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

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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.

Christmas greetings

To end the cycling year and manage to learn a little more of the internet, which is a challenge at  83 years of age, I leave you with a local wintry scene and a signpost of a local hostelry named after the author John Bunyan, famous as the author of Pilgrim's Progress. On the opposite side of  the road in this country lane are the remains of the cottage where he lived. For people who don't know much about the naming of public houses, and by my stats I am glad to say there are many who look at my blog from around the world, I will in the future show you some of the signs and names of some of them. The John Bunyan pub (short for public house) is very cosy, especially on a cold winter's night. Have a nice Christmas and a peaceful New Year. Harold.

Crinkle-Crankle Walls

Another feature of the heritage trail in the village of Wheathampstead, we arrive at the Crinkle-Crankle Walls. They date from the early 19th century. I will quote from the excellent brochure published in the village of the various places of interest: " There are several reasons why the walls were constructed in this way. The shape made it possible to make them higher while still being only two bricks (nine inches) thick, since the curving lines gave strength to the structure, allowing the walls to stand without buttresses and to expand without cracking in the sun. The alcoves were used for growing and ripening fruit, a process often helped by circulating warm air from a stove through vents in the brickwork. The Old Rectory itself conceals a 16th century timber framed building within its 19th century brick exterior." It's a day of high winds here today. When they moderate I will go for a bike ride in the pleasant autumn sun.

The Goose Girl of Gottingen

In the pleasant university town of Gottingen, Germany, in one of a number of pleasant cobbled squares, there is a statue of a Goose Girl, taken from a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. The statue is very popular with university students who, when completing their studies, adorn the statue with flowers, etc. If you would like to read about the Goose Girl, click on to Wickepedia and type in Goose Girl for an interesting read.