Walks you can reach from Leagrave by train
Bedfordshire · South East England
MapA day hike is just a simple train journey away — plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Leagrave.
St Albans City Circular via Ruins of Gorhambury House (Hertfordshire)
15 minutes direct from Leagrave.
Recommended
Time: 4h–8h
1 lunch spot: Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (30m–1h in)
6 end-of-walk rewards: the Six Bells, the Lower Red Lion, the Snug, the Boot, the Mad Squirrel Tap, or the Peahen
Warnings: A third urban.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Harpenden to St Albans City (Hertfordshire)
15 minutes direct from Leagrave.
Recommended: Mostly fields and country lanes. Some beautiful new bluebell woods, stunning historic city streeets, commons, golf courses and parkland.
Time: 4h30–9h
4 lunch spots: Sandridge (2h–4h in) — the Green Man (excellent; reservations recommended), Heartwood Tea Rooms (busy!), the Rose & Crown, or the Queens Head (not great)
5 end-of-walk rewards: the Lower Red Lion, the Mad Squirrel Tap, the Peahen, the Snug, or the Boot
Best months: in April (bluebell season).
Warnings: A quarter urban.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walks: the Saturday Walkers Club and Slow Ways (inc. GPX).
Flitwick Circular via Old St. Mary's Church (Bedfordshire)
8 minutes direct from Leagrave.
River valley, wooded wetland fringes, quiet villages, rolling fields, escarpment ridge, nature reserve lakes and ancient woodland.
Time: 5h30
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Harpenden Circular via the Devil's Dyke (Hertfordshire)
15 minutes direct from Leagrave.
Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.
Time: 3h30–6h30
3 lunch spots: the Swan (1h–2h in), the Bull (1h–2h30 in), or the Wicked Lady (2h–4h in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Marquis of Granby, or the Amble Inn
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Bedford Circular via Stevington Cross (Bedfordshire)
30 minutes direct from Leagrave.
Largely flat riverside paths, fields, woods, parks and pedestrianised town centre.
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
London Bridge Circular (Surrey)
1 hour direct from Leagrave.
A walk through London's history around the square mile, past the Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral and the Guildhall.
Time: 2h30–5h
Warnings: Two thirds urban. Several sets of steps, cobbled streets and narrow alleys.
Walk details: Walking Post (tips, photos and local insights).
Harlington to Flitwick (Bedfordshire)
4 minutes direct from Leagrave.
Steep rolling downlands, chalk escarpments, hilltop views, grassy fields, pastures and ancient woodland.
Time: 5h
Warnings: Can be hilly.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Lidlington to Flitwick (Bedfordshire)
8 minutes direct from Leagrave.
Undulating Greensand Ridge, mixed woods, open parkland, heathland, historic market town, ancient woodland and flat moors and wetland nature reserve.
Time: 5h
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Garston to St Albans City (Hertfordshire)
15 minutes direct from Leagrave.
Common woodland, farmland tracks, river meadows, water meadows, quiet residential roads and historic city streets.
Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.
Time: 3h30–7h
3 lunch spots: Moor Mill Watermill & Inn (1h30–3h30 in), the Overdraught (2h30–4h30 in), or Rumbles Fish Bar (2h30–4h30 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Horn, or the Robin Hood
Warnings: Can be very muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Luton to Stevenage (Bedfordshire)
3 minutes direct from Leagrave.
Recommended: Wide open views; good views. A fairly hilly route, mostly on field-edge paths and good tracks across arable land and with some overgrown stretches and short sections on quiet roads and verges. The Luton end has rather a lot of residential roads. Good views from the higher ground. Follows the Chiltern Way Extension for a significant distance. Whitwell has an interesting tower.
Time: 5h–10h
Lunch: There is a pub at St Paul's Walden, roughly mid-route.
Warnings: Crossing London Road (B656) needs a little care. Some paths are a little overgrown, occasionally between barbed-wire fences.
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Luton to Hitchin (Bedfordshire)
3 minutes direct from Leagrave.
Lovely views. Begins with a long uphill road out of Luton, then transitions through farm tracks, common land, narrow paths and footpaths across open fields and small woods. Steep in places with steps and kissing gates; paths are generally good. Some short road walking in quiet places and plus an unavoidable roadside stretch into Hitchin. Expect fields of barley and skylarks; field paths shift as crops change and fields are ploughed.
Time: 4h–8h
1 lunch spot: the Red Lion
Warnings: Field paths can be narrow through crops and steep in places; expect kissing gates and some steps. An unavoidable roadside walk leads into the town centre at the Hitchin end.
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Luton to Harpenden (Bedfordshire)
3 minutes direct from Leagrave.
An easy, well-surfaced route mostly along the off-road Upper Lea Valley Way (a combined cycle and footpath), passing woodland and agricultural fields with countryside views and after about 2km of urban walking out of Luton. Tarmac all the way — good for wheels but hard underfoot — with some minor inclines and a few cycle-barrier pinch points. Follows the Upper Lea Valley Way; an information board at the highest point notes local connections including a memorial to Eric Morecambe. No refreshment opportunities between the town centres.
Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.
Time: 2h30–5h30
Lunch: No refreshment opportunities between the town centres, but it's not a long route.
Warnings: A quarter urban.
Walk details: Slow Ways.