Introduction
The previous section of the Lea Valley Walk ended at Harpenden, so we travelled there to continue. This time we took the bus to Bedford (rather expensive, not to mention half an hour late), then the train down to Harpenden. There we met my parents, who were joining us for this section.
Harpenden to Wheathampstead
After walking along the main road from the station, the walk proper began by the river at Batford. Before long we left the river again, climbing to an embankment for a disused railway path.
We saw the river again briefly where the railway path ended, but then walked across farmland to the village of Wheathampstead.
Wheathampstead Church
We stopped inside the church to have a look at it and also to dodge the rain.
Wheathampstead to Hatfield
The path ran close to the river most of the way from Wheathampstead.
At Waterend Lane we didn’t need to cross the ford, but I walked across it anyway. It wouldn’t be the wettest our feet got.
We crossed the golf course and grounds of Brocket Hall, an old stately home that is now a conference venue or something.
At Lemsford, an old mill is now the headquarters of, strangely, Ramblers Walking Holidays.
We walked across farmland to a road junction.
Here the Lea runs below the A1(M). There is a path beside the river, and also an alternate route you can take if it’s flooded. We didn’t take the alternate route; this is where we got our feet slightly wet.
The path crossed Stanborough Park, basically a couple of lakes at the edge of Welywn Garden City.
We crossed under another railway then followed country lanes until we joined a main road at Mill Green in Hatfield.
That’s the end of the walk - we got a bus to St Albans and from there a train back to Bedford, and another couple of buses home.
