Ancient tracks and green lanes lead through the quiet, rolling East Herts countryside, then back along the Lea Navigation to St. Margaret's. The full walk is 15 miles but there’s a choice of two shortcuts.
Shortcut I gives a walk of 12.6 km (7.8 mi), rated 1/10.
Shortcut II gives a walk of 19.5 km (12.2 mi), rated 3/10.
For both of these options, the lunch stop is the Chequers in Wareside, a pleasant pub with a good choice of beers and (hic) ciders.
Trains
Get a return to St. Margaret's (Herts).
Get the 9:54 Cambridge North train from London Liverpool St (Tottenham Hale 10:07). Change at Broxbourne onto the Hertford East train (arr. 1019 plat 3, dep. 1023 plat 4). Arrive St Margaret's 10:52.
(The Hertford East train leaves Stratford (SRA) at 9:42)
Return at xx:03 and xx:33 changing again at Broxbourne (platform 1 to platform 2).
Lunch
For the two shorter routes, the Chequers Inn, Ware Road, Wareside (01920 467 010).
Anyone up for the 15 miler could lunch at the Feathers in Wadesmill 01920 462 606
Tea
There are several pubs on your approach to St Margaret's.
The Jolly Fisherman Station Road, Stanstead St. Margaret's, (01920 870 125). Has a pleasant garden by the Navigation.
The Oak 36 High Street, Stanstead Abbotts (01920 877 294). re
The Red Lion 1 High Street, Stanstead Abbots, (01920 410 056). One of the oldest buildings in the area.
Directions: here.
t=swc.165 #2026-06-21T09:54
2 comments:
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Five walkers met at St. Margaret’s station and set off into the Hertfordshire countryside under warm, occasionally sunny skies. One of us tried to recruit a lone person at the station but they had other plans. While the day was fairly hot, the frequent cloud cover and breeze made for comfortable walking conditions.
The route took us through meadows full of flowering sainfoin and alongside fields of barley and red wheat. Butterflies were abundant throughout the day (our professional butterfly spotters should consider this walk next time), joined by large numbers of bees and bumblebees making the most of the blooms on this longest day of the year.
Overhead, several red kites circled lazily, while the flight path from Stansted provided a seemingly endless procession of aircraft, enough to exhaust even the most enthusiastic plane spotter, and fans of 737 in particular.
We passed farms, attractive cottages, and several ponds populated by waterfowl just before the end. One memorable wildlife sighting involved a small herd of slender Jersey cattle, briefly and confidently identified by one walker as alpacas. The cattle were too polite - and too far - to challenge the assessment.
Soon after the ‘alpaca’ sighting, two walkers opted for an early lunch at the Chequers Inn (under renovation but open) and a more relaxed finish, while the remaining three pressed on to complete the full 15 mile (24 km) route.
Lunch and refreshments were later enjoyed at the Ermine’s Cafe in Wadesmill, an excellent alternative to the nearby pub. As temperatures rose during the afternoon, a final stop for cold cider shortly before reaching the station was widely regarded as one of the day’s better decisions.
The remaining trio caught the 17:33 train.
One important addition: Some of the paths that might be perfectly usable in winter were overgrown or not passable, but it was generally easy to find alternatives.
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