Coronavirus walk no. 197, Flamstead, 2nd March 2024
Destination
Flamstead via Redbourn
Distance
17.6 miles
Considering the gloomy weather forecast, I originally decided to go to Flitwick on the train. However, I wanted to go somewhere entirely on foot as a break from train travel, and decided instead to finally revisit Flamstead; I had intended to go there at the end of January, but I set off too late and didn’t have the energy. I first went to Flamstead on a sunny July day in 2021, and again via a different route on a dreary day two months later. This is actually the fourth visit to date.
Owing to the weather, I didn’t take the spare camera battery with me. Unfortunately, I also found opportunity to take a lot of photographs, so eventually the battery ran out (after 195 images); it was not even fully charged as I had used some of the capacity last week in Kettering.
I’ve weeded out some of the shots that were beyond the camera’s dynamic range limit, but others I had to leave in. Some I never even shot as it was too grey.
Water draining from a field onto a country lane; there has been a lot of rain latelyA very wet bridlewayWater running downhill …… and quite rapidlyWater draining from another fieldOnwardsA lone daffodil
The bridleway reaches a main road, and instead of continuing along the bridleway, we follow the road.
Some sunshine at lastOnly spray on the road here, but lots of standing water further alongAnother post box that I’ve previously overlookedDelightful old building at one of the entrances to ChildwickburyA standard Elizabeth II lamp boxThe manufacturer is Carron Company, Stirlingshire, Scotland
Leaving the main road for a country lane towards Redbourn.
Unsurprisingly, parts of this lane are also underwaterLooking out across the fieldsI normally cross over the River Ver here, but not this time, for a change; the sun is coming out againOld house outside RedbournClose-upApproaching Redbourn
I first came across the old house back in July 2020. Since then, nothing seems to have changed; it’s still boarded up and in darkness.
Looking through the front gateBoarded-up windows
Skipping ahead a little to Redbourn.
Houses along East CommonQuaint old houseChurch EndRedbourn has a large open space, which includes the cricket pitch; this is just the very edgeOld thatched terraceHeading towards FlamsteadPassing some modern houses
Only two and a half miles left to go …
Onwards.
About to pass over the M1 motorwayNo map today; I was simply relying on recognising where I went in 2021Farm fieldsPassing along the bridlewaySky reflecting in the puddles
The bridleway comes out at a right-angled bend in Green Lane.
Parts of Green Lane are also underwater; country lanes often floodFlamstead is briefly visible in the distance until we go down the hill; the weather didn’t allow for a more cheerful photographGreen Lane follows the Sundon–Elstree 400 kV Supergrid power line, built with L2 pylonsTree cover for while; at least the road has been resurfaced as had terrible potholes when I was last here in 2021The lane disappears downhill
At the bottom of the hill is Trowley Bottom, which joins onto Flamstead.
Houses in Trowley BottomTrowley Bottom’s postbox is another Carron Company example
Then it’s back up the hill on the other side:
Houses along White Hill in the dazzling light of the sunConstruction date of 1843
Turning right onto Trowley Hill Road takes us into Flamstead
The sunlight offered some nice photographsEntering FlamsteadRain here, tooA huge cloud in the skyKnitted Flamstead sign; this has been remade since 2021Flamstead Methodist churchFlamstead is the usual mixture of old and modern housingVintage Ferguson tractor in a front gardenQuaint buildingsModern developmentsFlamstead welcomes careless driversSt Leonard’s Church, finally repaired (this is the first time I’ve seen it without scaffolding)Church seen from the churchyardChurch tower; the sun went behind the clouds and wasn’t coming backInteresting housesI was hoping for a wall box, but Flamstead has a modern pillar box; this Elizabeth II example was built by Machan Engineering in Scotland, dating it to between 1983 and 2016
The limited battery life and shortage of time (I sent off an hour late) and the difficulty with lighting from the cloudy skies made me a little bit more selective with the photography. Even then, I kept the final photo count down to 75 and left various photos out.
With luck I’ll revisit Flamstead another year and fill in some of the gaps. For now, time to go.
Returning via Dellmer End Lane or (depending which sign you read) “Dellmerend Lane”You can return either via the road, or via public footpaths; I’ve done bothNo end of interesting housesGetting closer to RedbournAll the sunshine and rain guaranteed a rainbow; this was the first of two
Finally back in Redbourn; a few more photos while the battery lasted. (I only have three battery levels: full, not as full, and danger very much not full. The old camera had four levels. You don’t get a percentage readout as you do on a laptop.)
Entering Redbourn via the confusingly-named Lybury LaneHouse with an interesting treeDiverting off the road and down a footpathSunlit houses under an ominous sky; rain could be seen in the distance after leaving RedbournFish Street, Redbourn
I wanted to take one more photograph after this, confirming the manufacturer name of the defunct wall box in the High Street. The battery ran out while attempting to take it! As I expected, though, it is another W T Allen example.
