Pre Christmas Day Walk - West End, Essendon area - 7.5 mile circular walk followed by pub lunch
Pre Christmas Day Walk - West End, Hillend Farm, Kennel Hall, Little Berkhamsted, Essendon, West End - 7.5 mile circular walk followed by pub lunch
The walk is 7.5 miles at a medium pace meeting at 10.15 and finishing around 13.15 at the Candlestick Pub for lunch. The walk takes us down a sunken lane to then follow the river Lea, at this stage the river is actually a large stream but does eventually flow into the river Thames. The walk heads east to Kennel Hall farm where we pick up part of the Hertfordshire chain walk being part of an 86-mile walk that crosses the county from south to north starting on the northern edge of London and finishing in Cambridgeshire - we only walk part of the chain! We then head south to the ‘alps’ of the county to Little Berkhamsted being a dizzy 400 feet above sea level. Nearby there is Stratton’s Folly a brick tower built in 1789 being a 97ft tall observation tower. It was built in 1789 for John Stratton, legend has it that John Stratton was a retired Admiral and that he wanted to see ships in the Thames…mmm…true or not true? Well, calculating the raised height to the horizon distance, using a geometrical model and secant tangent therum, assuming there were no tree / buildings to obscure the view, yes. I reckon from the top of the tower Stratton would have been able to see the masts of ships in the Thames, why not come and see for yourself?
The walk then heads north west to Essendon which achieved a measure of fame during World War One, when on September 3 1916 the German airship SL-11 was shot down and crashed in Cuffley. There is a Memorial to Lieutenant W. Leefe Robinson the pilot who shot the airship down, who was awarded the Victoria Cross, the local football team is still nicknamed ‘The Zeps’ after this event. There is also an interesting plaque on the church tower relating to a rogue who was hanged in 1785 and wanted others to be aware of the dangers of crime.
We finish our walk back at the Candlestick Pub where we will be eating, having built a healthy appetite from the walk. See Christmas a la carte menu
If you wish to eat at the pub following the walk, and it will be nice if you do, you will need to order in advance. Please email Bee with your preference to and please copy Neil in on the email so that he knows how many will be doing the walk. 20 places are reserved on a first come first served basis so please let Bee/Neil (by email) know as soon as possible if you wish to come. Also Neil will be taking names on a Tuesday evening from 28th November for those interested in either just walking or walking and lunching.
The closing date is 12th December 2017. Please be reminded that once the order has been sent to the pub, you cannot change it.
Note: any member wishing to join the walk and wanting a car share should email group members requesting car share and obtain confirmation of their lift. This should minimise ‘empty’ cars going to the walk location and avoid members being unable to join the walk as there are no spare car places.
Meet at Barnet Everyman EN5 1AB ready to leave 09.30 sharp or be ready to start walk 10.15 sharp at The Candlestick, West End Lane Essendon, AL9 6BA. The pub landlord has mentioned there is ample parking on the road and the pub car park takes up to 16 cars.
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- The pink pin icon shows the location of The Candlestick Pub, West End Lane, Essendon AL9 6BA. The post code given is the nearest post code and it may not show the exact location.