Bath or shower after a muddy walk: thinking through a tub swap in an old cottage
Thinking of swapping a bath for a walk-in shower in an old cottage? Notes on hard water, awkward floors, safe access and what to ask an installer.
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Three villages on the chalk
King's Walden, Offley and Lilley sit on the last high ground of the Chilterns between Hitchin and Luton. This notebook follows their footpaths, reads their old churches and enclosure maps, and keeps track of what grows in the gardens and hedges.
Open the notebookOn the notice board
A first walk
Great Offley out to Little Offley and back over the chalk, with notes on mud, waymarks and the map.
Details hereReading the flint
Knapped flint, clunch, tufa and brick: how to date the three churches from the outside.
Details hereHow long will it take?
The walk timer turns distance and climb into a fair estimate using Naismith’s rule.
Details hereIn the rucksack
Maps, field guides and the few bits of kit that earn their place on these paths.
Details hereThe three villages and their churches
OffleySt Mary MagdaleneGreat and Little Offley on the high road to Hitchin, with the Icknield Way along the parish edge.
LilleySt Peter’sA street village under Telegraph Hill, with the open ground of Lilley Hoo to the east.
King’s WaldenSt Mary’sA village that moved to the road and left its church in the park, with hamlets scattered on the chalk.Lately in the notebook
Outside taps on chalk: what a hard frost teaches you about garden plumbing
A gardener's notes on frozen outside taps, water butts and hidden leaks on thin chalk soil, and when to turn off the water and call a plumber.
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Reading a village war memorial, and researching the names with care
What a village war memorial records, how to read its lists and inscriptions, and how to research the names respectfully with the IWM and CWGC records.
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Fieldfares and redwings: the winter thrushes on the chalk
How to tell fieldfares from redwings on the chalk fields round Offley and Lilley: their calls, the berries they strip and the hedges worth watching.
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The fuse box that puzzled me: wiring questions for newcomers to an old cottage
A newcomer's notes on old country wiring: storms and power cuts, warning signs in an old cottage, and what to ask an electrician about the fuse box.
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Leaving the car behind: group days out by coach, from the chalk to the mountains
Why group outings work better by coach, what to look for from the window on chalk lanes, and how to plan a group trip, from village walks to mountains.
Read the pieceFor the armchair
- Words on the walls: brasses, tablets and boards, and how to read them.
- Mothering Sunday: the old mid-Lent customs, simnel cake and violets.
- Why King's Walden sits a mile from its church
- Lilley Hoo and its racing past
- Maps and field guides worth owning before the first walk.