Leighton-Linslade and the surrounding area has a comprehensive
range of leisure and cultural opportunities including museums and
galleries, parks and countryside and recreational pastimes and attractions.
For those that enjoy sports, there are a great number of facilities
available. Leighton-Linslade Sports Council produces a directory
of clubs in the area ranging in interest from angling to war games.
Football and cricket clubs operate from Bell Close, off Lake Street
and there are bowling clubs with greens in Grovebury Road and at
Mentmore Road Memorial Park. The Croquet Club operates from Pages
Park.
Bookings for the use of football pitches, pavilions and local parks
should be made with Leighton-Linslade Town Council. Telephone 01525
631920.
In Linslade, Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre, Mentmore Road, houses two
indoor swimming pools (one with variable base), squash courts, an
all weather sports pitch, tennis and netball courts, sports hall,
roller skating rink, badminton, spa and fitness training centre
and a creche.
Leighton Buzzard Theatre in Lake Street has a 170 seat theatre with
cinema screen. It provides a varied programme of films, music, drama
and operatic productions. The town has a thriving community of amateur
groups which perform on a regular basis at the theatre and at other
local venues.
The Library Service, located in the same building as the theatre,
is managed by Central Bedfordshire Council. It has lending facilities
for books and music tapes, a reference section, microfiche readers
and computers and displays posters and leaflets giving information
on activities in the local area.
The town's medieval parish church is one of the finest in the county.
Its 190ft spire is clearly visible from any approach to the town
and the church has many interesting historical features, not least
its fine angel roofs, ancient ironwork and stained glass. It is
open to visitors on most days of the week and has a coffee shop
which opens on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
The Grand Union Canal, running between Birmingham and London, passes
through Linslade and walkers can join the towpath at a number of
places. Boats can be hired for short or long term trips and cruises
are operated by Grebe Canal Cruises, Pitstone and Wyvern Shipping
www.canalholidays.co.uk
01525 372355 ,in Linslade.
Leighton Buzzard Railway Ltd provides visitors with a unique train
ride from its station in Pages Park, Billington Road. Built in 1919
to link local sand quarries, it is home to more than 50 locomotives
and has been excellently restored by volunteers. It is one of the
foremost preservation centres of its type in England.
Mead Open Farm, Billington, provides an opportunity to milk the
cows, bottle feed the lambs and cuddle a bunny or experience a sheep
dog demonstration, plus Shaggy’s play world and soft play
areas, log play adventure, go-karts and tractor rides. There is
also a picnic area and tea room.
Leighton-Linslade is really fortunate with its green open spaces.
It lies between the Greensand Ridge and the Chiltern Hills creating
an area of accessible countryside, woodland, heath and grasslands
with superb views. The River Ouzel, Clipstone Brook and Grand Union
Canal also run through the middle of the town, their flood meadows
bringing the countryside right onto the doorstep.
Linslade Wood, just to the north of the town, is a carpet of bluebells
in spring. Tiddenfoot Waterside Park also provides a canal-side
open space and lake just to the south of the town.
Even in the town centre you will find a park immediately behind
the shops in the High Street and a number of other open spaces are
scattered elsewhere throughout the town.
There is already a good network of paths that enable access to all
this land and these are described in the ‘Green Places’
leaflet available from the Town Council Offices, Central Bedfordshire
Point of Presence in West Street, Library or via the Town Council
website www.leightonlinslade-tc.gov.uk under ‘Living in Leighton-Linslade’
Environment – Rights of Way and where you can also find details
of the local Parks and Open Spaces.
The Greensand Trust is a local charity which manages much of the
open space in the area on behalf of the local authorities and other
landowners. Its Ranger Service operates out of Stockgrove Country
Park, telephone 01525 237760 and information on the Trust’s
activities and the sites it manages is available on its website:
www.greensandtrust.org
|
