Details
Location:
From Great Offley into the countryside in the general
direction of Hitchin.
Weather:
Grey skies – it had rained in days leading up to the walk,
but apart from some large puddles near the end of the
walk, the ground was firm
Distance:
4.1 miles – Average speed 2.2 mph
Elevation Gain/loss:
380 feet
Our Group
Comprised 18 walkers led by Simon & Georgette Harrison.
The Walk
From the pub we walked along the High Street, past Offley Place and the church until we got to a ‘kissing gate’ near the Red Lion. We turned left through this gate along a footpath. At about 0.75 miles into the walk we had a brief pause to look at the view. After that we went downhill (down Minsbury Hill) and along field edge footpaths until we got to Hoar’s Lane which is part of the Chiltern Way.
At Hoar’s Lane we turned right towards Temple End. At Temple End, we turned right on to a track. This track took us back up Chalk Hill towards the Red Lion. Then we walked back up the High Street to the Green Man for a welcome drink and our food that we had ordered at the stat of the Walk.
The map of the walk is shown below
Great Offley
In the 8th century, Offa, the Saxon king of Mercia is purported to have had his palace at Offley. It is said that Offa held court here and fought battles over the surrounding area!
In about 1600 Sir John Spencer of Althorp’s son Richard built Offley Place. However, the property was rebuilt in 1810, but retains a Tudor porch and a 17th century wing. In 1929, the property was bought by the Frobel Institute who ran courses on gardening and natural history there. In 1943, North Hertfordshire District Council bought the property and
used it as a Residential Centre until the early 21st century. The property is now a hotel and event location.
Temple End
Temple End is part of the manor of Charlton and is mentioned in the Domesday Book and may refer to an earlier Roman temple. Also there may have been associations with the Knight Templar of the Crusades.