Walk 14 Therfield south

The final walk of the journey was a relatively short walk from Therfield south to Sandon. The initial part of the walk proved somewhat puzzling and a rare wrong turn had us a little out of where we thought that we ought to be. But our trusty mapreader got us back on track.

It was a beautiful autumn day with a good mix of habitats and some ancient churches and pathways. All the fields are ploughed now but with not much recent rain were a little drier. There were still plenty of berries on the bushes and more thrushes and blackbirds to consume them now that the winter immigration has started.

We have really enjoyed the walks - we will have to think of some other exercise options now - but for the time being the chain walk book will be returned to the bookcase.

Walk 15 Ashwell

The penultimate walk of the chain - and out of sequence as we decided to go by train which would not have been possible on Sundays. So the train from Welwyn North to Ashwell was an easy way to start the walk. Ashwell Station is just into Cambridgeshire whilst the village is in Hertfordshire.

We walked south away from the busy A505 through the villages of Kelsall and Therfield. They are both located on the crest of the local downs - the market cross in Kelsall said the the village had been there since before the Domesday Book at which point the whole area was heavily wooded and a long barrow in Therfield dates from over 5000 years ago - so historic areas which are now very sleepy villages. The slopes of the downs are ploughed and arable and the crests still partially wooded with grazing. The ploughed fields had plenty of winter gulls - a merlin dashed through after a skylark - many of which were on the move.

A local farmer stopped to chat - he had been picking up rubbish from the footpath - he asked us to look out for poachers and to call the police if we saw any, apparently they were keen on hares and deer. We walked down from him through one of the traditional old footpaths through a little valley and as we came into the open a group of about thirty fallow deer were grazing in the field - but no poachers to disturb them.

Sun had been forecast but did not quite break through - but for a mid October day it was pleasantly warm and Jean thought it had been one of the best walks.