The Sunday walk for 26 June 2016 was announced in the club summer newsletter as follows:

Sunday 26th June. Leaders: Sue & Bryan Shakespeare (OS maps 166 & 167)

Meet               : Moorgate at 0930 for 0949 to Hertford North (arrives 1039)

                        Train also calls Highbury and Islington 0957 (Overground and Victoria

                         line) and Finsbury Park 1002 (Tube and Mainline)

Lunch             : The Waterside Inn, Ware

Tea:                Several cafes in Hertford

Distance        : 8 miles returning from Hertford North

The ramble includes riverside walks, commons, woodland and tow paths

Fare                : £5.60 with Network Rail card

Sue and Bryan will meet ramblers at Hertford North.

In the event Sue and Bryan were not able to lead the walk as Sue sustained a painfull fall shortly before the day and we wish her well and a speedy recovery.

Instead Antoinette and Lizzie gallantly took over the task of leading us from Hertford North. In addition to sharing the leadership role Antoinette took sme photographs which I reproduce below. I took a few also but only with my mobile phone as I did not have my camera with me and these lesser quality shots are interspersed with Antoinette's "proper photos" below.

Early in the walk we came to Hartham Common, an area with quite attractive open spaces and some woodland also.

Nearby were the attractive building of the Hertford Brewery and while our leaders took a rain check of where we were I photographed the brewery and made a mental note to return when it is open to visitors.

Then we headed off across the common, passing over a peaceful stream as it meandered through the Hertford suburbs

Very soon we came to St Leonard's Church, one of two Churches in the area of Bengeo, which provided a pleasant setting for the Peace Prayer of St Francis. We also remembered to pray for our absent leader and for Hilaryb McNabb, a very long standing member of the club who we were told was not very well.

Near the Church was the Opulent "Bengeo Old House. We passed two separate entrances and later got the above good view of the house itself.

Also near the Church was a beautifully kept community garden with a reminder notice for dog owners which we could do with in Tooting!!

And a few yards up the street the other Bengeo Church  - Holy Trinity. Although a fairly well inhabited area with two Churches I did not notice a pub in Bengeo which I believe classifies it as a hamlet rather thsn a village.

A little further along westopped to admire a field of poppies and (below) Antoinette got fine photographs of them.

At this point a footpath sign on which you can just make out the words gave us to believe that we were a mile from Ware where our lunch had been booked in the Punch House pub.

We had a brief stop to study our route and two local gentlemen gave us reassurance that we were on track for Ware, although perhaps more than a mile from it as yet.

Although the entire walk was in the county of Hertfordshire which does not boast any position more that 700 feet above sea level  we did get high enough for Antoinette to take this photograph looking down on an attractive partly thatched dwelling.

We passed more than one sign post proclaiming Ware to be ¾ mile away and eventually came to the very attractive town itself

The helpful street map indicated that just behind us was West Street and the very welcome Punch House.

In the Punch House we enjoyed good food at attractive prices whilst on the surrounding TV screens we saw Ireland making their exit from Ruros 2016 at the hands of France.

The above montage of comprises photographs taken over the lunch in the Punch, one of the group shots being ingeniously taken from outside the bar through the window. of the walk.

All kitted up, we were ready for the second half of the walk

The afternoon walk took us along the Lea Navigation and the sight of a family of swans with their little cygnets got cameras clicking and people saying AW!!

Here the surrounding land was occupied by curious and healthy Hertfordshire cows and the local canoe club made best use of the navigation to hone their skills.

Two members had arrrived late and walked out from Hertford to join us for the later part of the walk. A convenient seat by a lock provided a base for a photocall.

As we approached Hertford again we had sight of attractive dwellings and not so atttractive but very valuable commercial navigation vessels.

In Hertford is a monument to a local clergy man who jointly founded a town of the same name in the USA