ALDENHAM church on a warm, spring morning seemed far removed from German bombs. But at least one exploded in the churchyard, blasting mortal remains from silent graves and peppering gravestones with shrapnel, and another knocked off the church spire.

Brian Hyde, who owns the nursery at Round Bush, claims to be the sole living witness.

"It was October 16, 1940", says Brian. "The bones took some sorting, I can tell you". They replaced the spire.

I headed for the Colne, across land once forested and full of game. Henry VIII sold it all in 1547 to one Ralph Stepneth for a princely £980 to fill royal coffers.

The morning was glorious: an azure sky, the sun penetrating the canopy of the woodland by the river, a silence broken only by the cheery sound of the birds and, admittedly, distant traffic on the M1.

Further on, the valley widens. It was the route of the Thames until around 12,000 years ago, when encroaching ice from the north forced the river to its present course; stones on the former river bed prove a bigger river once flowed in the opposite direction to the Colne.

This was the southern terminus of that ice age, the ice an impenetrable barrier that forced man and animals to eke out a living to the south.

Wall Hall dates back to 1250, when Guy de Walehale "disposed of some land". Later the manor was given to the Convent of St Bartholomew. Later again it was given a mock castellated exterior and called Aldenham Abbey, with sham ruins added to make it look real.

John Pierpoint Morgan, the US banker, bought it in 1910. The house was occupied during the war by the American ambassador, Joseph Kennedy, who stayed there with his son, the future president, John. Now it's part of the University of Hertfordshire.

A path leads across fields to Round Bush, and beyond to the farmstead of Battlers Green, after which excellent waymarking ensures safe navigation over open country to the busy A5 the Roman Watling Street.

Then open country is forsaken for the woods within the grounds of Haberdasher's Akes' School, formerly Aldenham House, built in the 17th Century by Henry Coghill. It was converted into a country club, complete with a health resort and golf course, yet wasn't a success. The BBC used it for broadcasting during the war.

My route led around Elstree golf clubhouse and across soggy fields, land granted, in 1188, to the monastery of St Albans for feeding swine. More rights of way led to Aldenham Country Park, where the reservoir shimmered in the heat haze and mothers dragged reluctant toddlers along the lake shore path to enjoy the sunshine, like it or not.

A notice tells you the dam of the reservoir was built around 1795 by French prisoners-of-war to provide water for local mills and the newly-constructed Grand Junction Canal.

The throaty roar of aero engines heralded my approach to Elstree aerodrome, where I spied around 100 light aircraft, multi-coloured and all shapes and sizes, like grown ups' abandoned toys.

A sign advertises trips in helicopters: "Sightseeing Flights all over London". I've walked the mountains, moors and rural landscapes of our green and pleasant land, but now I was in for a new experience, for the right of way leads across the runway.

I glanced down the runway, on the off-chance a plane was heading my way. There was! I stood back, watched as with a great roar it took off just yards from where I stood. There was another, then another. Good thing I looked: imagine how popular you'd be if a pilot saw a hiker wandering across his bows.

Finally the way was clear, and I took to the safety of the open fields, the tall buildings of Watford filling the skyline beyond the Colne.

Letchmore Heath might be a thousand miles from industry and commerce. The name means Muddy Pond. Yet the pond today, bordered by oaks and horse chestnuts and frequented by mallard, was a pleasant place to while away time.

Then, with the unending sun as a loyal companion, I crossed open country for Roundbush, the unmistakable spire of Aldenham church signifying the end of my walk.

Reproduced from Limited Edition magazine, exclusive guides to living in Hertfordshire, Middlesex and the London Borough of Barnet (01923 216295).

For a printable map of the walk, please click the image below.