We set off northwards along the towpath from Camphill in the
early afternoon. The weather was beautiful, warm and sunny without the intense
heat of summer. The hedgerows all along were laden with the autumnal harvest of
berries and hips. We helped ourselves to several pounds of blackberries, so
walking at the beginning was slow and Ian’s rucksack inner lining changed to a
deep purple colour!
Many people were out enjoying the weekend sunshine. Some
fishermen on the opposite bank to Pennylands Marina looked as though they were
to stay for a week, surrounded by so much paraphernalia. We saw many walkers and
cyclists, using the myriad of paths and cycle-ways that Milton Keynes is
well-known for and inspired to do so by the recent Olympic successes. Certainly,
below and around the H3 Monk’s Way busy roadway there is another, more tranquil
world and the noise from the traffic isn’t loud.
The number of concrete bridges gradually became less
frequent and patches of countryside emerged. On one bridge at Gifford Park we
noticed a Bench Mark used for traditional surveying before the days of
satellites and GPS. Checking later, I
found out that here it is 238 feet (73metres) above sea level and Bench Marks
are quite common (but not always in such an open and accessible position).
Opposite the Great Linford winding hole is a board with
information about the Newport Pagnell branch of the canal that used to start
here. The canal arm was open for nearly 50 years from 1817 and there were plans
to extend to the River Great Ouse, but the spread of railways put pay to that. Just a bit later we walked under an old railway
bridge that was part of the Wolverton to Newport Pagnell line. This was one of the many branch lines that were
closed in the 1960s after the Beeching report and it is now a Redway (MK cycle
and walkway).
We spied Great Linford’s 14th century church tower across Gifford
Park from the towpath. Over the other side of the canal looked interesting with
a smaller version of Stonehenge-type stones and watery parkland and buildings.
Next we passed The Black Horse PH (formerly The Proud Perch)
where it was busy with dinners very close to the canal.
The canal aqueduct at New Bradwell spans a dual –carriageway
and was built in 1991. It is near the stone tower windmill (built c. 1800) and looks
slightly out of place, surrounded by development that is so much more recent (not obvious from the picture).
Soon we were approaching Wolverton, the original railway
town, much of which has gone now. We walked under the East coast mainline with
Virgin trains hurtling over, then saw the secret garden where once stood
railway executives houses (http://www.wolvertonsecretgarden.co.uk ) to reach
the end of our walk by Wolverton railway station. The old railway works have
been sympathetically developed, winning many awards, into retail and
residential units but it is a maze and it took us a while to find our way out.
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