Dunstable Downs

County - Bedfordshire

Elevation – 243m

Date – 23/07/2021

Distance – about 50 metres

Elevation climbed - 1m

My intention had been to bag the Beds County Top en route from Herts/Bucks to seeing my pal Roger, who lived in nearby Hitchin. I'd done some research and spotted a car park near the summit, so whacked the postcode in the satnav and sped off through Wendover Woods to my target, keeping my walking boots firmly on.

It being a Friday in summer something was going down near the delightful village of Ivinghoe (whose Beacon looked like it should be the County Top, but wasn't), and there was a significant diversion, throwing myself and some 38 ton lorries through the narrow quaint streets of the old village, and more importantly adding tons of time to my journey.

Eventually I came into the outskirts of Dunstable, having confused the hell out of my satnav, and hoicked a right immediately up a long steep hill (Roger later told me this was one of the worst hills he'd ever climbed on his bike, and he's done Alpe d'Huez). Towards the top I saw the familiar brown sign for Dunstable Downs and squealed into the car park...noting a trig point as I passed.

Dunstable Downs is owned by the National Trust, who wanted an extortionate amount to park there. As the trig point was virtually next to the car I wasn't gonna cough up for the 2.5 minutes I was in situ, so I parked up and legged it to the trig point for the obligatory photo:

It took an epic effort to smash this bad boy.

Photo done, I took a quick look to the north and saw the flat top of the ridge full of kite flyers and frisbee playing families, and a view seemingly of the entirety of southern England, which not only took my breath away but made me sad not to have climbed it properly.

Kites, an amazing view, terrible photo, you know the score.

Fearful of the wrath of both the NT car park attendant and a thirsty Roger, I sped off, with some regrets about the slapdash nature of which I'd bagged the top. Still. It was done.