Day Eight

Saturday 7 November
- Enfield Lock to Hatfield

Heading West from Enfield Lock station, I soon rejoined the Capital Ring, alongside the Turkey Brook – at this point a canalised stream between a recreation ground and a line of back fences. It was a wonderful day, cloudless and quite cold. There was a bit more cloud to come, but nothing to disturb the sunshine for long, and no threat of rain.
 
Crossing the A10, I came across another watercourse, the New River. The clue of course is in the name: spot the word “new” on a map and be sure you're in antique territory. “The New River is a man-made waterway in England, opened in 1613 to supply London with fresh drinking water taken from the River Lee and from Amwell Springs (which ceased to flow by the end of the 19th century), and other springs and wells along its course. Its original termination point was at New River Head near Clerkenwell, Islington, close to the current location of Sadler's Wells theatre — where water from the river was used to flood a large tank to stage an Aquatic Theatre at the beginning of the 19th century. Today by following the New River Path it is possible to walk almost the whole length of the New River from its source between Hertford and Ware to its destination in Stoke Newington, Hackney.” (Wikipedia) Indeed, my route took in the the New River Path for a few hundred yards.
 
Leaving the Capital Ring, I followed the old course of the New River (that is, even older than the new course!), then headed North. I passed two recently-dead foxes, lying on the ground within three yards of each other. Poisoned, presumably. I used a footbidge to cross the M25. Was it busy? Guess. Yes, right again! I was now entering Theobalds Park. Theobald House (later Palace) was built by Lord Burghley (Elizabeth the First's hatchet man) in the mid-16th Century. The Cecils later swapped it for Hatfield House, for the usual nefarious reasons. Later owners included the Meux family, best known as brewers. I believe today it's a hotel and conference centre, and I never saw it!
 

But the estate provided some very efficient through routes, farm roads doubling up as bridleways and footpaths. I turned North just before the rather impressive Soper's Viaduct and then had a skirmish with Cuffley, skirting round it for a bit before plunging into the middle. Emerging from this suburban interlude I walked through Home Wood, once owned by St Alban's Abbey.
 
I was annoyed by a stretch of busy road. This is part of the signposted Hertfordshire Way, yet it lacks even a decent verge to escape the traffic. I'm big and ugly enough to take care of myself, but families are induced to follow routes like this; I just hope the guide book has a pretty prominent warning. Moan, moan.
 
Grateful to turn off this horrid stretch of road at Newgate Street, I found a secluded bench in the churchyard of St Mary's Ponsbourne for my lunch. I also found the latest addition to my occasional photo series, “abandoned footballs” – very pleasing.
 
A very quiet road Westwards petered out to become a bridleway and then a footpath, and then a road again! But this and succeeding roads were more in the quiet lane category. After passing a man schooling a young horse (he was trying to slow the horse down, lest he have to run after it!), I was overtaken by a trotting cart.
 

I had been hoping to walk through Millward's Park. The Web was ambiguous on whether this was feasible – it wasn't. So I turned South and then West again to reach Welham Green. The “business area” (sic) was, this being Saturday afternoon, peaceful if uninspiring. Taking a tarmac footpath from Welham Green to Hatfield, I passed a huge Tesco complex, with warehouses, offices, even its own multi-storey car park.
 
Almost the whole of the remaining couple of miles was housing-estate boring, so I daydreamed my way towards the station. But there was one last treat – Howe Dell, an beautiful piece of ancient woodland wedged between houses and the railway. This provided a few more decent photos, and the shop at the station provided a decent mug of coffee.