a telegraph pole by the hedge and then along field edge with the hedge on the right.  At far right hand corner of the field, after about 550 metres, bear right to cross over a wooden bridge and stile.  Ahead to the far left corner of the field to cross over a stile to the road.  Turn left and go along the road for approximately 150 metres.  As the road bears right, ignoring the bridleway to the left, walk ahead to cross the ditch and go up the crop field to the right of a lone tree, bearing slightly left after this tree to pass through a metal kissing gate.  Cross a grassy track and go through a wooden kissing gate opposite.  Walk straight ahead across the meadow to the corner and wooden fence.  Walk ahead with the fence and hedge on the right and continue ahead, passing a small pond on the left.  Keep ahead to pass through a wooden kissing gate onto the road.  Beware of the traffic.  Turn left along the road through the hamlet of Green End.  At the main road, cross straight over and go ahead into Church End.

QUESTION 4.  ACCORDING TO THE KEMPSTON RURAL ROAD SIGN, IN WHICH YEARS DID IT WIN THE BEST KEPT VILLAGE COMPETITION?

In front of the church follow the road to the right, noting the 16th century half-timbered house on the left, which is reputed to have been used in the lace-making cottage industry 250-300 years ago.  Continue ahead to pass Kempston Rural Lower School on your right.  As a note of interest, all the ‘End’ hamlets are part of the parish of Kempston Rural. 

 

Pass through the kissing gate onto a tree-lined path.  In 400 metres, on the left hand side is a bench and an iron memorial plaque.

Due to the construction of the Bedford western by-pass, this path may be closed at short notice.  If it is closed, at the crossroads where you went straight ahead to Church End, turn right instead, to walk along the pavement.  Opposite Bury Farm and Cottages, turn left through a metal kissing gate and follow the field edge to rejoin the route at the iron memorial plaque by turning right.

QUESTION 5.  TO WHO IS IT DEDICATED?

Continue ahead and in another 500 metres pass through the kissing gate into a narrow street.  Ahead to the end and then turn right and ahead again with ditch on your left, to the main road at High Street.  Turn left along High Street to return to the King William and the end of your walk.  The King William IV is open daily from 11.00 am and serves a good variety of drinks and good country food.

 

 

We hope you have enjoyed the walk!

 

 

The Ise Valley Vagabonds have established other Permanent Trails at Bedford (2), Chester, Daventry, Kettering, Kings Lynn, London (2), Marston Moretaine (2),

 Oxford, Rugby, Stamford, Stratford upon Avon, Warwick and Wellingborough.

They are all qualifying events towards the IVV award scheme.

  Further information about these walks, the IVV, the club and all its activities can be found by visiting our Web Site www.vagabonds.org.uk

  

THE ORGANISERS ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ACCIDENTS, THEFT, AND/OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. 

EVERY EFFORT WILL BE MADE BY THE ORGANISERS TO MAKE THIS A SAFE, ENJOYABLE AND MEMORABLE EVENT.


 
 

ISE VALLEY VAGABONDS
PERMANENT TRAIL INTERNET REGISTRATION FORM


Name of Trail:     King William IV  Walk 
Date Completed:
Name:
Address: 

 
Additional 
Walkers
Entry Fee:                                              ______ Walkers @ £1.00 Each    Total £ 
Badge:                                                   ______ Badges @ £2.00 Each    Total £ 
Total Fees:      (Cheques payable to Ise Valley Vagabonds)                        Total £
Insert Cards:   ( Do you want your IVV stamps on  new insert cards)   Yes   /   No 

 
ANSWERS
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:

When completed, this form should be forwarded to
Carol Jones,138 Rushden road, Wymington, Rushden,Northants,NN10 9LE.

Please remember to enclose:

                                                                                                                          1) The Correct Fee.
                                                                                                                           2) A Stamped Addressed Envelope of a suitable size.
                                                                                                                           3) Your IVV Records books, or Insert Cards.

Insert Cards can be used instead of having to send your books away by post. They must be submitted
with a normal Record card when claiming an award.
( these cards are accepted by both the AVV and the CVF.)

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