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Hertfordshire

February 2021 - May 2024
An open-ended adventure by Andrew's Travels Read more
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  • TravelerHertfordshire

    Barley and Barkway Circular

    February 22, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    It is a short drive to Barley from Duxford; Barley is now in the north corner of the county of Hertfordshire; the Prime Meridian passes close to Barley. A well known landmark in the village is the sign of The Fox and Hounds public house; another interesting sign is on a building which used to be a blacksmiths and was then used to repair vintage cars.

    After parking, we walk to the War Memorial and follow the footpath and then road towards Smith End Farm. Here we cut across fields to the B1039 Barkway road; after a short walk along this we take the path across a paddock and then along a copse down to a lane. Further on, as we enter a field we see a large dead tree - it is still magnificent. This whole area is the Newsells Park Stud Farm and we bypass the entrance drive to this 1,200 acre estate which has "an international reputation for raising, selling and racing thoroughbreds of the highest class". We proceed down a bridleway and enjoy views of some of the horses grazing in the fields with the RAF Barkway Mast in the background; a little further on, looking back, we see an obelisk on the estate grounds - this was "erected by Sir Hugh Rose, later Lord Strathnairn, in memory of his favourite charger, which had carried him well during the Indian Mutiny."

    We reach Barkway and walk down the High Street, part of the old London to Cambridge coaching route (see post for Barkway and Reed Loop)..

    At the end of the village we take the footpath past Earl's Wood and eventually reach Messop's Grove, another wood on the way back to Barley; there is a long track to the village and there are good views - including that of the windmill at Great Chishill, one of only seven open trestle postmills in the UK.    Read more

  • TravelerHertfordshire

    Therfield Heath

    February 26, 2021 in England ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    Therfield Heath, also known locally as Royston Heath due to its proximity on the outskirts of Royston, is a place we have visited many times over the years (Royston is about 10 miles from Duxford); it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest as it contains a Bronze Age round barrow cemetery.

    On this occasion we start at the Royston sports complex (this heathland is also home to the Royston Golf Club and Rugby Club) and walk up to a knoll with a seat on it; on a clear day like today, there are excellent views of South Cambridgeshire - including Wimpole Hall. We pass the five barrows (tumuli) and take the path round the bottom section of this part of the golf course; we cross the road and then walk along the gallops, part of he Kings Ride Stables (Therfield heath was reportedly favoured by King James I as a hunting ground), to Thrift Farm; this farm hosts visits from local schools and groups who learn how the soil is farmed to produce food and how the environment is managed to create havens for wildlife - old farm machinery is on display. At the end of the farm buildings, we take the footpath across the field to a copse and take the path to the left here; we cross another field towards some woodland and have a good view of the chalk slope which is known in the area for its crop of rare pasque flowers in April.

    When we reach this we walk up through beech woods to the Jubilee Wood and through the to the same road we crossed earlier; we walk along the top edge of the golf course now, seeing the five barrows from a different viewpoint, and then through more trees before emerging back to the open heath and heading back to where we started. A lovely walk.    Read more

  • TravelerHertfordshire

    Therfield Circular

    April 2, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    We start at Therfield Heath, only this time we walk through the woods to the top of the chalk bank to see if the Pasque flowers are out - they are! The striking, purple Pasque flower has a beautiful, upward bell-shaped flower is now a very rare plant in the UK, restricted to just a few chalk and limestone grasslands and found on only a handful of nature reserves - one of them being Therfield Heath. From the bank there is a good view of the gallops, which we walk along again to reach Thrift Farm.

    From the farm we carry straight on up the incline - this is part of the Hertfordshire Way, a 194 mile circular walk around Hertfordshire - and see Therfield water tower on the horizon. As we approach the top we enter Slipe Woods and enjoy the view down towards the heath and fields; we then walk past the water tower, leaving the Hertfordshire Way, and pass the Church of St Mary's to reach Therfield itself. We cross the Causeway and village green to the The Fox and Duck, a well known pub in the area, and proceed to the other side of the village where we join the Icknield Way; this is an ancient trackway in southern and eastern England that runs from Norfolk to Wiltshire and follows the chalk escarpment that includes the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills.

    As we head back towards Therfield Heath, we enjoy the view and pass giant haystacks en route (Giant Haystacks was the ring name of a famous British wrestler who was active in the 1970s and 1980s), and walk back through the woods that skirt the southern edge of the golf course back to the car.    Read more

  • TravelerHertfordshire

    Barkway and Reed Circular

    January 3, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Barkway is an ancient village in the north corner of Hertfordshire and was listed in the Domesday Book (1086); there are many old properties along the High Street, which was part of the old London to Cambridge coaching route - as commemorated by an old Milestone and a Wagon Wash for coach wheels.  There has been a church here for over 1,000 years and the current iteration, St. Mary Magdalene Church, is made of flint and stone.

    After the 9 mile drive from Duxford, we park along the High Street, have a look round the sites of the village and then head out via Gas Lane to start the walk.  We pass the southern edge of Earl's Wood and then across fields to a line of trees; here we divert down to the small village of Nuthampstead to see the Memorial Monument dedicated to the 398th Bomb Group outside The Woodman Inn; there was a small airfield and RAF station here during WWII.  After doubling back to our route, we walk past the northern edge of Earl's Wood; further along, from the path back to Barkway High Street, we have views of the large Cokenach Estate - this now has a local cricket club established on its grounds.  

    We cross the High Street and follow the road for a short while before continuing along the path to Periwinkle Hill; we are not far from the RAF Barkway Mast, a reminder of the vital geographic and strategic location that Barkway once was.  We soon reach the small village of Reed.  The beautiful old pub there which I have visited, The Cabinet, is now in danger of being lost and part of it is being used as a small “bar, restaurant and takeaway” with the name of The Spice Cabinet..... We have a view of St Mary's Church as we leave the village, following the signs for The Hertfordshire Way back to Barkway and the end of an excellent walk.    Read more

  • TravelerHertfordshire

    Royston

    October 31, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Royston is a town in North Hertfordshire about 10miles from Duxford; the town has excellent road and rail communications and has grown rapidly in recent years.  Despite its size, the out-of -town shopping zones, industry etc there is still an area in the centre of the town that reflects its place in the history of the local area and this is where I planned a "cultural" visit based on the town trail map.

    Royston grew at the crossing of two ancient thoroughfares; Ermine Street (created after the Roman conquest) and the Icknield Way (originally a prehistoric routeway).  Roisia's Cross was erected at this crossroad and the name evolved to Roisia's Town and then Royston; a large boulder with a socket in it, supposed to be the base of the original cross, is now there.  Royston Cave - an artificial circular, bell-shaped chamber cut into the chalk bedrock - is underneath it and accessed from Melbourn Street (it is only open to the public on certain days during the Summer).

    Nearby, on Kneesworth Street, is a large house known as King James' Palace; King James VI stayed in Royston in 1603, went hunting and liked the area so much he decided to build a house here (actually a royal hunting lodge) as it was also close to his other favoured area of Newmarket.  The Royston Museum is on the other side of the road to the house.

    Back on Melbourn Street, I detour to see the County Court House - now a trendy bar and kitchen - on Fish Hill. I then double back to pass the Grade II listed Georgian Banyer's House and the Old Town Hall, now Royston Picture House.  These buildings are opposite the Priory Memorial Gardens, formerly attached to a nunnery, where The Parish Church of St. John the Baptist is located; this is Grade I listed and dates from the 12th century.  The border of the Gardens with Melbourn Street is where the WWI War Memorial is located - it features a two-foot high bronze statuette of a private of the First World War with a crow at his feet - and the gardens also house a war memorial dedicated to members of the United States Army Air Force 91st Bomb Group who died whilst stationed at Bassingbourn from 1942 to 1945.

    I walk over to the High Street and then up to the Old Bull Inn, a former 15th century coaching inn with stabling for over 100 horses, and a very popular place as on the other side is the Market Square.

    An interesting visit; I now see Royston a little differently to how I used to!    Read more

  • TravelerHertfordshire

    Baldock

    April 24, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Baldock is a historic market town in Hertfordshire less than 10 miles southwest of Royston; it has an association with the Knioghts Templar, is mostly Georgian, and also has an exceptionally rich archaeological heritage.  Malting and brewing were formerly major industries in the town, but today, it is mostly a commuter town.

    The majority of the interesting buildings are near to, or along, the High Street; we start at the War Memorial and see some of them (see captions on pictures).  After a slight diversion to walk along a street where there were originally roman buildings (The Twitchell) and an area where there was an Iron Age burial site (The Tene), we double back to see the Tesco supermarket (originally a film processing laboratory) before walking along what was the southern edge of the Medieval New Town (South Road). 

    We turn into Clothall Road and soon cross over to a footpath over a field towards Clothall Common; this field is where the Iron Age and Roman towns and several burial sites have been found.  We then head back into town along Royston Road; Raban House is at the junction with Whitehorse Street.  Then it's along Sun Street to St Mary's Church and back to the War Memorial to complete this short tour of Georgian and Ancient Baldock    Read more

  • TravelerHertfordshire

    Ashwell, Hinxworth, and Caldecote

    February 21 in England ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    This walk was done with the Cambridge Rambling Club, taking in 3 villages off the beaten track on the border of Hertfordshire with Cambridgeshire.

    Ashwell is 4 miles north-east of Baldock; it is a pretty town that I explore over the lunch break, with some of the sites being seen on the walk back.  It is well preserved, with many listed and other buildings of note (see captions on photographs); these include a the 16th-century town house (now a local museum) and the Maltings (now converted into flats).  Ashwell Bury, a large Victorian house, was remodelled by Edwin Lutyens in the 1920s; Lutyens also designed the Grade 2 listed Ashwell War Memorial, unveiled in 1922.  

    The village is noted for Ashwell Springs, a site of Special Scientific Interest; the site consists of a series of freshwater springs, which form the start of the river Rhee, one of the main sources of the River Cam.
    The Cam flows through the centre of Cambridge, then to Ely, where it joins the Great Ouse and eventually reaches the Wash 65 miles away.

    We leave Ashwell via the Church and follow footpaths, including part of the 12th century Ridgeway, to Hinxworth; we stop at the Church of St Nicholas and pass the home of John W Mills, a British Sculptor.  We continue on to Caldecote; this tiny village consists of a cluster of cottages around the redundant Church of St. Mary Magdalene, which dates from the 14th and 15th centuries and is currently in the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches charity.  From here, we walk back to Ashwell via Newnham Hill; it has been an enjoyable 7.1 mile walk (although the conditions were rather muddy).    Read more

  • TravelerHertfordshire

    Reed, Buckland, Anstey, and Nuthampstead

    April 10 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    This post describes a 12 mile circular walk from Reed done with the Cambridge Rambling Club, combined with a follow-up trip by car to visit the churches properly.

    Reed is a small, pretty village in North Hertfordshire and is situated on a chalk ridge approximately 3 miles south of Royston.  We walk around the village green, past the old chapel (used as the local school for many years before becoming a private residence) and down to St Mary's Church; this had a new organ installed at a cost of £170,000! We then walk north for a while to the main footpath and past Reed Wood on the route to Buckland (another small village).  Then it is east and over towards Anstey, passing Anstey chalk pit.  The church here, St George's, is cruciform in shape and noted for its stained glass windows in memory of the USAAF 398th Bombardment Group who lost their lives in combat in WWII - they flew from the nearby former air station at Nuthampstead.  This is a short distance away, and we walk up along one of the runways of what was USAAF Station 131 during the war; the airfield was constructed by the U.S. Army engineer battalions starting in 1942.  We pass the Barkway DVOR (Doppler Very high frequency Omnidirectional Range Station), an aeroplane navigation aid that is in active use.  There is another monument to the USAAF 398th outside the Nuthampstead Airfield Museum, but this is unfortunately closed.  

    After a break - we have walked over 8 miles so far - it is back to Barkway via a footpath along the Cokenach Estate and then back to Reed.  Another great day out in a local area not that far from Duxford.    Read more

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