Dunstable Downs is a sweep of chalk grassland above the Bedfordshire town of Dunstable, cared for by the National Trust as part of its Dunstable Downs and Whipsnade Estate and known for its wide views over the Aylesbury Vale. People have used the ridge for thousands of years: the Five Knolls burial mounds on one of its headlands date back to the late Neolithic and Bronze Age. Today the Downs are open from dawn to dusk, with a café and visitor centre at the Chilterns Gateway Centre, pay-and-display parking and the postcode LU6 2GY for sat navs.

History of Dunstable Downs

According to the National Trust, the oldest human mark on Dunstable Downs is the Five Knolls, a cluster of round barrows on a headland of the ridge. Despite the name, the Trust counts seven mounds: two bowl barrows, three bell barrows and two pond barrows. The antiquarian William Stukeley noted them in the 18th century, and digs in the 1850s and 1920s showed they were raised in the late Neolithic and Bronze Age, then reused for burials in the Roman period and later.

The Trust reports that when Sir Mortimer Wheeler excavated the northernmost barrow in 1928, he found a crouched female skeleton with a late Neolithic knife at her shoulder, now displayed at Luton Museum and Art Gallery. Excavations through the 1920s recovered more than 90 skeletons from different periods, including about 30 Saxon-era burials whose hands appear to have been tied behind their backs. In the medieval period, gallows stood on the northernmost mound, and some of those executed were buried there. A long-repeated idea that the barrows were built for kings or chieftains finds no support in the excavations: according to the Trust, two bell barrows opened in August 1850 contained no treasure.

Icknield Way and Medieval Dunstable

The Icknield Way, an ancient trackway, explains why Dunstable sits where it does. According to the National Trust, Henry I founded the town in 1106 at the point where the Icknield Way crossed the Roman Watling Street. He invited London burgesses to settle there and established a priory of Augustinian canons, who ran the town and collected taxes for the Crown. Monarchs from Henry I to Henry VIII used Dunstable as a stopover on their travels.

On the Downs themselves, the Trust identifies two long, low “pillow mounds”, first recorded by W.G. Smith in 1894, as likely medieval rabbit warrens, possibly managed by the priory for meat and skins; both are now Scheduled Monuments. The open land around the town, including the Downs, also hosted mêlée tournaments, in which knights fought mock battles. The first recorded tournament took place in 1214 and the last in 1342, and the events drew more than 2,500 knights and their attendants, housed in tented camps across the surrounding countryside.

Pascombe Pit: Rifle Range and Orange Rolling

Pascombe Pit, where the Downs curve round towards the Five Knolls headland, holds two later stories. After the Crimean War, Britain raised the Volunteer Force of part-time soldiers to guard the country while regular troops were stationed abroad. According to the National Trust, a local battalion built a rifle range at the base of the Downs and placed permanent targets near the bottom of the pit. The metal target foundations are still visible there, pitted with bullet marks.

For around 200 years, Pascombe Pit was also the scene of a Good Friday custom: crowds gathered at the top of the slopes, then threw oranges down the hill and chased after them. The Trust notes that similar customs existed elsewhere, but only Dunstable Downs is recorded as using oranges. The tradition probably began in the mid-to-late 18th century and, by the end of the 1800s, drew hundreds of people each year to what was then called “pelting oranges”. Wartime rationing brought the first break, and despite post-war efforts by the Dunstable Chamber of Trade to revive it, the event was cancelled in 1968 over health and safety concerns and a lack of support from traders.

London Gliding Club

London Gliding Club was inaugurated on 20 February 1930, according to club member Ted Hull’s history published by the Dunstable and District Local History Society. The club grew out of a 1929 London gathering that also founded the British Gliding Association. Early flying attracted so many spectators that cars blocked the local roads, and the police made the club move on. Its home today is the airfield at the foot of Dunstable Downs. Bedfordshire Archives records that the club’s combined clubhouse and hangar was designed by Christopher Nicholson in 1935 and opened in July 1936 in the International Modern style, and that it was listed Grade II in July 1995. From the ridge you can often watch gliders being towed up by light aircraft and released to glide back to earth.

Visiting Dunstable Downs: Practical Information

Address: Whipsnade Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 2GY (use LU6 2GY for sat nav).

Managed by: The National Trust. The Chilterns Gateway Centre is owned by Central Bedfordshire Council and managed by the National Trust.

Opening hours: The Downs are open dawn to dusk. On 9 October 2026, the View Café and the Chilterns Gateway Centre were listed as open 10:00 to 17:00. The National Trust publishes times day by day, so check its calendar before you go.

Parking: £2.50 for 2 hours, £4.50 for 4 hours or £6 for the day. Parking is free for National Trust members (registration required) and Blue Badge holders. You can pay by card at the machines in all car parks, by cash at the machine outside the Hub, or through the JustPark app.

By train: Luton is the nearest station, 7 miles away, with trains from London St Pancras International taking about 35 minutes.

By bus: Buses cost £3 each way, and the National Trust offers a free regular hot drink to visitors who show a valid bus ticket. From Dunstable town centre, walk 25 minutes or take a 5-minute bus to the northern edge of the Downs. From there, the footpath to the Chilterns Gateway Centre takes 30 to 45 minutes, or you can stay on the bus for 5 more minutes. Centrebus’s “ZOO” route runs direct from Luton Station Interchange on Saturdays, Sundays, bank holidays and school-holiday weekdays, until Sunday 1 November 2026.

Walks: The National Trust lists three trails. The Five Knolls wildlife and heritage walk is an accessible, waymarked out-and-back route of 1.9 miles. The Whipsnade and Dunstable Downs walk is 4.5 miles, and the moderate Dunstable Downs countryside walk is 6.5 miles.

Facilities: The View Café, a gift shop selling kites and local produce, a second-hand bookshop, and indoor and outdoor toilets.

Dogs: Dogs are welcome on the Downs, and must be on leads inside the visitor centre, café and shop.

Accessibility: Facilities include Blue Badge parking, accessible toilets, level access to the shop and café, a multi-user path across the Downs, wheelchairs to borrow, induction loops, and large-print and braille guides. Two Trampers are available to hire; call 01582 500920 to book.

Nearby: Whipsnade Tree Cathedral, part of the same National Trust estate, is a cathedral layout planted in trees, hedges and shrubs.

Prices last checked: October 2026

Opening hours last checked: October 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the postcode for Dunstable Downs?

The postcode is LU6 2GY, for Whipsnade Road, Dunstable, and it’s the one the National Trust gives for sat navs. The main pay-and-display car park is off the B4541.

How much is the Dunstable Downs car park?

Parking costs £2.50 for 2 hours, £4.50 for 4 hours or £6 for the day. You can pay by card, by cash at the machine outside the Hub, or with the JustPark app.

Is there free parking at Dunstable Downs?

Only for National Trust members, who need to register, and for Blue Badge holders. Everyone else pays the standard car park charge.

What are the Dunstable Downs café opening times?

On 9 October 2026, the View Café was listed as open from 10:00 to 17:00, while the Downs themselves are open from dawn to dusk. The National Trust lists times day by day, so check before you travel.

Can you watch gliders at Dunstable Downs?

Yes. London Gliding Club, founded in 1930, flies from the airfield at the foot of the Downs, and gliders are often towed up by light aircraft before being released to glide back down.

Are there really five mounds at Five Knolls?

No. Despite the name, the National Trust records seven round barrows at Five Knolls: two bowl barrows, three bell barrows and two pond barrows.

Were the Five Knolls built as royal burial mounds?

There’s no evidence for it. The barrows are often said to be the graves of kings or chiefs, but the National Trust notes that two bell barrows excavated in August 1850 contained no treasure to support the idea.

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