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Sunday 4 November 2018

Christmas Walk - The Verulamium Loop

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WALK
 Christmas Walk - 
The Verulamium Loop 
 
Sunday 2nd December 2018 @ 11.10am


This is the fifth Greenacres Literary Walk of 2018. 

The Verulamium Loop is part 2 of our exploration of St Albans but in a different direction to Walk The Alban Way. As before we will take the train from Mill Hill Broadway three stops up the line to St Albans City. We will meet in the car park of Mill Hill Broadway Station at 11-10am. The entrance is in Bunns Lane. Everyone will need a cheap day return to St Albans City which costs £4-15 either with a railcard or as part of a group booking.

Starting from St Albans City station we will take a cycle way to The Alban Way which we follow for a short stretch. A quick stop at the amazing Watercress Wildlife Association Nature Reserve before we head for the River Ver and follow the riverside path to Verulam Park.Along the way we will pass the German style Christmas Market which will have various events as well as an outdoor skating rink.We can decide on the day if the group wants to stop for 15-20 minutes to have a look around.On to 'The Lake'  where we will stop for our packed lunch by the remains of a Roman wall with view of the Abbey in the distance.  After lunch we do a circuit of the lake and then head for St Albans Abbey. A quick look at the Abbey and walled garden and we stop for tea at Abigail's Tea Rooms. After tea we head back to the station. This is another pretty route with plenty of water along the way and it's very 'Christmassy'.  This walk at 3.7 miles is slightly shorter as we normally do around 4.5 miles. 

There will be poetry readings along the way!

 Meet Mill Hill Broadway station car park in Bunns Lane. Sunday 2nd December at 11-10am for an 11.20am start.
Cost of the walk: £4.00

(Those from St Albans/Hatfield meet St Albans City Station midday)





PRACTICAL MATTERS:
PLEASE NOTE SLIGHTLY EARLIER START TIME 11-10am. Don't be late we have a train to catch.

Please bring a packed lunch and bottle of water.
There are toilets at the station, The Lake, the Abbey and the tea rooms.  
Apart from a gentle climb to the Abbey, most of the route is flat and level and smooth surfaced.

There are no obvious drop out points along the way on this one. It is shorter than most of our walks though at 3.7 miles. If you do want to drop out you can always get a cab back to the station. We will have a local cab telephone number with us on the day.

At the finish we will catch the train back to Mill Hill Broadway. We estimate that we will be at St Albans City Station around 4pm.


For more information: 020 8346 5503








Saturday 29 September 2018

Walk the Alban Way

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WALK
 Walk the Alban Way
 
Sunday 28th October 2018 @ 11.30am

This is the fourth Greenacres Literary Walk of 2018. 

We have done this walk before but several people missed it first time around and there have been requests to do it again - so here we are. Anyway, Walk The Alban Way is a fabulous route with many changes of scenery and deserves to be revisited. We take the train from Mill Hill Broadway three stops up the line to St Albans City to discover the 'Alban Way'. We will meet in the car park of Mill Hill Broadway Station at 11-30am sharp. The entrance is in Bunns Lane. Everyone will need a cheap day return to St Albans City which costs £4-10 as part of a group booking.

The Alban Way used to be a single track railway that linked St Albans to Hatfield. Passenger numbers dwindled from the 1930s and the last passenger train ran in 1951. Goods trains lingered on until 1968. Today the line remains as a very pleasant greenway. We will explore the St Albans end of the line that has several bridges and other remnants of the railway including a platform at Hill End which was the station next to the Marconi Works and the intact station buildings of St Albans London Road (now used as a nursery school) which we will see on the last part of the walk..

We will stop for packed lunch in the Hill End Garden of Rest with more benches in the adjoining Longacres Park. After lunch we head east along the line for a further quarter of a mile before turning off, to walk south west through Highfield Park, then through a stretch of garden city suburb and a footpath across Verulam Golf Course where we will stop for refreshments and snacks. No pre-orders, everyone will pay for their own orders at the clubhouse bar. We expect to be at this point about 3-15pm, so it is more of a tea stop than a lunch stop.

After Verulam Golf Club we will head back to the Alban Way and see the River Ver and the amazing Watercress Wildlife Association Nature Reserve that is a real haven for birds and other wildlife and has ponds, mini orchard, woodland area, butterfly meadow, bridges and a bog. From here just under a mile past London Rd station buildings, along Alban Way and back to the St Alban City station for our finish. This is a fabulous walk with lots of different landscapes and features along the 4.9 mile length - something for everyone, we hope. 


There will be poetry readings along the way!

 Meet Mill Hill Broadway station car park in Bunns Lane. Sunday 28th October at 11-30am for an 11.45am start.

(Those from St Albans/Hatfield meet St Albans City Station 12.10pm)

PRACTICAL MATTERS:

As already stared everyone needs a cheap day return to St Albans City which is £4-10 per person as part of a group ticket. Pay on the day. 
Don't be late at the start, we have a train to catch.
Please bring a packed lunch and bottle of water, there are no eateries along the way until we get to Verulam Golf Club.
Most of the route is flat and level and smooth surfaced.
There is one drop out point along the way, 2.6 miles into the walk.  The no 84 bus runs every 15 minutes to St Albans station in one direction and back to Barnet in the other. If you want to drop out here, please let us know in good time and we will see that you get to the right bus stop.

At the finish we will catch the train back to Mill Hill Broadway. We estimate that we will be at St Albans City Station around 4-45pm.

For more information: 020 8346 5503

Monday 10 September 2018

The Woodbridge Walk

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WALK
 The Woodridge Walk
 
Sunday 16th September 2018 @ 11.45am

This is the third Greenacres Literary Walk of 2018. 
There's a distinctly autumnal feel in the air now but the weather forecast for Sunday at the moment, is perfect for walking - 22 degrees, cloudy, sunny and dry. Darlands Lake now has some water in it though Folly Brook is mostly dry. There may be more water this weekend after recent rain. The Woodridge Walk is totally car-free, we only cross 2 roads on the whole route, and most of it is through open countryside. A lot of this walk is in 'the middle of nowhere' so there is only one drop out point which is roughly half way round the loop. If you like unspoilt green spaces and water - this one is for you though there are places where the going is a bit bumpy with uneven ground and tree roots so, you do need to be sure footed for this one. 

There will be poetry readings along the way!
 Meet outside Woodside Park Station, Sunday 16th September at 11-45am for an 12 midday start.
PRACTICAL MATTERS:
There is a stretch of uneven path along Folly Brook and there are tree roots across the path in places. This may be a walk for the more sure-footed amongst you. The stretch from Darlands to Totteridge Lane is smooth and firm though it is uphill. The pace, as always, will be leisurely.     

We recommend that you bring a packed lunch and bottle of water.  We're in the middle of nowhere, no eateries on our route so bring your own food with you. We pass The Orange Tree pub but we will not stop as it is very busy on Sunday afternoons and there's no outside seating from September 1st onwards. We can stop outside for those that need a toilet stop. These are the only toilets on our route other than those inside Woodside Park tube station at the start. We'll have a refreshment stop at Laurel Pond.
    
There is only one drop out point along the way. This is at Totteridge Lane, which is exactly 2 miles from the start. The 251 bus runs along Totteridge Lane back to Totteridge and Whetstone tube. Let us know if you need to drop out and we will get you to the right bus stop.

We estimate that we will finish the walk by 4-45pm at Sussex Ring. This is very close to Woodside Park tube station and even closer to the 221 bus. 

This is a good walk if you like open countryside, brooks, lakes, ponds and natural green spaces. Plenty of fresh air and no motor cars. It's very pretty around Darlands and the ponds - lets hope for good walking weather on  the day. If anyone would like a route map, please get in touch. 
For more information: 020 8346 5503

Sunday 22 July 2018

The Greenacre Summer Literary Walk No.2

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WALK


 The Ten Bells Walk

Sunday 29th July 2018 @ 11.45am

This is the second Greenacres Literary Walk of 2018. 

There will be poetry readings along the way!


Meet outside the Five Bells Pub, Sunday 29th July at 
11-45am for an 12 midday start.


PRACTICAL MATTERS:

​We recommend that you bring a packed lunch and bottle of water. 


Please note start time - assemble outside The Five Bells at 11-45am for a 12 midday start. The 143 bus stops nearby and there is unrestricted Sunday parking in nearby roads. If anyone needs further help in locating the start point please get in touch. 

​We recommend that you bring a packed lunch and bottle of water.  Although we will spend some time in shade, including lunch and tea stops, some of the route will be in the sun. If it's going to be hot on the day, a bottle of water is essential and maybe a sun hat is recommended. 
        
Most of the going is firm, smooth and level and the pace will be leisurely.  

There are several drop out points along the way. Let us know if you need to drop out and we will get you to the right bus stop.

We estimate that we will be at the lunch stop at 1-20pm, the tea stop at 3-20pm and finish the walk by 4-45pm.  At the finish there will be an optional refreshment stop  at the Five Bells.



For more information: 020 8346 5503 

Saturday 2 June 2018

The Greenacre Summer Literary Walk

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WALK


 Mill Hill Green Belt

Sunday 24th June 2018 @ 11.45am

This is actually the first Greenacre Walk of 2018. A late start to the season, but we're back with a good 'un.

There will be poetry readings along the way!


Meet outside Mill Hill East tube station, Sunday 24th June at 
11-45am for an 12 midday start.



PRACTICAL MATTERS:

Please note start time - assemble at Mill Hill East tube station at 

11-45am for a 12 midday start. 



​We recommend that you bring a packed lunch and bottle of water. 

We will stop for tea in the Summerhouse Cafe at Finchley Nurseries. Please lookout for the menu that I will send out within the next couple of days and pre-order by Thursday 21st June. 

Most of the going is firm, smooth and level and the pace will be leisurely but some of the walk will be uphill. 

There are several drop out points along the way. Let us know if you need to drop out and we will get you to the right bus stop.

For more information: 020 8346 5503