Deep In The Heart Of Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire hides her beauty well. You could travel through on the A1 (M) or sit in a queue on the M25, you could whizz north on the Virgin Trains, or you could go shopping in Watford or Stevenage and never guess that there were quiet lanes full of history and subtle charm just a short walk away. Lets start in the village of Watton-At-Stone near Stevenage.

We'll take the lane up to Watkin's Hall Farm. The only traffic we'll pass is a lady out walking her dog. In fact all day today we'll see more tractors on the fields than vehicles on the road. We'll pass through one village, a handful of farms and a similar number of isolated dwellings, though there are over a million people in this county - somewhere.

For the next hour we won't see another soul as we follow farm tracks lined with bracken and hawthorn up towards Bramfield Woods.

The woods we pass through are all privately owned but with public footpaths running through them. There are occasional signs reminding you not to trespass in certain areas, but why would you want to? The views from the paths are splendid.

Surely there must be more people around at weekends, but I'm very happy to be able to enjoy the retired person's privilege of walking when I choose and having this all to myself.

I'm now on a road, of sorts, there's evidence that a horse has passed this way, but otherwise it appears deserted.

An excellent house in which to celebrate Hallowe'en! Queen Hoo House is an Elizabethan manor house which is very little changed since its construction. It's a private house but one can catch glimpses of it through the trees.

Then we're clear of the woodland for a while and walking through and around arable fields where some spraying operations were taking place. The walking was pleasant enough though not particularly picturesque. So we'll hurry on to Bramfield village...

The church is actually very old though so much restored in Victorian times that virtually nothing of the original can be seen today. St Thomas a Becket is said to have been the rector here in 1142.

We've actually turned right around and are now on the return leg of our journey. Happily that means that I get to go back through he delightful Bramfield Woods, though by a different route from this morning.

The route makes several ninety-degree turns along different tracks - guess who lost count of how many turns he'd made! Never mind, it was all very pretty and I knew I had to head roughly north-east, so somehow I emerged right on course.

Out into typically English rolling farmland, dotted with small woods and copses, and divided by hedges with a few stand-alone trees.

A final farm to pass by, then back to Watton-At-Stone and the train home.

Walker's Log:

    Start: Watton-At-Stone, Hertfordshire 10:15

    End: Watton-At-Stone, Hertfordshire 14:40

    Distance walked: 9 miles (14.5 Km) 

    Notable birds: Buzzard, Green Woodpecker, Red Kite, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jays stowing nuts for the winter, flocks of gulls, Rooks, Jackdaws, Wood Pigeons, Yellowhammers and Starlings feeding on fields. 

    Mammals: Brown Hare, countless Grey Squirrels.

    Farm animals: Sheep, Cows, Horses. 

    Churches: Bramfield (locked), Watton-At-Stone.

    People with dogs: 5

    Dogs with people: 5

    People just enjoying a walk: 4.

    Cyclists: 6

    Horse riders: 1

Take care.