Overview
Kimpton to Ayot St Lawrence and back via Kimpton Mill. Initially drizzle, but this stopped partway through the walk. The walk was led by Tony Hall.
15
5.3 miles
2.1 mph
493 ft
The Walk
This was our sixth visit to The Boot in Kimpton.
We turned left out of the pub car park and after a short distance along the High Street we turned right onto a footpath past Kimpton Rovers football ground. Then we followed some field edge footpaths. This took us up Ballslough Hill. After crossing the B651, we walked on more footpaths across fields, through Claggbottom Wood and Prior’s Wood until we got to the Palladian Church of St Lawrence.
At that point we turned and walked through more fields, past ‘Statues of Matt’[1] until we got to Kimpton Mill on the River Mimram. We crossed the river then walked north, parallel to the river,, past Rye End Farm until we got to the roadway leading to TKimpton Hoo. After walking a short distance on that roadway, we took a field path to the left until we got to Hoopark Wood. At the other side of the wood we crossed another field, past Wheathampstead Cricket Club grounds until we got to an unfenced road leading back to Hitchin Road. We crossed Hitchin Road and walked up Butt End Path and turned left into Parkfield Meadow. From there it was a short distance through housing and along the High Street to the pub for the lunch that we had ordered on arrival at the pub before the start of the walk.
The map of the walk is shown below
[1] Statues of Matt are tree trunks in the hedgerow that have been carved into the shape of heads