19.5km. (12.1 miles) Difficulty 2/10
Through Hertfordshire countryside to the ancient settlement of Ashwell. Today is “Ashwell at Home” Day, a village-wide event that raises funds for local groups. To visit the event proper you should buy a £10 ticket but you'll still see things if you’re just passing through.
The 14th C church contains medieval graffiti, some referring to the Great Plague. Other scratchings cast a less than perfect light on former inhabitants. The church is usually free to visit but you need the ticket to climb the tower (Hertfordshire's highest).
Trains: Get the 09:41 Cambridge train from St Pancras arriving 10:22
Trains back from Baldock at xx:26 and xx:52
The walk can be shortened by 3 miles to finish at Ashwell and Morden Station – useful if you get fully involved in the Ashwell hoo-hah. Trains from Ashwell and Morden are at xx:21 and xx:47. There's a pub called the Jester nearby.
Lunch There are three pubs in Ashwell: the Rose and Crown (01462 742420) the Bushel and Strike (01462742394), and the Three Tuns (01462 742107)
Tea – The George, London Rd or the Old White Horse and The Engine in Station Road
Walk directions here
At point 32 the footpath to the right across the field can be difficult to see, due to a tricky dogleg. Once off the road, you need to circumvent a garden area by heading forward a short way then following a path round to the right. When you come level with a gate, you should see a clear path heading off to your left diagonally across the fields.
T=swc.91
2 comments:
If there’s any bother with the 9:41 due to Saturday’s strikes, there is a later train from Kings Cross at 10:03 reaches Baldock at 10:57. (If you miss that, take the 10:12 from KX and change to the one above at Stevenage.
N=8 and a small dog today. A w=warm-and-sunny day. Mostly mud-free (something Park Wood made up for in buckets). The ways were adorned with cow parsley and Park Wood itself was particularly resplendent.
2 left us in Ashwell to meet friends. Another 2 and the dog went to the churchyard for a picnic. The rest to the 3 Tuns where morris dancers were in full jingle. After eating and drinking, it was off to the church to look at the graffiti. There was a spinning demonstration (wool not dervish). The al frescos had gone on ahead and weren’t seen again.
Caldecote’s abandoned church was open and we had a look inside. It needs dusting. Curiosity satisfied, we made our way to Newnham and looked in the church there. It has barely discernible wall paintings. The diagonal footpath from Newnham hadn’t been reinstated since sowing and it was easier to skirt two sides of the vast field. Ditto the next field.
In Baldock, a quick drink in the Engine then home.
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