Length: 18.7 km (11.6 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10
London Kings Cross: 09-58 hrs Thameslink service to Royston Finsbury Park 10-04 hrs (for connections with LT Piccadilly and Victoria lines)
Arrive Knebworth: 10-34 hrs
Return
Hitchin to Kings Cross: 04 and 34 mins past the hour Thameslink services to Kings X
Hitchin to St Pancras International: 11, 26 and 56 mins past the hour Thameslink services to Horsham or Brighton
Rail ticket: buy a day return to Hitchin
This is the inaugural posting of this bluebell walk - a variation of Elsa's Knebworth Circular walk, which Wednesday walkers went on this February (clockwise) and Saturday walkers gave a spin last September. (anti-clockwise). The start of the walk is the same as the Circular walk (in anti-clockwise direction) as far as St Paul's Walden. From here we do not drop down to the village of Whitwell but instead we continue in a general northerly direction through a series of woods, namely - in turn, Reynolds, Hitch, Lady Grove and Wain Woods where hopefully we will find some good bluebell displays.
After some 2.75 hours of enjoyable walking we should reach the village of Preston, where those seeking a pub lunch should stop at the community-owned pub - the Red Lion. The pub is well supported by its owning locals and I will reserve a table for six in case the pub is busy. It also has a good sized pub garden for those who prefer to dine outdoors (weather permitting). The Village Green opposite the pub is a good spot for our picnickers.
After lunch we walk through the village and head for Wain Wood, after which the walk continues along field edges towards the outskirts of Hitchin. We say hello to some enormous porkers in a pig farm before heading up and over Hitchin Hill, to soon commence a walk down to, then through, the historic town of Hitchin, passing some wonky buildings along the way.
I am hoping the walk's author will be with us to correct any mistakes I have made in the walk directions which I have written up for her. Her gpx route is good, though.
Enjoy - should be very nice !
T=swc.353
First draft of Walk Directions to Hitchin are here: L=swc.353
(please use the + - toggle to close down the sections of the Circular walk you will not be needing today - otherwise you will be printing off reams)
2 comments:
n=11 started in very slight rain. First through Knebworth Park, passing a large movie encampment, then into the first of many woods. Woods that were stuffed with bluebells More bluebells than we'd ever seen. More even than Flat Isley and Dockey Woods put together. Enough bluebells to melt the heart of even the most hardened bluebellophobe.There were lots of them.
Eventually we reached Preston.and the lunch stop in the community-owned Red Lion. It went down well . As did the Gravediggers Ale - "plenty of body" as one wit remarked. "Dead good" said another. Then on, past yet more bluebells. Past some pigs, over a hill, and into Hitchin where heavy rain started. Time for the tea-shop. Luckily there was one just there. The rain eased off for the trek to the station which involved yet another hill. An enjoyable walk. Deserves a place on the official SWC list of bluebell walks.
That weather: w=slightly-damp-start-sunny-and-humid-middle-then-rain-to-finish
Just one teensy criticism. The segue between the circular and the Hitchin end isn’t very clear. It’s hard to follow through in the text. It’s lost in the various options.
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