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I did this walk on Saturday, 9th January 2010. Click here to see a rough map of the walk (but only if you have already read my disclaimer and notes regarding maps). The route is approximately 15.2 miles long. I did it in the clockwise direction, starting and finishing at my home in Kensworth.
There was three to four inches of snow on the ground, after a heavy snowfall on Tuesday night topped up by a few subsequent snow showers. The weather forecast said it would be dry with sunny intervals, but strong winds from the north or east would mean that it would feel several degrees below freezing with the wind chill factor. So for the first time this winter I wore an extra layer of clothing, donning my thermal undies under my usual Paramo shirt, coat and waterproof trousers.
I didn't have a fixed route in mind when I set off, deciding to 'play it by ear' and see how I felt as I went along - walking in snow can be tiring and rather slow going, so I wasn't too sure just how far I'd want to go. I loosely planned to do my Kensworth-Briden's Camp walk in the clockwise direction, but trimming it down a bit and with a few options to shorten it further. I set off from home about 9.30am and started out by walking most of the length of Common Road through Kensworth to just past the village school, then taking the footpath to Markyate.
Looking back towards Kensworth, from near the start of the path to Markyate
Sunlight through a small copse beside the path to Markyate
The path to Markyate
A snowy view of Markyate
From Markyate I took the northern-most of three parallel paths to Flamstead (I correctly suspected that I'd be using the southern-most path beside Friendless Lane on my way back later on). Despite the snow on the ground, there were a few joggers, dog walkers and other walkers about on the first part of the path. I'd been walking with blue skies and a dazzling sun ahead of me, so I was surprised to be overtaken by a brief snow flurry just after I left Markyate - I turned around and saw the skies were all grey behind me. But I was obviously just on the edge of the snow, it only lasted a couple of minutes and I didn't see any more snow fall during the rest of the walk.
Looking back towards Markyate, from the path to Flamstead (photo taken during a brief flurry of snow)
The path to Flamstead (the church, with it's 'Hertfordshire Spike', is visible on the horizon in the centre of the photo)
The path to Flamstead
Looking back, from further along the path to Flamstead
Looking ahead from the same spot as the previous photo
Flamstead church - the Chiltern Way and Hertfordshire Way cross just outside the churchyard here
In Flamstead I picked up the route of the Hertfordshire Way for a while. I cautiously crossed the alligator-infested valley south of the village (look, I met a man and his grandson 'fishing for alligators!' here once - it stands to reason they wouldn't be doing that if there weren't any alligators! :)) and followed a path across a field to reach a hedge-lined track, where I turned right. The track ended at a sharp corner of a lane, where the Hertfordshire Way turns left on a farm track towards Flamsteadbury and Redbourn. I continued ahead, though, down the lane (I could have shortened the walk by turning right here and following the lane to Trimley Bottom).
Looking back across the alligator-infested valley to Flamstead
Bridleway along a hedge-lined track near Flamstead, part of the route of the Hertfordshire Way
Lane leading to Nirvana
The lane turned to the left, and then I took a track on the right which soon passed a cottage (named Nirvana on the map). I then turned off onto a path that crossed a field (I could see the tracks where someone had been using cross-country skies here) and then followed a hedgerow and the edge of a large wood. There were no footprints in the snow to help me as I crossed the next large field uphill to reach another hedge-lined bridleway - so far several other people had walked the paths I'd used, making life much easier. Even so, the snow had slowed me down so I realised continuing on to Briden's Camp would have meant probably getting home in the dark (and been a bit too tiring), so instead of turning left off the bridleway to reach Gaddesden Row, I continued along the bridleway past Upper Wood Farm.
Footpath between Nirvana and Gaddesden Row
Bridleway near Gaddesden Row, heading towards Upper Wood Farm
Bridleway beyond Upper Wood Farm
I went about 100 yards right along a minor road between Markyate and Gaddesden Row, then followed a field path on the other side. Again I had to make my own way as I was the first to walk here through the snow (or rather some previous footprints had been filled by drifting snow), so this was rather tiring as the snow came to about the top of my boots.
Footpath near Gaddesden Row, just west of the minor road from Markyate
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