Hertfordshire Way Day 6 - 23 August - Therfield to Reed

Started walking 11am
Distance walked 8 miles
Finished walking 5.45pm

Another short day. Steve and I drove to the Silver Ball transport café on the A10 south of Royston. I had an excellent breakfast; Steve managed an apple juice whilst looking longingly at my food. He promised the owner, who he knew, that he'd be back when he could eat properly again.

Parking Steve's van in Therfield, we picked up the Hertfordshire Way and followed an easy path down towards the A505. There were wide reaching views across nearby chalky soil fields and beyond. Just short of the A505, we turned north west and into a racehorse stable place. We had obviously missed a HW waymark as we were apprehended and told we were on private property. Without demur, we scrambled through a hedge and down an embankment to where our path was.

The Way skirted some rides on Therfield Heath and then a golf course, the fine views continuing. Into woodland and then Steve and I parted company, me to continue on the HW and he to follow the Icknield Way Trail back down to Therfield.

I skirted the edge of Royston to then pick up the HW again as it left the town to head south. The path was clear and followed field paths down to the village of Reed. A friend I worked with many years ago came from here. He died in 2008 and, although he wasn't living in Reed when he died, I was curious to find out if he had been buried here. The Way went through the churchyard where I met a lady doing some clearing work. I asked if she knew of the family and she was immediately able to take me to my friend Andrew's grave. We had a long chat putting the world to rights.

Not far out of Reed, I found my woodland pitch for the night. There is no aircraft noise, just the distant sounds of combine harvesters and the odd car or horse going past on a farm track about fifty yards away.

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