 |
| Panoramic sweep across the valley |
 |
| A rounded beauty with post enhancements |
 |
| Bulbourne Valley |
 |
| The perfect hidey-hole |
 |
| Twisted vines with post enhancements |
 |
| Life rushing by |
 |
| Frozen canal at Bulbourne |
About Me
- Walkingboots'n'all
- Where to walk, what to see, what to do, what to wear. If I have one aim it is to make walking cool to the masses. This being a rather perplexing goal as I am neither remotely cool nor do I enjoy a mass accumulation of folk.
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Northchurch Common
Six mile walk from Berkhamsted, climbing up along Northchurch Common and back down along the Grand Union Canal. Photos taken by myself and my husband.
Write up coming shortly...
My new waterproof coat
Tried but not fully tested today. This coat is said to be waterproof, breathable and windproof and on a crisp, cold winter’s day, it was certainly warm and kept out the chilly wind. I await a rainy walk to see if the third and possibly most important claim of this jacket stands up to the test.
Perhaps a white walking jacket is a foolish choice, given the muddy routes we often find ourselves on, but I love the colour. Most of my walking attire is dark and this jacket is probably the safest element of my growing walking wardrobe, especially during the dark winter evenings.
 |
| Here’s the coat in action, accompanied by my new favourite wooly hat, for which my ears are very thankful. |
Attingham Park
I had the pleasure of
growing up only a few miles from Attingham Park, so this National Trust
property and its beautiful woodland walks have held my affections for more than
twenty years.
Just a short drive from
Shrewsbury, this estate has seen many changes in its two hundred and twenty
seven year history, from being home to successive Lord and Lady Berwicks to
operating as an Adult Learning College.
Perhaps its most
beneficial developments have occurred this century, with the National Trust’s
commitment to restoring the mansion and grounds as part of the Attingham
Re-discovered project.
For the walker, this
programme of development is providing new areas of the park to explore, which have
previously been out of bounds to visitors.
This new route extends the
existing Deer Park walk to three miles and winds its way through woodlands.
Unfortunately for me, this extra route was closed for shooting, so I will have
it to look forward to on my return visit.
The fittingly named ‘Mile
Walk’ offers not only a shorter route around the park, but an accessible
pathway too.
Both routes start from the
Carriage House and follow the River Tern as it cuts its way through the park,
setting its sights on the River Severn to the south of the grounds. Inquisitive
walkers can venture into the Walled Garden and the brave amongst can take a
peek at the bees in the new observation hive.
The path meanders its way
through to the first crossing of the River Tern on this walk. Here the
state of the art suspension bridge has replaced the once narrow and very bouncy
bridge that I remember from my youth.
The family dog once
nervously attempted to tackle it by lying on his belly and dragging himself
across, but learnt quickly from this folly and always choose to swim the
stretch on future walks.
We also held many fiercely
contested pooh stick races here, with the successful contender being the first
one to emerge from under the bridge.
Once on the other side of
the Tern, the route can become quite muddy underfoot, but it is well worn and
signposted throughout the woodland.
Passing through a kissing
gate you enter the deer park, with beautiful open views across the river
towards the mansion and the heavy presence of the Wrekin looming to the east.
The large herd of fallow
deer that call this park their home are quite used to sharing this space with
walkers and will allow you to get close enough for a good photo opportunity.
The walk heads back over
the Tern once more and up to the mansion where I like to stop and survey the
view across to the Shropshire hills; a sight largely unaltered since the first
Lord and Lady Berwick stood here in the late 1700s.
The route reaches its
conclusion back at the Carriage House where weary walkers can treat themselves
to a heady mix of tea, cake and even local Fidget Pie.
Walking Threads
Although the easy access
Mile Walk is solid underfoot, if you choose to venture out on the longer route
you will definitely need walking boots and maybe even wellies during the winter
months when some paths can become quite muddy.
Most of the walk is
sheltered by wooded areas, but a bitter wind can envelop when crossing the open
field in the Deer Park: a good woolly hat is a must during the colder months.
The Essentials
Location: Atcham, 4 miles
east of Shrewsbury on the B4380
Transport: Free car park on
site
A bus from Shrewsbury and
Telford stops outside the main gate
The Route: Mile Walk – easy
access, mostly flat surface
Deer Park walk- 3 miles,
mostly flat with well-worn but muddy paths in winter
Facilities: Toilets, Café,
Gift Shop
What to See: Mansion House,
Walled Garden, Stables, Fallow Deer
Price: Adult £4.05 Children
£2.15 (Park and Garden only)
The park is open most days
of the year, closing around dusk.
Grand Union Canal at Nash Mills, Hertfordshire
A selection of photos taken along the Grand Union Canal between Nash Mills and Kings Langley, Hertfordshire
 |
| Dull conditions made interesting with a filter in post |
 |
| Beautiful colours formed by the rust |
 |
| Highland Cattle- in Hertfordshire? |
 |
| Highland Cattle, through a fence |
 |
| The arching bridge draws the eye into the depths of the photo |
 |
| Black and white filter in post |
 |
| This trio walking on water? |
 |
| The lock with two filters in post |
Melton Country Park
Melton Country Park on a beautiful and unusually mild December morning
Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.
Photos taken by my husband on an iPhone 4
"The ascent of Scafell Pike is the toughest proposition the 'collector of summits' is called upon to attempt... From all the bases except Wasdale Head the climb is long and arduous and progress is slow"
- Wainright 1960, Scafell Pike 12
 |
| The view from the top of Scafell Pike September 2009. Surprisingly more difficult to descend than the climb to the top. |
Tring Reservoir
The Tring Reservoir walk encompasses a collection of four
different bodies of water with the Grand Union Canal sauntering on nearby,
commanding the reservoirs’ reason for being.
Comprised of Marsworth, Startop’s End, Tringford and Wilstone reservoirs, the latter being the
largest, these man-made wildlife havens were constructed two hundred years ago
to provide the millions of gallons of water required to support the Grand
Union’s ascent through the six Marsworth locks.
Tring Summit at nearby Bulborne is the canal’s highest
point, having risen almost 400 feet from its origin at Brentford.
This walk can lay claim to being within the Chilterns Area
of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which heralds a great irony as there is nothing
natural about the main attractions of this walk. However its artificial
creation does not detract from the area’s inherent beauty.
Strolling along one of the three designated routes it would
seem nineteenth century man’s need for fast transportation in an industrialised
world, has today left us with a tranquil backdrop with which to free ourselves
from the strains of the modern working equivalent.
This area is very popular with walkers and wildlife watchers
alike and to escape the crowds I would recommend the longer five and three
quarter mile walk which allows you to include the vast Wilstone reservoir. Covering one hundred and
nineteen acres it spans a greater area than the other three together.
This route also gives you the chance to navigate by foot the
abandoned Wendover Arm stretch of the
Grand Union, which if campaigners get their wish, will soon be reopened to
boats once more.
There is an eerie fascination to be had strolling along a
route once very much out of bounds to the walker.
All three waymarked routes can begin from the Startop’s End
car park in the village of Marsworth, but there is a charge and it can be
oversubscribed at weekends. There is a pub and teashop here, providing toilets
for patrons.
There are some parking places along the Tringford Road, but
starting at the car park allows the walker to take in the sights and sounds of
the bustling Grand Union canal.
Walking Threads
The canal towpath and the shorter waymarked routes are
fairly sturdy under foot, but walking boots are certainly to be recommended.
The longer route can be quite muddy in places during winter especially across
fields. A bitter wind can stir up across the open stretches of water so a good
fleece-lined coat would be my recommendation.
The Essentials
Location: Marsworth, Hertfordshire (nr Tring)
Transport: Startop’s End Car Park Pay and Display or free
layby parking near to Tringford Reservoir
Busses pass by from Hemel Hempstead,
Aylesbury and Tring
Boat- visitor moorings are available on
the canal here
The Route: A choice of three- 2.5 miles, 3 miles and 5.75
miles
Mostly level with a few steep climbs
for the long route.
Care should be taken crossing roads as
the walks often cross at blind bends
Facilities: Toilets available for patrons at the pub and
tearoom in Marsworth
What to see: Many species of bird descend on the reservoirs
and hides are available at Wilstone and Tringford Reservoirs.
PDF of the walks available from this site
Grand Union Canal, Hertfordshire
 |
Train line passes over the Grand Union Canal at Apsley. Symmetrical beauty from rugged hard working concrete |
 |
| A cygnet going through the change |
 |
| A moorhen tries its best to take flight |
Gade Valley Loop
A much overlooked circuit walk, for which I have coined the
new word Urbral: embodying the
delights that both an urban and rural landscape can afford the willing walker.
There are certainly plenty of urban and man-made pleasures to
take in as you gently climb the Eastern brow of the Gade Valley.
We start in Kings Langley on Station Road where free parking
is available at the weekend and evenings. Following the public footpath sign along Egg
Farm Lane, this quiet road will take you under the Great West Railway and up to
the headquarters of RES, a company specialising in renewable energy.
 |
| RES Wind Turbine, Kings Langley |
As you climb further looking back across to the West, the
Gade Valley opens up before you. Kings Langley nestled in its bowels and Hemel
Hempstead peering over its shoulders to the North.
 |
| The view across Kings Langley |
We are now on the Abbots Langley side of this trail and the
lane soon gives way to a stony track amongst the arable lands that straddle the
tarmac loop of London. A successful
descendant of the Red Kite reintroduction scheme keeps watch, silently soaring
above us.
After a kilometre the path splits and we head North back
over the M25 on a pedestrian bridge through a kissing gate and across farmland.
We join up with an old lane that will lead us back down the
valley through open wind swept fields to our starting point.
This track is shared by horse riders and bears many signs of
hoof churn, which can make the ground uneven.
Undulating perhaps conjures up too romantic an image for a
walk that does not score highly in the beauty stakes, but the valley does rise
to over 400 feet and is of a moderate challenge for most walkers.
The route can be completed in about fifty minutes, which is
ideal for us when time is not on our side. I regard this as our therapy walk.
We can access it from home, we know it well and we can walk and talk together
unhindered by life’s many distractions.
It may not be the prettiest, but this walk and many like it
certainly have their place. The Urbral walk
-perfectly designed for the hustle and bustle lifestyle of the modern day being
who yearns to be at one with and at peace in the landscape.
Walking Threads
What to wear on this walk is very much dependent on the
weather, although walking boots are always a must due to the uneven tracks.
Wellington boots may be called into action after long spells of rain. A gillet
is proving to be very handy in an exceptionally mild winter, with a deceiving
bitter wind.
The Essentials
Location: Kings Langley, Hertfordshire
Transport: Free parking on Station Road weekend and evenings
Trains every half an hour to Kings
Langley station
The Route: 2.6 miles
Fair to moderate climb to 400feet
Kissing Gates
Uneven ground, slippy underfoot in wet
months
Well worn paths but not always
signposted- OS Map helpful
Facilities: Public toilets, shops and pubs
available in centre of Kings Langley
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)