Hertfordshire Chain Walk 7:
Bramfield Woods North

20 December 2008

Today George accompanied Stephen on another visit to the Hertfordshire Chain Walk. The route is a series of 15 circular walks which link together to create a chain, running from the northern edges of Enfield in Greater London to Cambridgeshire. With the walks being circular they can be started from any point and walked in either direction. The seventh walk, like the sixth, was started from Bramfield Woods, between Welwyn Garden City and Watton at Stone, this time heading north.

As we head from the parking place towards the start of the Hertfordshire Chain itself, George is looking very clean and fluffy. It won't last!

Emerging from Bramfield Woods onto Long Walk, looking across arable Hertfordshire

A laid hedge, now past its best, supplemented by a barbed wire fence, now past its best, the whole useless as there are large gaps without gates.

An untidy farmyard at Perrywood Farm

Heading towards Watkin's Hall Farm

As we head towards Watkin's Spring North, George pauses by a redundant cattle grid. He is starting to get muddier.

Ploughed fields as we approach Watton at Stone

In Watton at Stone. The direction pictured is the official route of the Hertfordshire Chain Walk. However, the premise of the walk is 15 circular walks which link together. But in their infinite wisdom, the creators left a gap in the middle at Watton. I didn't feel this was in keeping with the spirit of the thing, so at this point I turned sharp left, and added a loop along Mill Lane and back via Watton House. This, which I dubbed the Dawson Variation, adds about two kilometres to the route.

Watton at Stone

From above the River Beane, near the bypass, looking back to Watton

The church from below, after crossing the Beane for the second time.

Allotments as we look back through Watton to regain the official Hertfordshire Chain Walk

And the church from above, where a wedding is taking place

Back in countryside, and more ploughed fields

Built as a country house in 1775 for Sir Thomas Rumbold, these buildings have housed Heath Mount School since 1934.

An increasingly muddy George pauses naturally in a rather good show pose. A pity about the condition of the coat, however!

"What do you mean, 'bath'?"

"Trees", says the sign, but this close to Christmas there weren't many left.

Another view of the tree-selling Great Gobions Farm.

From there we returned to a very muddy Bramfield Woods, where George's condition worsened. But despite the mud, a pleasant early winter outing.

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