17.6 km (10.9 miles) Difficulty 3/10 t=swc.351
A walk through common land, a Woodland Trust forest (Heartwood), a country estate (Childwickbury) and finally St Albans.
Lunch There are 3 pubs in Sandridge.
The 17th century Queens Head (tel 01727 855069) at 7 Church End. Booking ahead is advisable.
The Green Man (tel 01727 854845)at 31 High Street.
The 400 year old Rose & Crown (tel 01727 859739) at 24 High Street It specialises in cask ales. Also, the Heartwood Tea Rooms at 27 the High Street +44 1727 641064
Tea
The suggested tea place is the Abbots Kitchen 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.
Before you climb to the cathedral, the Olde Fighting Cocks (tel: 017227 865830), is one of several pubs claiming to be the oldest in England.
Trains
Get the Bedford train at St Pancras at 9:51 Platform B arriving Harpenden at10:18 (Other stations include East Croydon 9:21, London Bridge 9:36, West Hampstead 9:59)
There are 4 ‘fast’ trains an hour returning from St Albans City (platform 3) with slower ones leaving from platform 1. Get a Thameslink return to Harpenden.
St Albans Abbey station is mentioned as an alternative. There is one train an hour (xx:41 changing at Watford ) A separate ticket is required
2 comments:
Six of us met at Harpenden with one new to swc.
Pleasant walking on well marked paths and past Childwickbury manor former home of film director Stanley Kubrick, who directed films such as Space oddity and Clockwork orange.
Lunch was had at the Green man Sandridge where they did excellent Sunday roasts. 3 had picnic in church grounds before joining the others for a beer.
We set off after 1pm to St Albans and were caught in a shower for 20 minutes. The rest of the walk was cloudy but dry and not too muddy.
We arrived at St Albans around 3pm, where the sw walkers split into half. 3 went straight to the station whilst the other half had beer, coffee and cakes, before catching the 1614 train
N=6 w=cloudy-with-one-shower
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