Monday evening update on rail strikes: the RMT rail strikes either side of Thursday are on. Network Rail's advice is not to travel unless strictly necessary. A SWC walk is never, ever strictly necessary. West Midlands Trains are hoping to run the services posted below, but expect some cancellations and or delays. As much as I like this pre-Christmas walk I cannot risk being delayed or stuck in St Albans, as I have an important engagement back in London early evening on Thursday - so I won't be attempting today's walk myself, to my disappointment. But I am leaving the post up in case any of our regular mid-week walkers want to take a chance on the trains and a cancelled service or two won't cause them problems.
Length: 14.0 km (8.7 miles)
Toughness: 2 out of 10
London Euston: 10-23 hrs West Midlands service to Birmingham New Street
Arrive Watford Junction: 10-37 hrs Change trains
Leave Watford Junction: 10-45 hrs West Midlands service from Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey
Arrive Garston: 10-50 hrs
Return (services may wind down earlier than usual due to rail strike the next day: suggest you try to leave St Albans no later than 18-00 hrs).
St Albans Abbey to Euston, changing at Watford Junction: 16-07, 16-51, 17-36 and 18-22 hrs
St Albans City to St Pancras (and beyond): 5 fast trains an hour, plus 5 stopping services
Rail ticket If planning to return from St Albans Abbey station, buy a day return to St Albans Abbey.
If you prefer to return from the large"inter-city" station which is St Albans City, with its frequent fast services back to London, and beyond as far as Brighton, you will need to purchase separate singles for your two journeys today.
For many a year we have posted this walk just before Christmas, to enjoy the Christmas market which has hopefully returned this year after Covid to the Cathedral's precincts: some years we have also been fortunate enough to have caught a carol service in the Cathedral.
Leaving Garston we first have to tackle Bricket Wood Common which can be very muddy. Exiting the wood we pass through the Munden Estate before embarking along a long, undulating track, to cross the River Colne and later the River Ver before arriving at Moor Mill, our lunch stop, sited snug below the M25 Motorway !
After lunch, we make for the village of Park Street via some lakes, before crossing water meadows and along field edges to the outskirt of the city. We now walk beside the River Ver to eventually come out in the city, not far from the Abbey railway station for those who want to return home early. But the recommendation is to continue uphill for the short distance to St Alban's Cathedral: do visit inside either before or after exploring the Christmas market in the Cathedral's precincts. It's cafeteria, if still open, is your tea stop. Back down the hill, for those heading for the Abbey railway station, you pass Ye Olde Flying Cocks pub, a must for lovers of real ale. The last leg of the walk through Verulamium Park, now probably in the dark, makes for a pleasant ending to today's adventure.
T=1.7
Walk Directions are here: L=1.7
2 comments:
Did anyone make it beyond Euston today? The posted train and most others were cancelled and the departure boards were blank. Two of us opted for a stroll/teeter across the snow and ice from Finsbury Park to Muswell Hill. It was #beautifully-sunny, there were some nice views and impressive snowmen.
I am really sorry the planned walk didn’t work out, Sandy, but glad you managed to salvage the day and get a snowy walk in the sun. For the record, if you had got the tube to Totteridge you could have enjoyed a winter wonderland, but you can do that on Saturday if the snow lasts (he said, plugging his walk…). But the Parkland Walk is nice too (if that is where you went).
I had intended to come, but I am getting over a cold and decided to add an extra day to my “social isolation” period. I set out to go to Eynsford instead. I too had transport issues. My train from London Bridge to Swanley was first 7 minutes late, then eventually 17, and I was just congratulating myself that I would at least be in time for the train to Eynsford half an hour after the one I would have got, when that was cancelled. But my story had a happy ending. I got a fast train to Otford with minutes to spare, and walked thence to Eynsford and Lullingstone via Romney Street. Snow all the way and gorgeous sunshine, but nothing like as much snow as we have had in Totteridge…. Totteridge really does seem to be tops for snow at present….
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