St Albans Abbey

Having just visited the city of St Albans which the Romans occupied over 2,000 years ago, the Roman name of which is Verulamium, I thought you might like to see a picture of St Albans Abbey, which is a magnifient building and looking at it from the perspective of the 21st century with modern building methods and mechanical machinery it leaves one in wonder how the craftsmen in those days managed to contruct the building. Have a prosperous 2014.

Just a picture to look at

I haven't uploaded anything lately on my blog, but cycling not too far from home I took a picture of this plough (American plow!) beside a farmer's field, which reminds one of the advancement of modern farming methods over the past century. The other picture is the lane where I live. There is a small bridge over the River Lea, the river eventually flows into the River Thames. Have a nice Christmas.

A Hamlet with riches?

As I cycle around the Hertfordshire country lanes there are small hamlets such as this one at Diamond End which has just a few houses nestling in a wood. There is no chance of becoming rich though, not a diamond in sight! The route is part of the Chiltern Cycleway with maps provided by local authorities for the benefit of cyclists. The Chilterns are an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Something Elible!

In the county of Kent in England not too far from the the cross Channel port of Dover are the two villages of Sandwich and Ham which cause much amusement to visitors to the area. I put the location of England because I notice in my statistics there are viewers from around the world, which is very gratifying. The season of autumn is upon is in England and it is very enjoyable cycling around the country lanes and seeing the autumn colours on the trees. Have a nice sandwich for your lunch!

The Old Court Room

When I visited the city of St Albans recently I visited the old court room in the town hall. It is a picture of the past with not a bright light anywhere!

On meeting a balloon

On a beautiful Sunday morning riding down a country lane I happen to see this hot air balloon landing in a gentle breeze. With autumn arriving and the leaves on the trees turning a golden brown it is very nice cycling weather.

A Reflective Bicycle

I was walking around a town in Germany when I came across this display in a shop window. Kerger I presume was a well-known rider in his day. A so-called penny farthing (named after the currency in the UK before the introduction of decimalisation.) The size of the large wheel determines the gear ratio, so the smaller the wheel the lower the gear. The rider has to be agile to mount the bike. Stopping can be a problem with one brake touching the solid tyre. So if the rider applies it too hard there is a good chance the rider can go over the top. It was soon superseded by the so-called "safety" design which all the modern bikes are based on.

An Old Fashioned Steam Lorry

One of the features in England during the summer months is a rally of steam engines and steam lorries. This lorry has a boiler in the driver's cab, which keeps the driver rather warm! Hope you like it.

A visit to Sandwich, Kent

I recently visited the Cinque port of Sandwich (have a look in Wickaepedia for more information). The top picture is of an unusual cycleway sign which by the looks of it has the figure 1 on it, so I presume it is the first cycleway sign in England. The other two pictures are of the Fisher Gate, erected in 1384, which you can read from the plaque. The Earl of Sandwich gives his name to the sandwich which we use  all the time. Have a look at the Earl of Sandwich on Wickaepedia.
 

A NEW FOREST

On a recent bike ride I visited the village of Sandridge, which is just a few miles away. There the Woodland Trust has created a brand new forest. Perhaps if you are in the area you would like to visit it.

The Woodland Trust is creating a brand new forest, Heartwood Forest near Sandridge, St Albans. It will be an 850 acre wood from open fields in just 12 years and will provide a natural resource which can support more species than any other land habitat.

Over £4 million has been raised but a lot more is required to be donated to theTrust..

The site is in Hertfordshire's Green Belt which is home to many rare butterflies and the protected English bluebell, yet is still just 25 miles from Marble Arch.

An additional 600,000 trees will be planted, creating wildflower meadows with footpaths and bridleways.

For more information see:

http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/support-us/appeals/england/heartwood-forest/Pages/help.aspx#.Ue5NAdJJ40M

There are several local pubs in the village, one next to the church if you would like to

go to Sunday service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Country Lane in Hertfordshire

I haven't addded much to my blog lately as I have been out of action. But all is well again and I can resume cycling. I thought you might like to see a country lane near the village of Kimpton. A real delight to cycle down this lane.

A Statue of Beethoven

On a recent trip to Germany I came upon a statue of Beethoven which I thought you might like to see. The other wooden statue is of a German man gathering grapes in the local vine yards. The local wine is very light and very enjoyable.
.

The Alban Bun

On a recent ride to the city of St Albans,it being just two days from Easter on the Christian calendar, I visited the Cathedral of St Albans. In the refectory they were selling Alban Buns, a 14th century predecessor of hot cross buns, baked with a secret recipe which was first used in the 14th century. The flour for them was milled at the local Redbournbury mill. If you would like to see the mill go to my blog of 17th July 2011. If only I could get hold of that secret recipe!

Marquess of Granby

Along a disused railway line near to where I live is a public house named after the Marquess of Granby. I think the name of the sign is perhaps wrong, his full title is John Manners Maquess of Granby (1721-1770). There are two towns named Granby, one in Canada and the other in Massachusetts, USA. I think the caricature on the sign is about right as he seems to have lost his hair and the wig is flying in the wind. If you would like to read about this gentleman go to Wikipedia UK and search for John Manners Marquess of Granby. Good hunting!

King's Walden village

On a rainy Sunday I cycled to the village of King's Walden where there is a nice village store with a tea room. After a refreshing cup of tea and a bun I returned home rather wet but an enjoyable ride nonetheless. Today was St Patrick's Day so all those people with Irish ancestors I suppose had a good celebration. Outside the store is this Queen Elizabeth II post box and a photo of the store. A ride of 21 miles.

The Red Cow

\

Continuing our journey around some of the

local public houses I rode today along a disused railway line recently restored for cyclists and walkers from just at the end of the lane where I live The railway, from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, to Dunstable in Bedfordshire, was opened in the year 1860 closing in 1965. I have lived in my bungalow when the line was still in operation. The Red Cow public house in Harpenden, Herts, as far as I can find out opened in the 19th century and serves a very nice meal. It is on a route restored by a charity named Sustrans (Google www.sustrans is you would like to find a traffic free route in the UK for a nice bike ride. With the daylight hours lengthening I will try to gert farther afield in the coming months. I hope you find this of interest. Best wishes, Harold

 

 

The Long Arm and Short Arm

Continuing our tour of the local public houses in Hertfordshire, I recently visited the village of Lemsford, which is just five miles from where I live.  The River Lea passes through the village on its way to London. I hope you can follow its course on this map. I tried to find the history of the Long Arm and Short Arm but failed to find any. Perhaps one of my bloggers knows about this, if so please send me a comment. After a nice meal in the pub I returned home on a cold winters day.

The Brocket Arms

In the village of Ayot St Lawrence is the public house of The Brocket Arms, a 14th century inn originally the monastic quarters for the Norman Church until the Reformation, 1529-1537 (see Wickipedia The English Reformation). It was a stopping off point for pilgrims on their way to St Albans Abbey which is about eight miles away. A very short bicycle ride of five miles for me on a mild and sunny day. Have a happy 2013.