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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Sunday, 24 July 2022

Sunday Walk: Harpenden to St Albans

Difficulty 3/10 17.6 km  (10.9 miles)
Through commons, a newly created Woodland Trust forest (Heartwood),and into Sandridge for lunch, then a quaint country estate (Childwickbury) and finally ye olde St Albans, with its Abbey, Roman remains and, most importantly, the ‘oldest’ pub in England.
Lunch
There are 3 pubs in Sandridge.
The 17th century Queens Head (tel 01727 855069) in Church End . Booking ahead is advisable. The churchyard beside it would suit picnickers.
The Green Man (tel 01727 854845) at 31 High Street.
The 400 year old Rose & Crown (tel  01727 859739) at 24 High Street A country pub with a beer garden. It specialises in cask ales.
Tea     
The suggested tea place is the Cathedral Cafeteria, just inside the Cathedral, which is open daily until 4 pm .
An alternative is Abigails (tel: 01727-8560039) in the Village Arcade in the Cathedral precincts, which is open daily until 5 pm. But..…..before you climb to the cathedral, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (tel: 017227 865830), is one of several pubs claiming to be the oldest  in England. It hit the rocks during the pandemic but has miraculously re-opened. Good for beer.
Trains You want a return to Harpenden.
Get the Thameslink Bedford train at St Pancras at 10:21 arriving Harpenden at 10:51.(Sarf  Londoners can catch it at East Croydon 9:48 or Blackfriars 10:12. Norf  Londoners can too at West Hampstead 10:29).
There are about 5 trains an hour returning from St Albans City. 
There is also one train an hour from St Albans Abbey station (xx:29 changing at Watford) but this requires a separate ticket.
St Alban's Abbey (the Cathedral) is worth a look. Open till 5. If you're really lucky, one of the volunteer guides might give you a spiel. There are two medieval shrines - to St Alban and St Amphibalus  See if you can find a modern addition to the latter. (A head wearing a face-mask was added to remember the pandemic).
Verulanium Museum is closed Sundays but there are sections of the Roman wall in the park. And ducks. t=swc.351

1 comment:

Mr M Tiger said...

Mr Tiger arrived at Harpenden and waited a while for the others..And waited. There were no others. Mr Tiger was the only n=1
Wiping away the tears, he set off, boldly going where others didn't seem to want to go.
The day was w=sunny-with-a-refreshing-breeze. The walk's terrain offered a mix of sun and shade. Not that this was of particular concern. Not to a sun-seeking basilisk like Mr Tiger.
The wildflower meadow in Heartwood was going through a white phase. A whole sea of wild carrot..The tame ones wouldn't have stood a chance. Not with those forky bracts. On past the grumpy wooden frog. And into the Queens Arms (it's a pub).
Guess what Mr Tiger had. That's right, cider.
A quick look round the church then on.
Eventually. St Albans was reached. First port of call, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks. Doing a brisk trade. Still doing real ale but maybe not as interesting a range as before. And veering a bit too much towards the pale types. So no dilemma for Mr Tiger. Cider. it was.
A quick look round the cathedral, then home.