It seems Markyate is a pretty unremarkable place, nothing of note on its Wikipedia page…not a promising start for our Sunday afternoon walk. The weather was warm and starting this late in the day is not our general style but Sue was taking Sunday School in the morning so we had no choice! The last walk we did in this area was on a much sunnier day in May (Great Gaddesden) and we got lost. This time I was determined not to take the blame so Sue was in charge!

Parking up in Flamstead (map) we walked through fields of ripe wheat to the wonderfully named Trowley Bottom. We walked along the valley as far as Roe End before circling back through the nondescript Markyate and across the fields to Flamstead. In case Dad’s reading, Markyate does have one rather fleeting claim to fame. William Cowper went to boarding school in the village between the ages of 4 and 8…hard to imaging sending kids to boarding school at that age!

A muggy, rather cloudy afternoon failed to spoil a perfect walk for a Sunday afternoon, 6 1/2 miles and 2 1/2 hrs.

(Post code AL3 8BS,  Garmin Adventure)

Valley Cottage

Trowley Bottom

St Leonard’s Church, Flamstead

Roe End Farm

Cotton Spring Farm

Flamstead Church

Friendless Wood

Ready for harvest

Scabious-Pincushion flower

Beechwood House School

Beechwood House grounds