Friday 7 August 2020

Summertime Scenes

Down in deepest Hertfordshire, sandwiched between the A119 and A602 roads, near the railway to London, not far from the towns of Hertford, Ware and Stevenage, there's an unexpected wedge of quiet countryside that's worth exploring on foot.

In Waterford (where we were a few months ago, looking at the stained glass in the little church) there's a small nature reserve on a minor area of heathland that's been exploited in the past for its sand and gravel. A few local folk were out and about taking their morning exercise on this overcast morning,
Just beyond the nature reserve, fenced footpaths lead through an area more recently used for sand extraction, but being recolonised by nature. Yellowhammers were flitting about among the bushes.
We were soon in the hamlet of Chapmore End where this redbrick cottage caught my eye. We wandered past The Woodman pub and the duckpond and on through a short stretch of agricultural land.
I'd promised Les that we'd see some Red Kites somewhere on this walk. At this early stage of the walk they were still a novelty as they swooped and twisted over the fields, though later we saw many of these superb birds of prey. It was thirty years ago that I saw my first one - and I had to go to mid-Wales to do that - but such has been their recovery that you can now guarantee encountering them in many parts of the country.
The small village of Tonwell has a perfect little pub named The Robin Hood And Little John - a long way from their usual stomping ground in Sherwood Forest!


There's also this iconic building. It's a water-tower dating from the 1960s and dominates the skyline around this part of Hertfordshire. It's a protected building even though it's no longer in use. Browsing the internet I found that it's been bought by a property developer with plans to convert it to an unusual residence with a roof-terrace up on top. Now it just awaits someone to put up the money for the scheme. It won't be me.
A cluster of farm buildings at the end of a rough track is part of Bengeo Temple Farm. The "Temple" part of the name is a reference to the fact that this land was once owned by the Knights Templar back in the Middle Ages. There are rumours of treasure being buried somewhere around here.
The path led on beside a field of...well, what? It's a brassica of some sort and looks a bit like oil-seed rape though it's not yellow. Whatever it is I've seen a couple of fields of it lately.

(Since writing the above I've done some research and discovered that the crop is Fodder Radish and it is grown on organic farms as it helps control weeds and pests. Later it is cut and ploughed in, improving soil structure. It also provides cover and food for wild birds)
We're now entering the parkland which surrounds Sacombe House and Woodhall Park, two grand country mansions dating from 1803 and 1771 respectively, though we won't see either of them on this walk. Although privately owned, both estates are threaded by numerous footpaths and cycleways enabling everyone to enjoy this historic landscape.


Here's a useful and informative sign telling you that you can walk in either direction - but where to?
It's typical of the landscaped grounds that were laid out in this period and the present owners are doing much to restore the watercourses and wetlands and manage the land for nature. Woodhall Park, the main house, is now used as a school.
A rather nice patch of Harebells were blowing in the wind.


Now you might think that this grand avenue is leading you to the Hall itself, but no, that building is just the stable block, which probably housed the coachmen and grooms as well as the coaches and teams of horses. But where did all the money come from?


As is often the case it's probably best not to dig too deeply; suffice to say that Thomas Rolt, who built Sacombe House, and Thomas Rumbolt, the owner of Woodhall Park, both held high positions in the East India Company.
From here we're now going to follow the River Beane downstream back to Waterford. Believe it or not that's one of the river's channels above, though there is another close by which presumably contains the water. That's Purple Loosestrife flowering on the damp ground.


A little light forestry was taking place, removing some branches from the willow trees.


Although the path is right alongside the river, glimpses of it are few and far between as there's a kind of hedge running between the two.


The path then enters Clusterbolt Wood, though still closely follows the river. In Spring this wood is thick with flowers of Ramsons (Wild Garlic) - you won't need anything other than your nose to identify it!


The tiny village of Stapleford stands close to the river and has a rather attractive church, albeit one that always has its back to the sun. That's unusual; most churches are approached from their sunny south side. Incidentally, after a slightly cloudy start, the day had turned to one of unbroken sunshine - we seem to be getting more than our share of bright "Mediterranean" light in the south of England this year, though separated by damp, gloomy periods.


It's not all grand houses and perfect scenery - near Bullsmill this old wreck rather marred the view.


Then we're back down beside the river with sunlight and shadows dappling the water.


Just near Waterford there's an idyllic stretch of river, lined with green meadows, much favoured by young mums and their children on this beautiful afternoon. Just as we left the meadows I spotted what I thought was a butterfly but on closer observation turned out to be a Tiger Moth (an insect not an aeroplane!). All I could get was a rather fuzzy photo, but clear enough to identify it as a Jersey Tiger. At the time my insect book was published (2005) its range did not extend this far north, perhaps the effect of our recent spell of warm summers.


Then we're back in Waterford Heath nature reserve. Now where's that car park?


Take care.

28 comments:

  1. I remember visiting a red kite feeding center when we spent our holiday is Wales several years ago. Impressive birds to see.
    And I am amazed by the water tower, the outer shape is so different from the ones we see here.

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    1. That water tower is different from any others I know here, which is why it's a protected historic building I suppose. I rather like it; it reminds me of the Olympic torch.

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  2. Another lovely hike with perfect narration. Well done!

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  3. A beautiful area. What a name for a pub.

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  4. A very pleasant wander and all from the comfort of my arm chair John. I have no idea what that crop is - this is grassland country so nothing like that round here.

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  5. Lots to see in this small area!

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  6. Great photos! Loved this wander as usual John.

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  7. What a beautiful area to explore!
    Thanks, John and have a wonderful weekend.

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  8. So many of the old stable blocks of our country estates have grand domes and clocks like that one. Status symbols,I suppose.

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  9. Oooh. And ahhh.
    Thank you so much for taking us wandering with you. Had I been there in the flesh it would have been a very slow walk as I stopped to revel in the beauty.
    As always I can't get over how green it is. Our summer scenes are much more likely to be golden (in a good season) or parched earth (more common).

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  10. Had I joined you on the hike, a quick stop in that pub would have been mandatory. What a great name!

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    1. Too early in the morning, I'm afraid. But you're right pubs like that are a hazard to long walks in this country!

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  11. Lovely post! You not only have excelelnt photos, but give just enough and not too much information about the flora, fauna, and human history. Thanks.

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    1. Thank you. I'm afraid it's mostly the result of having an insatiable curiosity and being a very lazy typist!

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  12. What a lovely walk. I especially liked the photos of the river--though it seems very small to be called a river. Here, that would be a creek. I wonder, does England have creeks? or are there just rivers? We also have streams, called runs in my part of the country.

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    1. We're generous people and call pretty much everything a river! The words "brook", "bourne", "water", "beck" and other words are used to denote some small watercourses in various parts of the country but there doesn't seem to be any rule about where these are used and where "river" is applied. "Creek" is an interesting one: it comes from a Dutch word meaning a small estuary and it's used to mean that - a tidal stream or inlet - mostly along our East coast. Quite why it changed its meaning to a small stream when Europeans moved to North America and Australia is a mystery. I'd figured out "run" from reading your blog but it's not used here at all.

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  13. Thank you, John and I agree with JudithK above lovely photos and just right amount of info.

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  14. Always a pleasure to walk with you John, very good to hear the numbers of Red Kites has grown, they are rather magnificent creatures. During my one year stay in Henley on Thames and arriving from Central Africa, the English pubs were a revelation 😊

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  15. Hi John - interesting about the fodder radish - I gather it's Daikon ... and the leaves can be used in times of famine?! Wonderful walk you were able to take and see a 'new' part of the countryside near you ... you do do your countryside justice. That water tower is fascinating ... and I'd love to see it restored - obviously not for a while. It's amazing how well the Red Kites have done ... lovely to read and see - take care - Hilary

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  16. A lovely walk through the countryside there. So nice that you and Les get to take these walks together. Are people maintaining six feet of distance there out in the open spaces? We're still in pandemic mode here in California.

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  17. I would love to see the finished project of turning that water tower into a living space. Such an unusual building. I've enjoyed today's walk. Thank you for inviting me along. You have a wonderful weekend, hugs, Edna B.

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  18. I've been distracted from blogging for the past few weeks, John, so it was nice to come back to one of my favorite topics, the English countryside with all of its beauty and lovely villages. Thanks for sharing these wonderful images and your commentary.

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  19. What a nice summer walk! I so enjoyed various different scenes. This kind of walk is what I like about British countryside. Harebells look like our “kikyo”, or bellflowers, which is summer treat of soft colors. Here in my part of the world, a little of walk makes me perspiring, gasping for fresh air, and worn out due to these days’ dangerous heat and stifling air.

    Thank you for your comment to my Japan Alps post. To add something, three-fourths of my country is mountainous and large population lives on the narrow coastal area.

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  20. Beautiful photos of your walk, I've enjoyed looking at them and reading about the history of the places you passed. I first saw Red Kites near Rhayader in mid-Wales. We had one fly over here a couple of months ago which was a surprise:)

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  21. Wonderful photos - the countryside is really beautiful! And that water tower does look iconic. Have a nice week,
    Greetings, Jonny.

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  22. Very beautiful photoes of the hike!I had to laugh a bit Where is the car ?hihihihi

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  23. Hi John - I'd prefer to 'nest' in the cottage - or the pub - than the water tower!!! Rather an ugly building despite, I guess, a great view over all that beautiful countryside.
    Clusterbolt Wood sounds interesting - and yes, I do recall the strong fragrance of rampant wild garlic from the woods I loved in my childhood days.
    Robin Hood & Little John - harebells - narrow stone bridges, one car at a time most likely - quaint churches - tiny rivers/big streams, all so lovely.
    The 'Fodder Radish' is interesting also.

    Thanks for another fine hike - wish I was there.
    Mary -

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  24. Beautiful views here! I would LOVE to see a Red Kite.

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