Countryside Management Service

A circular ride from Hertford

A circular ride from Hertford visiting Bramfield, Burnham Green, Bulls Green and Tewin

Distance:	13 miles/20km
Time:	around 2.5 hours
Rating:	Moderate with some steeper climbs
Starting point:	Hertford North Station show me on a map

Route description

This ride begins in the County Town of Hertford, and follows country lanes to four different village locations. The starting point is Hertford North Railway Station and the route covers a distance of 13 miles, all of it on tarmac roads. As well as visiting places of local interest, you will be cycling through a diverse countryside of agricultural landscapes, along shady woodland roads and beside wide open fields. There are many fine views, lots of local history and a number of places to visit along the way including Sally Rainbows Dell, the haunt of a long dead witch, where Dick Turpin hid when on the run from the forces of law and order.

You can begin your ride at any point along the route, then follow the waymark signs, they will help guide you around the route in an anti-clockwise direction.

Points of interest

Hertford.

The County Town of Hertfordshire is a popular and attractive centre, surrounded by rich farmiand and rolling countryside. Hertford had importance as far back as Saxon times, and has been a centre of trade for centuries, being the meeting place of four rivers, the Mimran, Rib, Lea (or Lee) and the Beane.

Hertford has been a Royal Borough for more than a thousand years and was granted a Royal Charter in 1441 by Henry Vl. Hertford has some fine buildings, and some excellent examples of East Anglian pargeting, the external decorative plaster work, near Shire Hall in the town centre.

Bramfield.

Near the village of Bramfield a witch named Sally Rainbow was feared by the local population. Her home in 'Sally Rainbow's Dell' was avoided by everyone in the area, which made it an ideal place for the highwayman Dick Turpin to hide after robbing the coaches travelling along the roads to and from London. Her evil reputation afforded him excellent protection. Sally Rainbow's Dell is still marked on the Ordnance Survey map and can be approached from a bridleway near Bramfield.

Datchworth.

The whipping post on Datchworth Green is a reminder of days when criminals were publicly flogged, the last known case being in 1665. The 'horseless cart', which is said to trundle along Rectory Lane towards the churchyard, is said to be a manifestation of the death cot or Hellwain that carried off the souls of the dead. Datchworth Museum housed in the old village blacksmiths shop, has an interesting collection that relates to the village and the surrounding area.

Optional link to Stevenage Cycleway

From Datchworth you can connect into the extensive Stevenage Cycleway, avoiding the busy main roads. At the crossroads in Datchworth turn left to follow the cycleway to Burnham Green, or go straight across onto Brookbridge Lane, then left onto Bury Lane, this becomes Bragbury Lane and leads down to the southem most point of the Stevenage Cycleway. Caution is required on this narrow road.

Bulls Green.

The men of the Clibbon family were, by day, pie makers, but by night they became treacherous robbers who attacked farmers returning from Hertford Market. In December 1782 their reign of terror came to an end when the father of the family was shot dead one night near Bulls Green. The coroner ordered that he should be buried where he fell, and the spot is marked with a wooden post. It is said to have been driven through the heart of Clibbon to prevent him walking. 'Clibbons Post' remains to this day as a grim reminder of a violent past.

Tewin.

Lady Anne Grimston of Tewin was an outspoken lady of the early 18th Century. On her deathbed she is said to have dismissed her. priest saying "If indeed there is life after death, trees will render asunder my tomb". Today, ash and sycamores grow through her tomb, splitting open stonework and almost engulfing the surrounding iron railings. Her ghost is said to haunt a room at nearby Tewin Water.

Refreshments

There are pubs in all the villages along the route where refreshments can be purchased, or why not take a picnic and enjoy a meal in the open air. Hertford has all the facilities of a small town and a tourist information centre at the Castle with further ideas for days out in the countryside.

Waymarking

Signs like this are positioned to guide you round the route in anti-clockwise direction. This will make the majority of the turns left turns, thus your journey will be a little safer.

Safety

• This is not an off road route, you will meet cars and other vehicles on the roads during your trip.
• Wear a safety helmet.
• Ensure your bike is safe to ride.
• After dark you are required by law to display working lights.
• Wear brightly coloured clothes with reflective material.
• Treat pedestrians and horses with the respect you expect to get from car drivers.
• Get a bell and use it to warn others of your approach.
• Always ride in single file when roads are narrow or busy, and never more than two abreast
• Always follow the advice for cyclists given in the Highway Code.

Rights of Way symbols you might see

	Yellow arrows indicate footpaths for pedestrian use only
	Blue arrows indicate bridleways for horse riders, cyclists and pedestrian use only
	Red arrows indicate Byways Open to All Traffic (BOAT) for horse riders, cyclists and pedestrians and may be legally used by other wheeled vehicles
	Black arrows indicate Roads Used as Public Paths (RUPP) for horse riders, cyclists and pedestrians and may be legally used by other wheeled vehicles

More about Rights of Way

Maps

This map is based on Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office © Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Hertfordshire County Council 100019606 2004.

The Ordnance Survey mapping included within this web-site is provided by Hertfordshire County Council under licence from the Ordnance Survey in order to fulfill its public function to provide information relating to its activities, services and plans. Persons viewing this mapping should contact Ordnance Survey copyright for advice where they wish to license Ordnance survey mapping for their own use.

See the Ordnance Survey site for more information.

This cycle ride and leaflet has been produced with the support of Hertfordshire County Council's Environment Department and the Countryside Management Service.

This is one of a series of waymarked cycle rides throughout Herfordshire. Look out for others on this website, or for the leaflets in local libraries and cycle shops.