John Crane writes: A pleasing number of 15 walkers, including 3 new walkers, set out from Moor Park on an 11.5 mile moderately strenuous faster pace walk in pleasant rural surroundings, with a few surprise discoveries along the way. The weather was great for walking: no mud, dry, sunny, but a bit of a chill wind.
We crossed Sandy Lodge golf course, then crossed the River Gade at the beautiful 13th century Hampermill corn mill where we heard briefly about its history and that of the nearby C16 Henry VIII hunting lodge at Oxhey Manor.
We followed part of the Ebury Way and the walked over Croxley Moor to the Grand Union canal at Croxley.
More brief local history about Lord Ebury, Dickinson’s Croxley Mills role in Rickmansworth’s huge C18&19 paper industry, and export by rail of Rickmansworth’s C20 crops of water cress.
As we followed the canal we stopped to watch a pair of gold crests busy nest making in the hedge at head height, then spied a couple of mannequin bargees dressed in Easter finery, and a beautiful pair of Mandarin ducks. Turning left at Cassiobury lock, through the woods, then discovering huge fields of old head-high sprout plants, we passed the gem of old Waterfell House, before coming out onto Croxley Green with our lunch spot at The Coach and Horses.
A three minute sudden hailstorm had us donning our winter jackets.
We dropped down over fields to the River Chess near Rickmansworth, and then after some route finding regained the Ebury Way at Batchworth where it is hidden behind the brand new Premier Inn car park. Soon we regained the canal, where there was plenty of narrow boat activity, before finishing at Croxley Station.
