KEY -
TL/R - Turn Left/Right
FL/R - Fork Left/Right
KL/R - Keep Left/Right
X - Cross
SNEAKY - Easy to miss turn. Don't miss these!
START
Exit Box End Park, take care through the car park, some of the runners who are starting after you might try to take out their competition early with their cars!
0.2m - TL onto Box End Road
0.6m - TL down Church End. Follow road round to right and 0.8m pass gate onto footpath
1.2m - pass another gate at end of footpath and continue along road
1.3m - TL and immediately TR down cycle lane
1.4m - TL into Mill Lane and follow path towards river
1.5m - X Bridge and in 50m X another bridge
1.6m - Keep Right on sandy footpath
2.4m - Keep Right and continue along path
3.1m - Fork Right
3.9m - MIND YOUR HEAD!
4.3m - Path will end at Prebend St Bridge. Go up onto bridge and TR
You are now on the John Bunyan Trail
This next section is a bit rubbish. A few busy road crossings and not particularly scenic. Please take care and use the crossings provided. This is however the closest you'll be to a hospital in the race
4.3m - KR - Follow road
4.4m - X Road, KR
4.6m - At Large Roundabout go straight on, Crossing two roads while keeping to the right. You should be on London Road (You should see it sloping upwards). Continue up London Road (Don't go down side street that is parallel).
4.7m - TR down Elstow Road and continue
5.5m - At roundabout cross road and continue down cyclepath. You should see a roadsign "Progress Way"
6.2m - TL onto Medbury Lane - Continue on track
7m - Path wiggles a bit, do not take trail down to "Farm Cottages"
8.7m - At road TR then TL onto Elms Lane
9m - Continue through farm
9.5m - Enjoy the biggest hill of the race. Perhaps stop and take a look back at wonderful Bedfordshire. And then remember that people are chasing you so you must dash
10.2m - Continue down road
10.5m - TR then TL down Northwood Lane
10.8m - SNEAKY BIT - TL then TR onto a footpath. You are essentially keeping a straight line but now on the other side of a hedge.
You are now on the Greensands Ridge
11.4m - DEAD MANS CROSS CP
Take care crossing road
Eat, drink, fill your water bottles, thank the marshals
11.4m - Continue along through woods
12.9m - X road
13.2m - Keep to RHS of trees
13.8m - TR then TL
14.3m - SNEAKY - TR
14.6m - TL, TR X field
15m -
15.1m - TL, TR
15.4m - TR
15.6m - Stop for a moment to read a lovely poem
15.9m - TR onto road and head into Northill
16.0m - TL onto Thornecote Road
16.2m - TR
16.9m - TL, TR
17m - X Road
17.3m - TL
17.4m - TR
17.6m - TL, TR
17.8m - X green and TL onto road
17.9m - TR down The Crescent
18m - X A1 over walkway
18.1m - Take permissive path at bottom of steps
18.1m - TL and TR and X River
18.3m - TL and follow Road
18.7m - TR Onto Bedford Road,
CHECKPOINT 2 on Bedford Road
Eat, drink, fill your water bottles, thank the marshals
18.8m - Continue Along Bedford road Roundabout
19.2m - X Roundabout straight over onto Sunderland Road and continue
20.3m - AFTER the school you should see a cycle path on the left, Take it
20.6m - FR onto cycle route 51
20.7m - X Straight small ROundabout, Under the A1
20.8m - X Straight over small roundabout
You are now on National Cycleway 51 and it is pretty much a straight line all the way back. The description now does not contain every twist and turn as there are signs for route 51. Keep following the signs for Route 51.
21.8m - Take care at road crossing and follow route through houses
23.8m - Zig Zag through Willington Lock
24m - Pass Danish Camp
25.3m - Cross overbridge A421
26.2m - Marathon Done!
26.2m - Checkpoint 3 - Priory
Eat, drink, fill your water bottles, thank the marshals
27.3m - At junction of paths TR then TL, keeping river on your Right. You are now on the River path and not route 51
27.8m - Continue under bridge by rowing club (if Swans will let you)
27.9m - X Pedestrian bridge to the side with Premier Inn and bars
You are now back on the path you started the race on. Maybe just turn the first few instructions upsidedown and go from there?
No?
OK then..
27.9m Continue along river, keeping it on your left
28.2m -MIND YOUR HEAD!
28.6m - KL Under Wooden Bridge
29.7m - KL onto sandy track
30.5m - X the same two wooden bridges you did near the start
30.6m - Down Mill lane
30.7m- TR
30.9m - TR and TL
31.1m - Through gate onto footpath
It's a *bit* longer than 50k. Sorry about that, the hazards of trail routes! Also I've just clocked that I've advertised this as a 50k race and put all the instructions in miles. Sorry about that too. Hopefully the maths wasn't too hard.
31.7m - Through gate and continue past church
31.9m TR onto Box End Road
Please take care. Though you are close to the end and likely to be bunched up more this is a busy road with a narrow footpath.
32.4m - TR into Box End Park
32.7m - FINISH!!!!!!!
32.8m - You have a choice, it's 100 meters to the pub or 100 meters to a shower.