Little Berkhamstead

Our Group

Comprised 14 walkers led by Jo & Mike Peacock.

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The Walk

Our group departed from the Five Horseshoes at Little Berkhamsted, grateful for the slightly cooler weather after the recent heatwave. A short walk through the church yard took us past Stratton’s Folly. The walk was a mix of woodland, road and rural footpaths passing by some inquisitive goats, a couple of donkeys and a few horses. Also en-route were the less scenic Quattro Plant Hire Depot and some very nice houses. We paused after 2.8 miles which would have been the start of a short cut of a few metres back to the pub but, energised by the cooler weather, everyone continued on for the full 5 miles.

The map of the walk is shown below

Little Berkhampstead

Little Berkhamsted Manor is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It has a parish church with a wooden bell-cote for 3 bells. The church was first mentioned in the 12^th century but was totally rebuilt in 1647. However little from this date survived reconstruction in the 19^th century.

Chain Walk

Part of the walk was annotated on the Ordnance Survey map as a Chain Walk. The Hertfordshire Chain Walk is a series of 15 circular linked walks of between 4.25 and 9 miles stretching from Enfield to Ashwell and Morden Station. We have previously walked another part of the Chain Walk in September 2025.

Stratton’s Folly

Stratton’s Folly is a circular brick, 97 foot high, tower built on an octagonal base. It was built in 1789 by John Stratton. The tower was built using bricks recycled from an earlier building which stood on the site. The tower was maintained until the middle of the 19^th century. However by 1888 the tower was dilapidated. Eventually in the 1960’s the then owner tried to get planning permission to convert the tower for residential use. This eventually happened, but not without an objection from the local MP who stated that he sometimes sunbathed naked in his garden and did not wish to be overlooked!