Discovering The New River

The best thing about what we’re doing, is the way we can go from visiting towns and cities, to exploring swathes of countryside we would never, ever have seen in our normal life.

After a day in London, a day discovering the area surrounding the site was the plan.

I haven't mentioned, just down the road from the site and over the bridge that crosses the M25, is the Spurs Training Ground. With constant security on the gates, it’s a hive of activity. It’s an odd mix of countryside here, cottages and big roads, very much right on the very edge of London.

On our walk we set off up the lane towards the big house, Theobalds Park, totally hidden from site by trees in its large grounds and now part of the De Vere Group, possibly their Head Office, it all seems very secret with its security gates.

We skirted almost the entire Park and didn't get a glimpse of the house.

When we’d gone at least halfway round we crossed a bridge and followed along the banks of the New River Walk. This was a bit of a puzzle. As it looked man-made, far more like a canal. We knew this was going to come out near the pub we walk to, so would make a good circular walk.

Then we found out just what the New River is.

It’s neither New, nor a River!  It’s an Aqueduct built from 1609 - 1613 from near Ware to Islington, to bring fresh water from Hertfordshire Springs to the City of London. Today Thames Water still use this as a source of drinking water for the City. As well as providing a new 25 mile footpath.

It’s really surprising how out in the country you can feel, when you are so close to such major routes, carrying vast amounts of traffic.

We saw where the Aqueduct crossed the M25 and then decided to take advantage of a small bridge, that gave us a short cut back to the site.

In fact we were amazed to find the New River ran along the bottom of the Site and we could see The Goddess but the old, cast iron facing wasn't going to let us take on even shorter cut. Just as we had nearly reached the road a few hundred yards from the site entrance, we came across an Ivy covered fallen tree. Now we could have gone back but to be quite honest, I needed a wee! We’d been walking for nearly an hour and I didn't relish either of the other two options of going back. So needs must when the devil drives, or, in this case, the bladder. Hands and knees in the mud it was. Which is why I ended up doing a Hobbit impression.