17.6 km (10.9 miles) Difficulty 3/10
A walk through attractive common land, a recently created Woodland Trust forest (Heartwood), a quaint country estate (Childwickbury), and, finally, the ancient settlement of St Albans, with its Cathedral/Abbey (worth a look), and more importantly, the ‘oldest pub in England’. Verulamium museum is closed Sundays but there are stretches of Roman wall in the park and the nearby Roman Theatre should be open (£3).
Lunch:There are 3 pubs and a tearoom in Sandridge.
The 17th century Queens Head (tel 01727 855069) at 7 Church End (recommended). The menu caters for vegetarians and vegans. Booking ahead advisable. (There is a nearby churchyard, useful for 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 Abbots Kitchen just inside the Cathedral, which is open daily until 4 pm .
An alternative is Abigail's (tel: 01727-8560039) in the Village Arcade in the Cathedral precincts, open daily until 5 pm.
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.
Trains: You want a Thameslink return to Harpenden. Get the Bedford bound Thameslink from St Pancras 9:35 Platform B, arriving Harpenden 10:05. (Not the slower 9:35 from platform 2).
Sarf Londoners can catch this at East Croydon 9:03, or London Bridge 9:19.
Norf Londoners at West Hampstead 9:43.
There are 4 trains an hour returning from St Albans City.
You can also return from St Albans Abbey station but that journey requires a separate ticket. There is one train an hour (xx:41) heading for Watford Junction where you change for London.
Directions: here
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Sunday, 21 July 2024
Sunday Walk: Harpenden to St Albans
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5 gathered outside the station and with one joining at lunch, made #6 on this walk. #Starting-cloudy-but-dry-all-day-with-sun-in-the-afternoon all with barely the slightest hint of mud. Heartwood Forest arrived unexpectedly quickly after encountering several dog walkers and helpful locals offering directions along the way. After enjoying the shade in the forest, the wildflower meadows in bloom provided a scenic and pleasant contrast.
The benches in the churchyard of St Leonard’s were an idyllic picnic spot for three, while two met the late arrival for lunch at The Queen’s Head. After lunch two were persuaded to have a guided tour of the church and learned later that afternoon, in this quaint village church, there was to be a Star Wars themed wedding (from the groom’s side at least.) While walking through Sandridge a wedding bus did pass but, no Jedi were spotted not even a lowly storm trooper.
Heartwood Cafe & Tearooms is now open and looked to be lovely spot to stop at but all pressed on past the tearooms and some appealing pubs. The group did take time to stop at The Church of Saint Mary within the impressive Childwickbury Estate. On the outskirts of St Albans two went on ahead, one to make a prearranged gathering and the other to catch an early train. Four stayed on for refreshments or perhaps to see the workings of the watermill. All in a lovely walk.
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