Hertfordshire Walker: Much Hadam North Loop 16.4.23

I have been a little busy lately with various things but still been on some lovely walks with Gill but not had time to post on them. We did this 6.1 mile circular walk only 40 minutes drive from East London (1 hr 23 by public transport)  last month, courtesy of the free walking  website https://www.hertfordshirewalker.uk/. This is a fantastic resource for all local and London walkers. 

The walk is not that demanding but lots of gentle rolling countryside. As well as lots of historic buildings and ancient green lanes (a particular favourite of mine). The weather had been a little wet, so I wore my new gaiters but didn't really need them.  I uploaded the walk onto the https://explore.osmaps.com/ app (subscription) so I could follow the route via my phone. 

Got a little lost going through a golf course, but by doing so saw a tiny munic deer standing super still in the belief we will not see it. We passed a barn with an old horse drawn caravan in it and whose roof is reputed to have been "made from the upturned hull of a wooden ship. There is a date 1830 on a beam" (see bottom left of collage).

Finished off walk with a pint of Doombar in "The Bull" beer garden. 

Widford Circular Walk (Hertfordshire Walker)

 

Off message but to recover from UNISON Conference, Gill and I went for lovely relaxing 5.5 mile walk today in Widford, Hertfordshire, only 36 minutes by car from Forest Gate, Newham. 

It was listed on the free walking site https://www.hertfordshirewalker.uk/ check out https://www.hertfordshirewalker.uk/2021/11/walk-163-widfordbury-loop.html

There was a few lots of "up and down", a little overgrown due to time of year (so shorts were not probably a great idea). Got lost a couple of time but used the subscription ordnance survey app https://osmaps.com/os-maps-help to find a way to re-join route. Some noise from Stansted bound planes but nothing excessive.  

We saw hardly anyone apart from a few dog walkers and gardeners. 

I totally recommend the OS app. It is admittedly a little user unfriendly but it will let you know via GPS were you are at any time and you can work out what to do if you are lost. 

At the end of walk we went to the local village church https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/herts/vol3/pp402-406 and saw fantastic medieval paintings then off to the Chequers Pub, were I had a pint of local brew of Treacle Mine IPA, which was delicious. 

I have posted further photos on my facebook page here. 

Hunsdon North Loop walk

Off message but Gill and I had a marvellous countryside walk today in near perfect walking weather. I had come across a new free web site this morning https://www.hertfordshirewalker.uk/ and selected this Hunsdon North Loop walk . It is a circular 5.7 miles route only 38 minutes by car from Forest Gate (it is possible by train and bus but not on a Sunday I think).

Hunsdon is a lovely old village. The walk passes its airfield which is still used by microlight & small planes but during World War Two was home to fighter bomber Mosquitos squadrons. 126 RAF air and ground crew stationed here were killed during the war. A very sobering fact.

The walk itself was pretty varied, lots of wheat fields, woods, valleys, rivers and streams, some slight hills, lots of majestic birds of prey and some friendly bullocks. The weather was warm but not too hot with a refreshing breeze. The sky line was spectacular with fast moving white and some dark clouds with bright sunshine. 

One very welcome and unusual feature of this walk was the number of benches provided for people to sit on. This was a really quiet walk and we hardly saw anyone apart from a few dog walkers and picnickers.  

I took (for who knows what reason) a wrong turn at a crossing without checking the Ordinance Survey apt which meant another 2.5 miles but it was such a lovely walk that it didn't really matter (honest!).  

At the end of the walk I enjoyed a pint of Best at the The Crown in its beer garden. 

I will post more pictures of the walk here on Facebook.