It was a classic February day, cloudy, average temperature with a nippy north easterly wind blowing but dry, when 15 Poly Ramblers assembled outside Tring station for a circular walk.  

The walk would take us not in the direction of the Ridgeway but the opposite direction around the village of Wigginton and up into Ashridge forest.  

We set out and no sooner had we turned the corner into Beggar’s Lane than we came across the somewhat embarrassed faces of Gillian and Stuart standing by their car which had been driven into a puddle on parking.  This had turned out to be deeper than they had expected and the car had got stuck.  It was decided not to get the strongest of the Poly Ramblers to put their weight in front of the car and try to extract it from the puddle but instead Gillian rang for road side assistance and said she and Stuart would catch us up once the car had been sorted out. 

We diverged from the road on to a footpath that took us up an incline where we could look across the valley towards Ashridge in one direction and Aylesbury vale in the other direction.  We crossed a footbridge over the A41 eventually turning into the woods of Tring Park where we eventually came into a lane leading into the village of Wigginton.  Here we made a lunch time stop at a sports field where there was a community shop and café at one end.  We increased their customer numbers probably three fold but they were very welcoming and managed to accommodate us in their small inside seating area where Poly Ramblers  soon fell into conversation with local dogwalkers.  Soon after our arrival, Gillian and Stuart appeared, swelling our numbers to 17 Poly Ramblers.  Thankfully there had been no damage done to their car.  

After lunch, we continued out walk through a field with overcurious horses trying to bar our way through a kissing gate, and back across the A41, this time crossing under it, reaching a hamlet with the curious name of Cow Roast.  Apart from a dilapidated looking former pub in the throws of being renovated, we passed two sports fields filled with teams of men and women respectively playing football and hockey.  

Our path took us over the Grand Union Canal and over the Tring to London railway line, after which we started to rise up into Ashridge forest.  The superb views across the valley were in the opposite direction from those we had seen on the other side in the morning.  The sun had started to break through making an otherwise chilly day appear almost warm.  

At a National Trust café in Ashridge Forest next to the Bridgewater monument ( a monument to the local aristocratic canal builder) we stopped for much needed hot drinks.  Rain had threatened at various points on the walk but hadn’t amounted to much.  Whilst we were at the café however, it turned heavier and we all retreated under an awning in the outdoor café to keep dry.  By the time we got up to leave however, the rain had stopped and we took the steep path down the hill into the pretty village of Aldbury.  On the 0.2 mile footpath from Aldbury to Tring station, the sun suddenly turned very bright and we saw the most magical sight of an intact rainbow one end of which was clearly visible over the village of Aldbury.  Someone mentioned that this could be interpreted as a good luck omen.  

Once back at Tring station we did not have to wait long for a train that took us back to London.  

Mary. Photos by Mary and Nita and the car photo by Chris (thanks Chris!)

The day started with the first rain in a month but stayed dry during our walk for lovers of snowdrops. Nine Poly Ramblers met at Crews Hill station and headed to Whitewebbs Wood. We followed the northern edge of this ancient woodland and came to the Whitewebbs golf course which has been closed by Enfield Council, but is enjoyed by local walkers – for the time being. Then we walked – still in the wood – between two enclosures: one which is the large training ground of Tottenham Hotspur (who want to lease part of the wood and the old golf course to enlarge their training ground with much opposition from the locals) and an area which is being developed as a beaver sanctuary. We came out of the wood to fields where curious sheep ran towards us probably thinking we had food for them but walked away very disappointed. After continuing on a muddy path, we arrived at Myddelton House Gardens.

We had lunch in the café, had a look at the small museum and went for a tour of the gardens. Myddelton House was built around 1812-1818 by Henry Carrington Bowles and named after Sir Hugh Myddelton the engineer who created the New River. The house passed through the Bowles family and was inherited by Edward Augustus Bowles who became one of the great self-taught gardeners of the 20th century. He was an expert on many plants, particularly crocuses, and was subsequently named “The Crocus King”. But we were there for the snowdrops, and they were everywhere as well as crocuses and daffodils. E A Bowles was an avid recycler, and the gardens contain bits of London that no one else wanted such as parts of old London Bridge, rubble from the construction of the Victoria line, the old Enfield Market Cross, paving stones from Clerkenwell and medieval shots. The gardens are lovely and very interesting. Go there at any time of the year; entrance is free, and they are only 0.6 miles from Turkey Street Overground Station.

After visiting the gardens, we entered Forty Hall Country Park and followed Turkey Brook, passing fishponds, thought to be created by Henry VIII to provide freshwater fish to the Palace of Elsyng. It was a medieval manor (whose remains now lie beneath the ground of the estate) and former home of Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. We followed Turkey Brook to Beggars Hollow where we stopped in the café for a cup of tea. We then followed the course of Cuffley Brook and entered Whitewebbs Wood once again. We passed Flash Lane aqueduct built in 1820 to carry the New River over Cuffley Brook. Its purpose was to shorten the route of the New River, but by 1850 the aqueduct was redundant. The remains of the cast iron ‘flash’ were excavated by the Enfield Archaeological Society in 1968 and repaired in 2010. We continued through the wood and came out on Whitewebbs Road and walked to Crews Hill station passing the many garden centres which now replace the large area of glasshouses which used to serve the London market with cut flowers, pot plants and vegetables. Only 10 minutes wait for the train and the end of a successful first midweek walk.

Dominique

As 20 Poly Ramblers strode out of High Barnet tube station a little boy turned to his father open-mouthed. “What a big family!” he exclaimed.

And so we set off on an unusually mild day, beginning with an ascent through King George’s Field that rewarded us with fantastic views over London. Arriving at the ancient settlement of Monken Hadley, we passed several grand houses with plaques of former residents, including Dr (I presume) Livingstone and author Fanny Trollope. A row of almshouses led towards the church of St Mary where we admired the marble monument honouring their benefactor, Roger Wilbraham, in his fine Elizabethan ruff.

To the woods! Birds were celebrating what felt like the imminent arrival of spring as we walked on a carpet of crunchy leaves alongside a brook. Walkers expressed relief when we crossed the main East Coast main railway line by a bridge (rather than having to scoot across the track). Passing a lake, we reached the Cock Inn.

After refuelling we embarked on the second half of the walk, taking us first through more woods and then past the Sassoon Obelisk high on a hill. The monument was visible from Trent Park House, currently being turned into flats. During World War II it played a crucial intelligence role: talkative German officers were interned here, unaware that it was bugged.

Another lakeside path took us to the Water Garden, a green valley where snowdrops and celandines were peeking out. After a brief stop at a small wildlife centre we processed along a magnificent alley of trees, with sweeping views across Trent Park. Minutes later we were on the Piccadilly Line, heading back into central London from Cockfosters after an invigorating day in what felt like the heart of the countryside.

Alison.  Photos by Jill, Stuart and Meng