Hertfordshire Way: Potters Bar to Radlett

One of several walks I did along the Hertfordshire Way in 2018 when I was still finding my stride, as it were. Following that epiphany in Herefordshire earlier in the year I knew I wanted to get out and get walking but I was still figuring out the right trade off between longer train journeys to get to "better" countryside versus shorter train journeys to whatever green spaces lay closer to hand in the hope of maximising my very limited free time.

I wasn't progressing along the Hertfordshire Way in any logical fashion, but rather picking chunks each time which seemed to lie conveniently between two stations - and better still if they were stations which were easy for me to get to from my part of London. So I had surveyed the Thameslink line which goes up to Bedford, and having been impressed by the very quick train journey home on my last walk when I ended at Radlett, I decided to plan another walk ending there. This time I thought I'd approach Radlett from the east rather than the west, and so the logical starting point was Potters Bar.

It was a lovely spring day, almost summery in fact, although on the downside I was in the midst of my annual hayfever season. It's something I only seem to have suffered with since moving to North London a few years back, and I assume it's triggered by some particular tree or other plant in the neighbourhood where I live. So I set out today in a rather ridiculous pairing of a tweed cap (to keep the sun off), and some sunglasses which really don't suit me (to try and keep the pollen out of my eyes a bit). I looked like a highly suspicious character.

On arrival at Potters Bar I began by following a foothpath alongside the railway line which connects with the Hertfordshire Way. From there the Hertforshire Way would lead me all the way to Radlett. It takes a rather meandering route, and you could certainly take a couple of shortcuts along the way if you wanted a shorter walk and don't mind walking along roads for a bit.

That first section alongside the railway tracks did not make for especially inspiring scenery, as you might imagine, particularly towards the end where it passes through an industrial estate.  However there were at least hedges along much of that route, and everything seemed to be in bloom today.  A lot of white flowers in the hedgerows particularly - blackthorn perhaps?

Once the path joined the Hertfordshire Way, it then followed a little stream out of Potters Bar, which was quite pleasant I suppose.

More flowers lining the route here: I'm fairly sure these are forget-me-nots (an easy one to remember, ho ho!). Possibly more specifically wood forget-me-nots.

The path then passed through farmland, and more hedgerows with a riot of white flowers - I think blackthorn again (although to me they look very similar to hawthorn and wild cherry).

Of course, part of the trade off of having chosen countryside which is convenient to get to from London is the fact that it is sliced up by major roads and motorways. Thus any communing with nature which may have been occurring up until now was rudely interrupted by an unignorable reminder of the modern world, in the form of this particularly brutalist crossing under the A1(M). To make matters worse the Hertfordshire Way then folllowed alongside the road for a stretch on the other side.

When the path did turn away from the motorway, it wasn't a huge improvement, as I could still hear it, and I had a large and rather uninterested field to walk through. I looked enviously up to Mymmshall Wood on the hill above and wish I'd taken a detour to go through it.

After the dull, sprawling field, the way passed through South Mimms, a place I had only ever heard of previously for the service station at the junction of the A1(M) and M25. There's a pub here, but it was still only just after 11am, and therefore a bit early to stop off for a pint. So I plodded on, over a little wooden footbridge which escorted me out of the village.

After South Mimms, I again had another motorway to traverse - this time the annular behemoth which is the M25. A little more effort had been made to beautify the concrete tunnel this time, with some sort of mural on one wall, which of course people in their cars above never get to see.

Beyond the M25, on the approach to Rabley Park, a slightly more pleasant stretch of the route, with features of interest including a ford, and a solitary column - presumably a monument of some sort.

Further on, as the Hertfordshire Way approaches Shenley (in a rather roundabout manner) it passes through a sprawling meadow, strewn with wild flowers - thousands of dandelions and forget-me-nots - see also the picture at the top of this post. This was perhaps the nicest stretch of today's walk, and gave me a lovely sense of space - one of those landscapes in which the sky seems bigger somehow.

The meadow was occasionally flanked by copses which I ducked into briefly to get a glimpse of the bluebells (although didn't manage to get an entirely satisfactory picture).

The Hertfordshire Way takes a circuitous route around the edge of Shenley, skirting through woodlands at the edge of the village. More floral displays were to be had here, with a carpet of wood anenome and lesser celandine (?).

Further along more flora in the form of cherry blossom growing over the fences of the back gardens of Shenley.

Having almost entirely circumnavigated Shenley, at just after 1pm I reached the "Cafe in the Orchard" where I had decided to stop for lunch. Rather incongruously I decided to go for a (vegetarian) Full English breakfast, I'm not really sure what prompted this odd decision for lunch on a very warm spring day in the middle of a walk. I subsequently felt a bit bloated for the remainder of the walk and regretted this choice.

After lunch, the way headed south-ish, still somewhat skirting the perimeter of Shenley (it's an odd shape village, almost a figure of eight, I suspect there's an old part and a new part). This was a pleasant stretch of woodland signposted as Woodhall Spinney, which provided more bluebells, although I still don't think I managed an entirely satisfactory picture of them.

Beyond there I was into the final leg to Radlett, and remaining features of interest along the way included another ford, a railway bridge with lime deposits (?) which looked like miniature stalactites, and a slightly weird track made up of broken masonry, which I found somehow slightly unnerving.

The Hertfordshire Way passes to the south of Radlett, crossing over Watling Street, the old Roman road which now forms the main thoroughfare of the town. Close to where the way meets the road, I found the Cat & Fiddle pub and poked my nose in to take a look. Although unremarkable from the outside, this was a gem of a pub inside, with a lot of carved wood, wood panelling, lots of booths, nooks and crannies, and, in keeping with the name, cats and fiddles everywhere. As an added bonus they served beer from two of my favourite breweries from the south west of England: Butcombe and Otter. So this really felt like a little corner of Devon or Somerset somehow magically transplanted into Hertfordshire. Really unexpected. Although I'm sad to learn as I write this (March 2020) that the pub appears to now be permanently closed. At least I got to see it this once.

From there, I followed the road into the centre of Radlett, from where I took a direct train back to Kentish Town - only a 23 minute journey - very convenient!

Route: OS Maps
Distance: 10.5 miles
Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
Pub: The Cat & Fiddle, Radlett (sadly now closed it seems?)