🥾 Walking route
Kingfisher Way
Central Bedfordshire
- 📏 5.8 km · 3.6 mi
- ⛰ +38 m
- ⏱ 1 hr 15 min
- 🐕 On lead
Walk stats
- Distance5.8 km · 3.6 mi
- Elevation+38 m
- Duration1 hr 15 min
- DifficultyEasy
- Route typeLinear
- TerrainFlat riverside paths and field tracks
- Best seasonLate spring to early autumn for riverside wildlife
- DogsDog-friendly on leads near livestock and roads
About this walk
The Kingfisher Way makes a gentle linear journey through the quiet countryside of Central Bedfordshire, tracing the River Ivel between Stotfold and Arlesey. Setting off from Stotfold, the route passes the Parish Church of Saint Guthlac before drifting out into open meadows and riverside path.
The walk follows the Ivel northwards, with reed-fringed banks and slow-moving water offering good chances of spotting waterbirds, dragonflies and, if you are lucky, the kingfisher that gives the route its name. A short detour brings you into the hamlet of Astwick, where The Vicar's Inn makes a welcome pause before you continue south-east along the valley.
The final stretch drops gently into Arlesey, where the walk finishes within easy reach of St Peter's church and village pubs such as The Crown and The Coach and Horses. Pix Brook Nature Reserve and the nearby River Hiz are both worth exploring if you have time to extend the day.
Route map
Route line drawn from OpenStreetMap footpath data. Numbered markers are waypoints on the route; amber star markers are points of interest a short detour away.
Waypoints along the route
5 waypoints along the way
- 1
Start: Stotfold
- Start
The start of the route.
- 2
Parish Church of Saint Guthlac, Astwick
- 3
River Ivel
- 4
The Vicar's Inn
- 5
Finish: Arlesey
- Finish
The end of the route.
Worth a short detour
Points of interest just off the route, look for the amber markers on the map.
River Hiz
~278 m off the route
Pix Brook Nature Reserve
~384 m off the route
St Peter's Arlesey
~218 m off the route
The Crown
~232 m off the route
The Coach and Horses
~443 m off the route
Route & waypoint data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).