22 October: walk & shop at Stony Stratford
Walk itinerary:
Meet in front of the Main Reception Depart at 11.00 am A walk followed by free time in the town centre. Stop at outdoor shop (walking society’s members receive 20% discount)
Total walk length: circa 10km (6 miles) Please wear appropriate footwear and clothing. Return: circa 17:00 hours Lunch: bring your own or purchase at Stony Stratford’s town centre (see http://www.stony-stratford.co.uk/orhttp://www.stony-stratford.co.uk/cafe.htm
Cost: £5 for members of Cranfield University’s walking society, non-members £8
Book your place at the Cranfield Students’ Association office, 1st floor Show you membership card to claim a discounted rate when booking a place.
Have a look at this website on the day of the walk to see if there’s an update.
On Saturday 22 October we are going to do a walk led by Deborah, one of our longstanding members. Deborah not only works at Cranfield University’s IT department but is also a keen and an experienced walker. And she is also our new Walk Information Officer – if you see a nice leaflet produced to go with one of our walks, that is all thanks to Deborah’s effort to make your walk experience even more memorable. I asked her a few questions about this planned walk:
Deborah, could you tell us more about the planned walk on 15 October? This will be a circular walk, starting in the historic town of Stony Stratford. The starting point will be the bridge that gave the town its name, but the route we take on the day will depend to some extent on the weather. If the weather is, or has been, wet we’ll walk through the Ouse Valley Park that lies in the floodplain of the river Great Ouse. The park is full of wildlife and also includes several historical features such as the Iron Trunk Aqueduct carrying the Grand Union canal over the river and at the eastern edge of the walk, the Wolverton Viaduct built by Robert Stephenson in 1838 to carry the railway line over the river. Our alternative route will be to the village of Cosgrove. After a slightly inauspicious start crossing over the busy A5, you’ll be transported back in time to an age when canal boats, not lorries, were used to carry commercial goods around the country. We’ll be walking on towpaths, originally used by the horses that pulled the boats, along the disused Buckingham Arm before crossing the lock gates at Cosgrove and joining the Grand Union canal. This is an attractive and interesting walk, but the farmland stretches can be muddy in wet weather. Either way we’ll be back in Stony Stratford for a late lunch. Explore the High Street and the many courtyards off of it and you’ll find several cafes and pubs to choose from. I’d recommend Macintyre’s café – run by the Macintyre charity supporting those with learning difficulties – but unfortunately it’s only open until 1pm. Perhaps if you decide to come back to Stony you’ll pop in for coffee. Tell us something about yourself. I’ve been at Cranfield for over 6 years, working in the IT Department throughout. You might have met me if you’ve attended any of our training courses. I grew up in Bedford but moved to Milton Keynes when I graduated, so I know this area quite well. As a keen walker I like to make the most of living in such a wonderfully green city – there’s so much more to see than the shopping centre! What is your favourite walk? My favourite walks (apart from Milton Keynes of course!) would have to be around the town of Bakewell in the Peak District National Park – easy enough to get to for weekends away, or further afield the stunning Mawddach Estuary and the surrounding area in Snowdonia, North Wales. What advice would you give to our walkers or what useful information could you share with us? My walks won’t be extreme by any means! Just make sure you have a jacket and comfortable shoes with good grip, both should preferably be waterproof if you’re going to be joining our winter walks. A small rucksack containing a drink and a couple of snacks would be a good idea too. But often you’ll find that we either include a stop for refreshments or there’ll be somewhere for a cup of tea and a piece of cake afterwards -) Thank you, Deborah. I look forward to our walk and visit to Stony Stratford next week. Kristina SodomkovaAn interesting fact about Stony Stratford – did you know that in the past, the world largest trams were used for transport in Stony Stratford? For more on history, see local council’s website: http://www.stonystratford.gov.uk/Visit_The_Area/History Looking for an idea for a next visit to Stony Stratford?-Try the town and river walk
Cranfield University's Walks 
October 24, 2011 at 18:43
Ten of us attended this walk on Saturday in glorious sunshine. We walked from Stony Stratford underneath the Cosgrove “Iron Trunk” aqueduct though the narrow tunnel, originally designed for cattle, and continued through the Ouse Valley Park up to the spectacular viaduct that carries trains between London and Birmingham. On the way back, we walked alongside the Grand Union canal that runs on a high embankment. Looking down we could see the Great River Ouse crossing the canal underneath Cosgrove “Iron Trunk” aqueduct. At the Cosgrove marina we admired nicely painted narrow boats, before heading alongside the abandoned part of the canal, called the Buckingham Arm, passing an old ice-house on the way. Back to Stony Stratford, we were just on time to visit the French market and the local outdoor shop: no discount for me though, as discount only applies to full price items only I am told.