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The joy of an off-road cycle
on rare day of autumnal sunshine in Hertfordshire. |
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By the time middle October came around,
Hertfordshire and indeed all of the UK finds itself well into the autumnal season
with shorter days and colder, crisp nights,
the leaves turning into exquisite colours of yellow, red and orange as they fall
to the ground. Yet on Sunday 17th October we were treated to a day of relative
sunshine. Clouds which had gathered from the west in the late morning had all
but disappeared by early afternoon. I seized the moment and headed out for a
cycle, some 50% of it being off-road, the remainder on country lanes. The route
normally takes me two hours to complete however armed with my tiny Nikon Coolpix
S10, I subsequently returned home only some four and a half hours later, losing
myself in the world of rural England comprising old farmyards and ploughed
fields, hedgerows, churches and other listed buildings, as well as the
occasional village pub. I never imagined I would so much fun!
The route is as follows:
- From Royston, a short journey down the A505, cross the railway
line and head north down towards Litlington. Just before the town, head off
cross-country along an old Roman Road grass track known as Ashwell Street past
the caravan park.
- Upon reaching Claybush Road, turn left and head up the hill
and out of the town towards Bygrave along what now becomes Ashwell Road,
eventually turning left and following the signs for Manor Farm along Church Lane
past The Old Rectory, now the home of Stingray Media Solution Limited, a PR
and marketing company.
- Opposite The Old Rectory lies the church of St Margaret
of Antioch. Continuing on, the road which merges into a dirt track down a slope, eventually reaching a railway tunnel followed
by a tunnel under the A505 near the Baldock intersection. Thereafter, one picks up on a narrow,
tarred, tree-lined lane eventually terminating at Bygrave Lodge Farm.
- Cut through Bygrave Lodge Farm past the
outbuildings and head along a severely rutted clay track up the
hillside across farmland, eventually reaching Wallington Road after a few twists
and turns, just outside the town that
bears the same name.
- Where Wallington Road engages The Street,
just as one turns right
to continue a short distance up the hillside, lies a beautiful thatched-roofed house.
As The Street swings left
again along a tree-lined road, where I have often encountered hikers, the road
soon reaches a clearing, before winding its way down to a
junction that (turning right) takes one either to Rushden or (turning
left) towards the A505 once more.
- Taking the latter option for
just a short distance on this road, after another right turn whereupon the
road merges with Rushden Road leading all the way to Sandon, location
of the beautiful All Saints Church.
- Once again, in Sandon, it's
another left and then a right, before following the signs to Kelshall past
the war memorial and the town hall.
- Finally the road reaches a
junction as the Cambridgeshire countryside comes into view from the higher
ground, where (left) down the hill leads to the A505 while (right) heads
towards Therfield and ultimately back to Royston, though not before I
visited the beautiful Church of St Mary.
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View down Ashwell Street, an old Roman Road
heading west towards Ashwell Morden - the steeple
of the local church comes into view long before the town is reached. |
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Church of St Margaret of Antioch in
Church lane, directly opposite The Old Rectory, in Bygrave. |
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Along a dirt track across farmland,
just outside the town of Wallington. |
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A hedgerow and ploughed fields, a
characteristic of English countryside for centuries, just outside the
town of Wallington. |
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Thatched cottage along The Street, in
the town of Wallington, Hertfordshire. |
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Heading out of Hertfordshire 's Wallington along The Street
towards Sandon. |
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View from the hillside just outside
Wallington looking towards Sandon. |
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Ploughed fields between Wallington
and Sandon. |
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View from the graveyard at the rear
of the All Saints Church in Sandon, Hertfordshire. |
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All Saints Church in Sandon,
Hertfordshire, one of a number of listed buildings in the town. |
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The entrance to the grounds of the
All Saints Church in Sandon, Hertfordshire. |
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Just outside Sandon, a right turn at
this gorgeous farm homestead leads to Kelshall. |
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Church of St Mary, Therfield,
Hertfordshire. |
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The beautiful stone walls of the Church of St Mary, Therfield,
Hertfordshire. |
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The Church of St Mary, Therfield,
beneath clear blue skies. |
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The entrance to the Church of St Mary, Therfield,
Hertfordshire and it's arched windows. |
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A listed cottage at the rear of the Church of St Mary, Therfield,
Hertfordshire. |
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The Fox and the Duck on Therfield
Common, Hertfordshire. |
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Hedgerows form a unique
characteristic of English countryside. |
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Hedgerows just outside Therfield. |
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Late afternoon sunshine brings out
the autumnal colours. |
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A hedgerow castes a shadow across a
ploughed field, ready for the next season. |
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This Hertfordshire hedgerow near
Therfield separates two fields. |
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Along the lane joining Therfield and
Baldock Road leading into Royston, just before Royston Heath and the
golfcourse. |
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Looking back towards Therfield along
the lane leading back to Royston. |
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View down the private lane towards
Buntingford Brewery, just outside Royston. |
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