Woburn Sands to Bletchley
The train then
continues on a short hop to Woburn Sands. Woburn Sands is
the busiest intermediate station on the line, and is particularly
popular with school children getting on the train to go to Bedford.
A notable sight from the railway on the Bletchley-bound side is the
Station Hotel, right next to the station, which is a must-see
location for rail enthusiasts, with all sorts of railway
memorabilia in the main bar.
Formerly known as Hogsy End, and once a popular stop off point for
travellers on what is now the High Street, Woburn Sands is now a
small, but busy town. The main town centre, with 45 shops, is a 10
minute walk up the hill to the south of the station. The town has
many leisure facilities, notably golf courses at Wavendon and
Aspley Guise. A notable local attraction is the nearby Woburn
Abbey, home to the Duke of Bedford. Here, you can take a tour
around the beautiful house, or admire the views over the 3000-acre
park and the 10 species of deer that call it home.
The
train then heads onwards towards Bow Brickhill. While the
station itself is situated remote from the village, the ancient
village is still worthy of a few minutes of your time, particularly
for those of you interested in historical buildings, of which Bow
Brickhill has more than its fair share. You can also find out how
to liven up your Sunday roast by discovering the recipe for Bow
Brickhill Steamed Pudding! On the other side of the tracks is the
Caldecotte Lake Business Park, making Bow Brickhill station very
useful for people working in this area of Milton Keynes. The nearby
Caldecotte Lake is also very beautiful, and signifies the start of
the extensive MK Redways cycle paths.
After making the switch to a single-track railway once again, the
train then pulls into Fenny Stratford Station. The most
famous local landmark here is Fenny Lock, situated on the Grand
Union Canal. The canal offers scenic walks both south towards
Leighton Buzzard, and north towards Milton Keynes. You can also
stop off and have a pint in the Red Lion right next to the lock,
and have a go on the manual swing bridge that crosses it!
Fenny’s lesser known claim to fame is that the first Diesel
engine was invented here by Herbert Akroyd Stewart. A well-trained
eye may notice the blue plaque on the side of The Foundary Pub in
Denmark Street that bears his name! A recently-added attraction is
the opening of stadium:mk, home to Football League Two side Milton
Keynes Dons, close to the station, giving Milton Keynes its first
football league side.
The train then
starts on the final length of the journey to Bletchley.
Railway enthusiasts will note the start of the incline towards the
Bletchley flyover, which can be seen more clearly from the station
itself. Originally a small hamlet, Bletchley’s role as the
crossing point of the Oxford to Cambridge railway and the West
Coast Mainline saw the town significantly grow in Victorian times,
swallowing up Fenny Stratford in doing so. The expansion of Milton
Keynes has merged Bletchley into the Milton Keynes conurbation,
although with its own historic feel and local facilities, it does
not feel like it!
Bletchley’s most important landmark is Bletchley Park, home
to the famous World War 2 code-breaking establishment, sometimes
referred to as ‘Station X’. It is home to the famous
Enigma machine, and the efforts undertaken here were widely
considered to have shortened World War 2 considerably. Bletchley
Park is now a museum, and is highly recommended for a day
out.
We hope that this little tour of the line has been useful to you.
More information on the line can be found in other areas of the
website, so feel free to browse at your pleasure. Alternatively,
you can continue on to find out what the future could hold for the
Marston Vale Line. We look forward to welcoming you on board
soon!
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