Ayot St Lawrence

Start and Finish: The War Memorial, High Street, Kimpton (SG4 8SA) Grid ref: TL 175 183

(S/E) From the war memorial (A), walk East along the High Street (left as you look at the memorial) to the Dacre Rooms and turn left up Church Lane. Go through the entrance to the Parish Church of (B) St Peter & St Paul, and take the path between trees to the porch. Continue on the gravel path round the east of the church and leave the churchyard by a gate at the far left corner onto a road. Turn left up the road for 140m and, on the ‘S’ bend, turn right along a surfaced access road for 1 Km to reach Hoo Park Cottage (C).

(1) Turn right through a gate to join The Hertfordshire Way. Ignoring the path bearing right, continue straight across the field and along the left-hand side of a wood. Go through a gate, stay to the left-hand edge of two fields, through the next gate and drop down to leave the field by the gate in the bottom left-hand corner. Turn right along the surfaced driveway, go over the (D) stone bridge and continue to a road.

(2) Turn right and immediately right again to follow a wide bridleway. On the right is the (E) River Mimram. Continue along the bridleway for 500m to a white painted cottage on the right.

Turn right across the river for a short diversion to the old buildings of Rye-end Farm. Return to the cottage, turn right to re-join the route and stay on this track to a lane.

Turn right along the lane past the old watercress beds to a road junction by Kimpton Mill. Turn right and immediately left uphill on Bridleway 38 towards Abbotshay.

(3) Follow the bridleway for 1 Km to reach a lane (Tanyard Lane) and turn right along it for 120m past Abbotshay Farm to a junction. Turn left and follow the bridleway past (F) Ayot Manor House and Ayot House on the right to a road.

(4) Turn right past (G) The Brocket Arms pub and the old church then follow the road round to the left to the junction with Bibbs Hall Lane. Turn right into Bibbs Hall Lane. (H) Shaw's Corner, is to the left. Continue along the lane to the turning for the church on the right where the road bends left.

(5) Turn right and, instead of taking the track to the church, turn immediately right through a kissing gate into a field. Walk along the left-hand edge of the field, past the columns of the (I) ‘New' Chruch of St Lawrence, and go through a gate to a wrought-iron entrance gate to the church.

(6) Turn right through the gate opposite the church gate. Follow the path round the left-hand side of the field (ignore the path across the field and a path to the left after a short distance). .

Pass through the next gate, descend over a stile to the bottom and climb up the slope to the edge of a field. Walk straight across the field to the end of a hedgerow, and walk along the left-hand side of it. The path passes through the hedge shortly before you come to a lane.

(7) Cross the lane, climb the set of steps opposite and turn right on a permissive path along the field edge. Follow the path as it drops down and round to the left. Go past a couple of paths on the right leading down to the recreation ground and continue for a further 120m. Shortly after passing through a hedge-line take the next path on the right. Follow it downhill past allotments to reach Kimpton High Street and the end of the walk.(S/E)

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Start and Finish: The War Memorial, High Street, Kimpton (SG4 8SA) Grid ref: TL 175 183

Terrain: A moderate walk on good surfaces. Two modest climbs with a total ascent of 120m/400ft. There are a number of gates and one stile.

Food & Drink: Cafés and pubs in Kimpton, and The Brocket Arms in Ayot St Lawrence

Parking: Roadside parking along the High Street, Kimpton SG4 8PT

Local Transport: Bus 44/45 runs between Luton and Stevenage, Monday to Saturday; Bus 304 runs between Hitchin and St Albans, Monday to Saturday; and Bus 315 runs between Kimpton and Welwyn Garden City, Monday to Friday. Full details can be found on www.traveline.info.

This walk was created for the book "More Great Walks in the Chilterns" available from the Chiltern Society or from Amazon

(A) Kimpton is derived from the Saxon Cyma-tun, meaning ‘homestead of a person called Cyma’. Over the centuries the name went through many changes including Kamintone, Kemytone and Kempton before becoming Kimpton.  Along the High Street there are houses dating back to the 16th century, but most in the village are from the 19th and 20th centuries.

(B) Kimpton Church: The oldest building in the village is the Grade I listed Church of St Peter & St Paul, which dates from the 12th century. It started with a simple nave and a small chancel, built around the previous wooden church. The oldest bell in the tower dates from the 1300s.

(C) Hoo Estate: The walk passes through the grounds of the Hoo Estate. The name comes from the family who were lords of the manor from the 13th century, before passing it to the Keates in the 17th century. They built a grand manor house which was eventually demolished in 1958. In 1758 Capability Brown was paid £150 to landscape the grounds and he created a lake, wooded belts and woodland walks. Much of the Estate has now been returned to agricultural use.

(D) Stone Bridge This bridge once stood over the River Mimram, which has since been diverted. It was designed by Sir William Chambers and built in about 1764. It’s made from Portland stone and was restored in 2004. It’s Grade II listed and a scheduled ancient monument.

(E) The Mimram is a chalk stream which rises near Whitwell and flows 12 miles to meet the River Lea in Hertford. It inspired Stevie Smith, the poet and novelist, to write her poem The River God. On the walk there’s a short diversion to the 16th century, Grade II listed Rye-end Farm, which was once part of the Kimpton Hoo Estate. The farm was known for its osier beds, where willow was planted to make baskets. Further down is Kimpton Mill, which used to be a watermill.

(F) Ayot Manor House was once owned by Sir William Parr, brother of Catherine Parr, Henry VIII’s last Queen. Ayot House is a Grade II listed house, park and garden, and was once famous as Britain’s only silk farm. It was also home to the King and Queen of Romania.

(G) Ayot St Lawrence is a delightful village with many interesting buildings, including: The Brocket Arms, originally the monastic quarters for the Norman church and said to be haunted by a hanged priest; the old Church of St Lawrence, built in about 1150 AD, which was once the parish church but is now in ruins. It was partially demolished in 1775 by Sir Lionel Lyde, who replaced it with the new church.

(H) Shaw's Corner was the home of playwright George Bernard Shaw from 1906 until his death in 1950. Today it’s owned by the National Trust, and remains much as he left it.

(I) The 'New' Church of St Lawrence is an 18th century neoclassical church, commissioned by Sir Lionel Lyde and designed by Nicholas Revett. It was completed in 1778 on land owned by Lyde, who lived in Ayot House.