This walk is courtesy of the Ramblers Get Walking Keep Walking website, which features great urban routes in Luton.  This week's walk is short, taking in the Biscot and Limbury area of Luton. It goes past an ancient, thatched carvery pub and the local allotments. It continues along a river path before returning to the Community Centre through residential streets.

Begin at Saints Community Centre gates and turn onto Solway Road North, crossing the road carefully.

• Turn left and walk towards Bristol Road. At the end of the road turn right and cross the road carefully. Keep going to the right towards Bishopscote Road, passing the turning for Trent Road on your right,  At the end of Bristol Road turn left into Bishopscote Road by the roundabout. There are some shops on this junction.  Cross over Tintagel Close and continue to the junction with Trinity Road.
• Cross this busy road carefully at the traffic lights, crossing towards the petrol station. Take the road that carries on ahead called Nunnery Lane. Follow it to the junction with Britannia Avenue. You will see a thatched building opposite you. This is The Old Moat House, a carvery pub. Cross over towards the pub and take a look inside, or sit out in the pretty garden.
• From the Old Moat House, turn right to continue in the same direction along Nunnery Lane, passing allotments on your right.  Nunnery Lane now joins Bancroft Road at the end of the allotments. Cross over Bancroft Road with care, at the pedestrian crossing. Take the path opposite you that runs along the side of the River Lea.  There is a seat very soon, where you can take a break and enjoy the view.  You will see some houses to your left. These are in Fenwick Close. Follow the path for a short way until you see a road on your left,which meets Fenwick Close by a group of 7 trees. This is Aldhous Close.
• Turn left and walk along Aldhous Close, admiring the well kept gardens, until you reach Black Swan Lane.  Cross over Black Swan Lane and turn right, crossing Brackendale Grove and walking along Kingsley Road towards Trinity Road.  Turn left onto Trinity Road by the Sunny Convenience Store and walk towards the traffic light junction with Blundell Road.
• Turning right, cross Trinity Road at the lights. Follow Blundell Road until you have crossed St Josephs Close. Cross Blundell Road at the traffic island with care, then turn left towards Bristol road, which is almost opposite St Josephs Close. Turn right into Bristol Road and follow it the first turning on the right – Solway Road North.
• Turn right into Solway Road North and return to the Saints Community Centre on your right

We hope you enjoy your walking!  If you would like the full routecard, visit http://www.getwalking.org/walking-routes/luton-walking-routes/a-walk-to-a-thatched-pub-and-the-river/ or contact Travel Luton on 0800 0281 755.

Luton Today has reported on some new research that shows workers in Luton are putting their first feet forward for the morning commute!  In a recent survey of 39 local authorities, Luton reached 7th place with 11,840 of the 89,201 employed people in the town walking to work; an impressive 13.3%.  Nationally, the number of people walking to work has increased by more than 9 per cent in the past decade.

Dr Helena Johnson, chair of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy who published the research said: “Walking is free and good for your health so it’s understandable that more people are doing it to get to work.  Clearly some people need to use alternative modes of transport, but even then there are easy ways to build exercise into that journey - park further away from the office or get off the bus a stop early, for instance.”  To read the full article, visit http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/lifestyle/workers-in-luton-are-top-walkers-but-central-beds-commuters-stick-to-cars-1-5105638

Travel Luton can help with lots of tips to try incorporating walking into the daily commute, and resources to help such as local walking routes in the town.  Contact us on 0800 0281 755 or email us at info@travelluton.org.uk.  Happy walking!

There will be lots of events coming up to celebrate National Walking Month, so look out for activities and prize draws you can get involved in over the coming weeks.  We will be featuring a ‘walk a week’ throughout May to help inspire you to explore the many walking routes around Luton. 

This week’s walk is a nice, easy route following a stream through Lewsey Park which joins others to become the river Lea. It is surrounded by mature trees and shrubs which attract wildlife, so see what you can spot.  The walk is only 15 minutes long, so is a great way to incorporate walking into a busy schedule.

1. Start at the Lewsey Swimming Pool car park and take a path into the park that goes to the right of the children’s play area. Continue along this path to the right of the basketball court. The stream is on your right, but you might not be able to see it for vegetation.
2.  Walk past the bridge that crosses the stream.  Walk on, passing some magnificent willow trees on your right, keeping the football pitch on your left. There are some seats here if you would like to rest and enjoy your surroundings. As you walk on, you will come to a T-junction in the path.
3. Turn right over a level bridge that goes over an area of the stream that is sometimes wide.  Look out for any wildlife that you may be able to spot near the stream.
4. On the far side of the bridge turn right. There is no surfaced path here, but the grass is quite smooth and is kept short.
5. Pass the bridge and walk on, following the stream until it disappears into a culvert.
6. Join the path that runs parallel to Pastures Way and follow it to the right until you come to the swimming pool car park again.

The full route card and map can be downloaded from the Get Walking Keep Walking website at http://www.getwalking.org/luton/.  You can also rate the walk on the website, so why not tell us what you think?  As always, for more walking and local travel information, you can contact the Travel Luton team on 0800 0281 755 or email us at info@travelluton.org.uk.