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.
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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

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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.