Pete's Walks - Kensworth to Redbourn (part 2)
The path continued up the opposite slope, which was slightly steeper, through a large meadow - partway up the slope, I had a mature hedge on my left. I went through a kissing-gate in a corner, and continued uphill through another grassy meadow, with a small wood now to my right. By a couple of isolated houses I crossed a stile into a paddock, and turned left to reach the drive to the houses. Following it to the right, I was soon crossing a bridge over the M1 - the bridge was new, as the old bridge had to be replaced when they recently widened this stretch of the motorway to four lanes.
Looking back across the Alligator-infested valley
The M1 motorway from the new bridge (no sign of an Eddie Stobart lorry, unfortunately)
Across the bridge, I turned right on to path that ran along the embankment parallel to the motorway, with a wood to my left. At the end of the wood, the path turned left, leaving the motorway, and started to follow a headland between a succession of fields. I soon spotted some Chicory growing by the path - this is the only spot I know locally where I see this attractive blue flower. As I followed the headland path, I could see a school on the edge of Redbourn, and soon the path was running along to the right of the school fence.
Looking back at the new bridge over the motorway
The path beside the motorway
The path heading towards Redbourn
Looking back along the path from the motorway
Entering the large village of Redbourn I continued ahead, soon passing an infants school on my right. The first few times I used to carry on into the centre of the village, but now I shorten the walk slightly by taking the third turning on the right (just past the school) which leads to the huge village green. Here I turned right and followed the edge of the green and soon passed the cricket pitch. The first game of cricket in Redbourn was way back in 1666, and though the current club only dates from 1823 organised games had been played on the common eighty years earlier, making it one of the oldest village cricket clubs in the country.
Part of the huge green at Redbourn
The cricket pitch at Redbourn
Towards the end of the green on my left, I turned right to leave Redbourn along Flamsteadbury Lane. Beyond the village, this passed between ploughed or stubble fields and then crossed back over the motorway on another new bridge. The lane ended at Flamsteadbury, a large farm/stable complex, but I continued ahead on a farm track. The track ran for almost a mile between huge ploughed fields, without passing so much as a hedgerow. A couple of cyclists went by just as I started this stretch.
The lane to Flamsteadbury approaching the motorway bridge
The lane approaching Flamsteadbury
The very long farm track
Nearing the end of the very long farm track
Eventually I reached the end of the track at a corner of a lane, where I continued ahead towards Trowley Bottom. There were several mature trees lining the first part of the lane, and I saw a very pale Buzzard fly out of one of them - soon I saw five of them soaring high in the clear blue sky. The lane soon headed downhill, enclosed now by tall hedges, and soon came to a junction where I turned right. A Jay flew out of the hedge on my right as I walked the hundred yards or so into Trowley Bottom, an attractive hamlet adjoining Flamstead.
The start of the lane walk to Trowley Bottom
The lane approaching Trowley Bottom
I immediately turned left at a junction, passing some attractive cottages as I reached a minor crossroads. Here I left the hamlet as I took a bridleway going on ahead, following a valley bottom. After a short while I crossed the Chiltern Way at a path crossroads. I heard another Buzzard over a wood on the slight hillside to my left. The bridleway ended at another lane corner, where I stopped to eat my lunch sitting on a convenient tree trunk (I usually stop here on this walk).
The bridleway from Trowley Bottom (taken from near where it crosses the Chiltern Way