Details
Location:
Preston to King’s Walden, Ley Green then back to
Preston
Weather:
Dry sunny day
Distance:
5.2 miles – Average speed 2.12mph
Elevation Gain/loss:
540 feet
Our Group
Comprised 17 walkers led by Phil & Jean Threlfall.
The Walk
This was our ninth visit to the Red Lion
From the pub we walked along School Lane, turned right onto Crunnells Lane, then turned left onto Preston Hill Farm Road. At 0.4 miles into the walk we turned onto a footpath then walked across fields until we got to Whitehall Road at the edge of King’s Walden Park. A short distance along Whitehall Road we turned into the park and walked to Church Road. A number of us took a short detour to King’s Walden church (the church was locked, so we could not go inside)
We then walked on footpaths through Tache Wood to Ley Green. After a short distance on School Lane in Ley Green, we turned onto a footpath that took us to the Plough pub and Plough Lane where we turned north for a short distance. We turned left left onto a footpath that took us through Stony Wood then along other footpaths until we got to the edge of Preston. We walked on a footpath to Preston Playground before turning right onto Chequers Lane, then School Lane to the Red Lion of our lunch that had been ordered at the start of the walk.
The map of the walk is shown below.
King’s Walden
The parish name is derived from the Old English ‘walh denu’ meaning a valley of Britons. Walden was cited in a charter dated AD888, when King Æthelred of Mercia granted land to a thegn, Wulfgar. At the time it was close to the border between English Mercia and the Danelaw. In 1086, the community of Waldenei contained 53 households, with only Hitchin, Pirton and Offley having a greater number of household in the hundred of Hitchin.
St Mary’s Church is constructed from flint rubble with knapped flint facing and stone dressings. In its original form, the church dates the early 12th century. The west tower was added in 1380. Since that date there were several additions until a restoration of the church in 1868.