Mid Herts village wander.

Today I went for a moderate length ride southwards today visiting local villages and using a couple of roads and bridleways I've not used before.

 I left Stevenage going eastwards to Walkern then climbed up to Benington. I ate my banana in a very warm and pleasant churchyard then rode southwards to Whempstead (does this village name have the same derivation as Wheathampstead?) then to Little Munden (or is it Dane End? I find it very confusing) and Sacombe. 

At Sacombe I rescued a Roman snail that did not stand a snail's chance on tarmac of crossing the road safely.

I rode along a bridleway through the grounds of Sacombe House, crossed the nasty A602 and down to Stonyhills. The area in which I live is called Stony Hall and the soil in both places is very similar consisting of nearly overlapping pieces of flint. It is almost impossible to use tent pegs in my garden.

This stretch was delightful. It was a long gentle descent where I was surrounded by cow parsley and accompanied by swooping swallows.

I stopped to eat at Stapleford then rode on to Bramfield where I, err, stopped to eat.

I rode through Bramfield Woods to get to Datchworth. For a while I found myself following a big, healthy and very red fox who was going my way.

Finally I enjoyed the long swoopy (Adj) hill that whizzed me down to Bragbury End.

Walkern Hall.

Yew in Benington churchyard.

Five views of Benington (the pretty end)

Sacombe.

Tonwell water tower.

Elm near Stonyhills.

Stapleford church.

Bramfield church. Has a stone west door.

Rape. I love the colour. Unfortunately my camera doesn't,

Horse mounting block at Datchworth. I have often meant to take a photograph, but I can not usually be bothered to stop so near to the end of my journey.