Pathfinder Guide 54 Walk 28: St Albans and the Ver valley.
This morning we meet at Hatching Green in Redbourn. The noise is deafening and it takes me a while to get close to the Green. Thousands of screaming fans are jumping up and down to get a sighting of Rob the Greek following his performance on London Greek Radio last night. There is a line as far as the eye can see queuing up for an autograph which Rob is signing as fast as he can with an occassional pause to raise his head and wave to his adoring fans. It is hard to pull him away but I remind him we have a 1000 miles to walk so adoration can wait a while. To his credit he joins me and we make our way. His mouth is even fuller of words than yesterday and with a couple of punctuating uh uh's from me he tells me about his broadcast non stop for the first two miles. Well done Maria and Katerina for organising it - he loved it and modestly told me he thinks he did rather well. I am sure he was brilliant.
We head along a path to Redbournbury. Lovely countryside, the sun shining and a brisk breeze. As we approach the farm at Redbournbury we are confronted by our first flooded crossing and wonder how we are going to get over. From previous blogs you know Rob can walk on water so with some instruction I followed his lead. Amazing feeling just like Brian Clough walking across the River Trent all those years ago. As we turn the corner I am struck by the farm smell and take a deep breath which transports me back to me as a 7 year old. The smell conjures up an image of my grandfathers farm in Siget im der Wart in Burgenland, Austria near the Hungarian border. I remember light from candles, heat from wood on the log fire, water from the well and the muddy path to the outside toilet at the bottom of the garden where I was often chased by a barking dog on my way.
No electricity, no running water then just lots of love and warm feelings from family and villagers. How amazing that one intake of a smell conjures up so much. The Hungarian connection makes me think of Judit in Budapest who on a recent visit to London gave me some Hungarian folk music by Beata Palya that I listened to while planning these walks and the ones to come in Dorset. 
I return to Redbournbury and we visit the Mill where they stone ground flour and make their own bread. An idyllic little spot where Constable would have had fun with his brush. We check with a local pest controller which way is the Ver Way path and we are on our way again. After about half an hour tracker Rob smells something amiss. Noticing a road on the right that should be on the left he rereads the guide and finds we are on the Ver Way but going in the opposite direction to our route. I am shocked that Rob is fallible but impressed he has discovered the error so soon. Another learning opportunity we say. You can be on the right track but going completely the wrong way. We retrace but make sure we take different steps as Rob has told me from his own experience that Virgo's cannot go back by the same path if they have taken a wrong turn.
We meet Geoff walking his dog Lucy and check with him where the Ver Way goes to St Albans and he sets us on our path. This is a lovely walk by the Ver passing
a couple of really impressive Mill buildings now converted to houses. Places for a painter to do his magic or Rob to snap his shutter.Just before we need to turn right over the Ver we come upon a building over the water and wonder what it is for. Inside it has a platform and has the water running through underneath. There is a roof and around us some flooded land and some sheep. I wonder if it is some sheep cleaning contraption. Rob suggests it is a flood control contraption that can redirect the water. I look at him, smile and say 'false' just like they used to on Call my Bluff. We head on to our next port of call which is the Roman Theatre at St Albans.
Along the way we bump in to Alastair and ask him about the strange building. He tells us it is some sort of power generator from the past and now has a preservation order on it. I am tempted to say 'false' again but he seems to believe his story. He says that is what he was told by locals so that is now our story unless someone can give us a more plausible tale.
We pass the now buried Roman town of Verulamium with the odd little piece of wall apparent. The ruins of the theatre are substantial and we both get an eerie or awesome feeling as we look at something that has been there for over 2000 years. We stop and reflect on what it might have been like and all the events that have happened in the world since then.
We approach St Albans through a park with a big lake and pass the Fighting Cocks where Oliver Cromwell is rumoured to have stayed and stabled his horse in what is now the bar. During the time of the civil war this was a great place to stay as there was a warren of passageways beneath to make a secret exit should the need arise. We climb the hill and come upon the breathtaking view of St Albans Cathedral. From this approach it really is dramatic and would not look out of place in any major capital of the world.
The frontage reminds you of Notre Dame in Paris and you learn inside that in the 14th century this was the inspiration for the design. It is one of the longest churches in the UK and as you read the history you get a sense of the importance of St Albans in times past. Now a medium sized market town with a massive display of power and importance. Worth a visit and make sure you approach from the park with the lake below.
We return through the Gorhambury Estate with its tree lined avenues and manicured gardens. Then past Childwick Bury and on to the delightful Childwick Green.There are still a few hundred fans waiting for Rob the Greek's return and he accepts a few more requests for autographs and gives a final wave to his fans. Citywire, London Greek Radio and The Enfield post so far. Who knows where his trail of fame will end.
Next up is the public walk on Sunday and we have 3.7 miles to complete 200 miles. Come and join us and have a fun day out. I have asked Rob to fix the weather. A man who can walk on water should find this a mere trifling.
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