Apostles and brewers

Still, on the basis that brisk walking generates heat, I made my way to All Saints' Church, an historic site visited by Edward I in 1299. This is hardly surprising, for a royal palace was under construction at Langley, hence its name.

Inside the church are the tombs of Edmund de Langley, the First Duke of York, and his first wife, Isabel of Castile, daughter of Pedro the Cruel, a fellow not to be messed with, presumably. Edmund was the fifth son of Edward III, and he was born in the palace at Langley. Why he wished to be buried with his first wife is unclear.

Kings Langley's royal associations entitled the village to fly the royal standard. Sadly, this authority was withdrawn in 1935. Today, it would have been Queens Langley.

I made haste to the Grand Union Canal, and headed south, at full-speed, along the towpath. The scene was Siberian, the canal frozen in places. The Grand Union was constructed for the transport of goods, including coal, and people, including soldiers, and in the case of a local farmer, manure. Incredibly, men were fishing on the bank, braving the cold. If they looked like corpses now, they surely would be so by noon.

Both canal and railway pass beneath the modern M25, three transport routes belonging to different ages. The canal, constructed in 1793, was first, to be replaced by the railway. In 1837 a train leaving London at 8pm would arrive at Kings Langley at 10.30. Things have improved just! The M25 viaduct looks good from below: the engineers did a good job.

I left the canal at Hunton Bridge for St Paul's Church in Langleybury. We often drive past it on the A41, and admire its tall spire as we wait at the traffic lights. The church was founded by William Jones Loyd, in whose honour a special cross was erected. Today, a light carpet of snow graced the cemetery, a scene as pretty as a picture.

Opposite the former Langleybury School, the right of way crosses open country for Chipperfield. This is grand walking territory, where you can march apace if the temperature demands it. It leads to the magnificent woods of Chipperfield Common. Here is the Apostles' Pond, reputedly fished by the monks of a friary (now gone) in Kings Langley. Not surprisingly, the pond was frozen solid. Twelve cropped limes are said to represent the apostles. Look out for some superb specimens of sweet chestnuts, brought here by Edward I after the Crusades, before you cross the open common. Today, as I hurried on, the sun appeared, sending the temperature soaring towards zero.

The Two Brewers inn is dead ahead. It's said to be named after two men who formed an alehouse here in Tudor times, and later men fought barefist in a gym at the back. Today, expect to find a roaring fire and a wide choice of refreshment, the latter assured, for, as the menu says, the inn is open "eight days a week".

Leaving the village, the right of way crosses open country, with no hint of the presence of Hemel Hempstead, which is just over the eastern horizon. An ancient bridleway, today frozen, in warmer times it will be muddy, leads ultimately across to A41 again, after which the bridge across the railway must be located before proceeding to the busy London Road at Apsley. This ancient village takes its name from the aspen tree, and two old corn mills. More recent were the mills of John Dickinson, manufacturers of the world famous Basildon Bond paper. Apsley is a place of industrial history.

Back at the Grand Union, the towpath leads past sad-looking warehouses and into open country again. You can shop at Sainsbury's if you like or pop in for coffee, as I did, before resuming your journey to Kings Langley, where the canal is crossed at the site of an old mill. Here, parts of the canal were frozen solid. But then, so were parts of me.

Approximate distance: 9.5 miles

Start and finish: free car park, The Nap, Kings Langley (next to the library)

Route

Kings Langley, Grand Union Canal (south), Hunton Bridge, Langleybury, Model Farm, Chipperfield Common (woods), Chipperfield, Apsley, Grand Union Canal, Nash Mills, Kings Langley

Abbreviations

l.=left; r.=right; n. s. e. w.=north, south, east, west; br.=bridge; r.o.w.=right of way; PH=public house; m.=mile; s/post=signpost; f/post=fingerpost; b/way=bridleway; ch.=church; f/path=footpath.

Directions

S. to All Saints' Church. Take Church Lane to the Grand Union Canal, take towpath 1 m. to Hunton Bridge, turn r. (road) to St Paul's Church. W. to Home Farm, turn r. opp. on private rd (r.o.w.), cross A41, follow track 0.75m, take Sarratt parish footpath to rd, turn r. 200 yds, turn l. towards Windmill Hill, to Little Callipers Cottage, beyond which turn r. through woods to Chipperfield. From Two Brewers PH, go to X-roads, turn l. to Royal Oak PH. Turn r. Turn l. past Post Office into Croft Lane. Straight on to metalled lane, turn r. 250 yds, turn l. at s/post Bulstrode Lane. Corner of wood, take f/p (s/post) Rucklers Lane. Turn r. at rd, 200 yds, l. at public byway. Cross A41, cross railway. Turn r. at A4251, l. at Spotted Bull PH into Durrants Hill Rd. Return to Kings Langley by canal towpath.

Pubs

Kings Langley: several

Hunton Bridge: Dog & Partridge

Chipperfield: Two Brewers, Royal Oak, The Boot (off-route)

Apsley: several.

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.