T

he Greensand Ridge is a 40-mile walk that takes you through Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire – and yes it really is green (ish) – thanks to an iron mineral found in the sandstone layers that form the ridge.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to do the whole route at once. The path is separated into five sections, so why not pick one and see how you get on? The first part runs 8.5 miles from Leighton Buzzard to Woburn, emerging onto the Grand Union Canal, where narrow-boats putter alongside – not much faster than walking pace to be honest.

Stop off for a quick bank-side pint at the Globe Inn, before continuing on to see the Mandarin ducks at Stockgrove Country Park. From here it’s woodland all the way to Woburn, helping yourself to blackberries and watching out for Muntjac deer along the way.