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| Walks and maps |
 A walk to Great Brickhill and back along the canal towpath to Leighton. Could be a long half-day or a full day with a packed lunch, or treat yourself to a pub lunch in Great Brickhill or at Three Locks. Outline of the route: Firs Path to Rushmere, through woods towards Stockgrove but fork to Great Brickhill, where you may want lunch. Continue towards Orchard Mill and take the canal towpath back towards Three Locks, then Linslade (Globe Inn). Return to Firs Path via Greensand Way, or to town via Ouzel Meadows. What you're likely to see: many birds (heron on the canal, tree creeper at Rushmere, green and greater spotted woodpecker near Firs Path) , flowers and insects according to the season. Probably rabbits and maybe a muntjac deer near Chelmscote. |
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 A walk to Slapton and back, using
the canal towpath and the River
Ouzel. This could be a long half-day, or a full day with packed
lunch or a meal at The Carpenters Arms in Slapton.
Outline of the route: Grand Union Canal towpath from Tesco at Linslade and you just keep going until you can see Slapton, then come off the towpath, over the canal bridge and come in to Slapton through the recreation ground and Bury Farm Close. The Carpenters Arms is directly opposite. You can go across the Ouzel from Grove Church if you want a shorter walk. From Slapton, there is supposed to be a path to cut off the corner over to the Ouzel bridge, or you can walk along the road. Parts of the path along the Ouzel can get very overgrown in the summer - you should wear long trousers and take secateurs. There is a short cut from opposite the sand pit across the Ouzel back to Grove Church, if you want to go back to Tesco. What you're likely to see: in the summer, lots of butterflies, damselflies and dragonflies. Birds on the canal may include kingfisher and common tern, also swallows, house martins and sand martins. Over on the sand pit, which you can see with good binoculars or a telescope, there may be lapwings, gulls, greylag and Canada geese, various ducks and small wading birds, e.g. green sandpiper. |
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