Turvey Walking Day

Turvey Abbey in rural Bedfordshire, England is a Catholic facility for retreats and worship. The abbey grounds include a great walking trail, and the village of Turvey and surrounding area itself are also marked by lots of public footpaths, including the 7-mile circular route I followed on Friday morning. These easily accessible routes are a marvelous opportunity to do some deep thinking--or not, just walk--in a gorgeously serene landscape with a safe sense of solitude. It's almost like walking a labyrinth on a giant scale.

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The diagonal line up the green field in the middle distance is the continuation of the path. "Walk straight ahead, downhill, with a large field to your left and a wood on your right. When the wood ends maintain direction to pass over a culvert over a ditch/stream and climb the hill ahead, again on the right-hand edge of the field with trees to your right.

"Towards the top of the climb, at the edge of the wood, the path bears left following the headland for 100 metres and then turns right at a public bridleway signpost..." Such was the detail of my directions from Walking in Bedfordshire by Alan Castle. From time to time on this pathway, I was not completely lost.

All Saints Church stands in the centre of the village of Turvey. (See night photo at right.)

In the afternoon--after a restful moment outside the Three Cranes pub followed by lunch at the abbey--having seen the sign to the village of Carlton 2 miles up the road, I followed Carlton Road on foot, not an easy proposition with long stretches where there is no sidewalk or even any road shoulder, just wild growth on both sides.

At length, I arrived at the outskirts of Carlton, and it was not long before I came upon the Fox Inn. I had a refreshment and a nice conversation with a young man behind the counter, and headed back to Turvey.

In the evening, after supper, I went for yet another stroll, and came to a great place to linger with a good book: the convivial, historic pub Ye Three Fyshes.

The next morning, I rose in time for a 6:00 service and, hustling over to the abbey church, found the door locked and the service not happening--I'm pretty good at misreading schedules. So with nothing to do and the world still slumbering, I went for an early stroll and noticed the sign at the bus stop near the green. Impulsively I made a plan to take the next bus to the city of Northampton. Just the name sounds delightful, doesn't it! Sadly, that proved to be exactly my experience; once you get past the name, I didn't find much to divert my attention in Northampton. I did, however, enjoy 20 restful and well-spent minutes in the sanctuary and chapel of All Saint's Church in the town centre (see above).

Later that day, it was back to Bedford for one more night and then on to Hurst Green.