5 walkers started the long version. Through constant rain and wind we trudged. The lunch pub the Feathers was a,welcome break where we stayed for a while.. Three walkers continued on the top loop back and two went partly back the way we had come due to not wanting to cross a flood, though by this time the water we had come through was also higher..The two if us decided to detor to Ware as,it was getting dark and we didn't want a cancelled train . It was a very elemental day...

Wet Wet Wet... While Hertfordshire soil is quick draining and the route largely follows farm tracks and mud would therefore not be a big issue, the question was how much water we'd get, from above, standing on the tracks and rushing down streams, ditches and fields. Loads, was the answer. Usually dry ditches and mysteriously deep cut dry valleys in the woods were now ravines with waterfall like features. The "occasional stream" was only just clearing the plank bridge across it. You get the picture...

That was all taken in good spirit though. All others were up for doing the full walk that the walk author was keen on checking, all 24 km of it.

Before Wadesmill and the lunch pub, we had checked the pass-ibility of the bridge over The Rib and it looked ok, if traipsing through a watery field corner (the track itself was deep under). Despite a lull in the rain, this had changed after lunch so much so that there was no avoiding water in boots for the 3 of us without a longish diversion (as The Rib had broken its bank and flooded the field).

On we strode, conscious of the still to cross 6 bridges over The Ash.

Three Feet High And Rising...De La Soul came to mind as we re-crossed The Ash by Watersplace Farm, as the depth gauge by the ford had shown 70 cm earlier on the way out and it was certainly higher now. No more obstacles after that though, apart from the darkness. 17.47 train (after 105 minutes in the lunch pub, who had by all accounts forgotten about our food order at some point).

Most fun you can have with your clothes on or an 'orrible day out, take your pick! 5 rain and wind most times

Kudos to the 2 others who have also walked yesterday in similar conditions!

12 on a cloudy cold day. A pleasant walk, tinged with autumn colour. Most of the walk was firm underfoot but there was a little mud in the afternoon. We got to the Chequers just after 12. Some of the group sped on, either because it was early or because they wanted to avoid the forecast rain. Wrong on both counts. No rain and they missed out on a pleasant stay in an old fashioned, homely pub. (I’ve been asked to mention how clean the toilets were- and how luxurious and fluffy the towels). Those who ate there got large Sunday roasts. Mr Tiger settled for a pint of Happy Daze - and, would you believe it readers, This turned into two pints, thanks to a kindly benefactor.

Shortly after the pub, there’s an overly high stile, and, crossing it, Mr Tiger remembered a previous time when he had considered it unwise to tackle it after two pints. And here he was again, same stile! Coincidence or what?

The stile was safely crossed, you’ll be relieved to hear.

Most of the rear group must have got the 15:17. Mr Tiger only just missed that and got the 15:47.

12 walkers set off on this cold but dry and overcast morning. A very pleasant and easy stroll through varied countryside. Five decided to give the Chequers Inn a miss (it was just after 12.05 at this point), reaching the end of the walk in a mere 2 hrs 35 mins, and having barely broken sweat. But for our muddy boots, we might well have tried The Jolly Fisherman, but decided to catch the 13.47 London train, instead. The directions were easy to follow at all times.

9 assembled on a day that could be euphemistically described as damp. At times it was more than damp. Like during the two hailstorms. There were dry spells too and the sun came out for all of 30 seconds. A bit muddy but not sinky-in muddy. And the puddles. Don’t get me started on the puddles. damp with occasional showers and hail

Our hardy band made good progress and we got to the Chequers earlier than planned. The fare proved popular. Most had roasts. One had cider. They had 4 types of cider and Mr Tiger had the strongest on offer. Lilleys Dark at 7.5%. Yum! The afternoon was more of the same. Except, you try climbing stiles after a pint of Lilleys Dark Cider. Takes nerves of steel to do that. We got to the station in good time and, as there was a train soon, nobody stopped for ‘tea’.

11 walkers, I think (but may have been 12), on a sunny day. This included 2 car drivers and 1 first-timer. Virtually mud-free apart from one short fenced and rutted stretch. Very fine views from the minor rises the route entails. Peace and quiet most of the way. The few punters wanting to walk the full walk were talked out of it and the avantgarde group then lunched at The White Horse. Leaving there, we were spotted by the laggards from their table in The Chequers. Everyone was more than happy with their meals and with the pubs' hospitality. The route was then finished as one group again (minus the first-timer who went awol at some point), arriving in time for the 16.17 train. Group Cohesion Factor: 6/10

St Margaret’s Station is within the Oyster Card Zones,

which could be cheaper than buying tickets.

Not within the Freedom Pass Zones.

5 in cool and showery weather . All possible short cuts were taken

Now I might do the Walk Tomorrow. But I am not sure yet. If I do. Then I will take the Bus as it's a bit more convenient.

Grey skies and drizzle on the train out, blue skies within 5 mins of walking, a further 30 mins along a short and sharp shower, then blue skies for the rest of the day. Fierce wind whenever exposed, so I'd call it sunny and windy . The overnight rain and strong wind made for far views from the 'tops': Canary Wharf and City of London towers were spotted. Mud was only a factor in a couple of places: one fenced path, one farm track. 7 lunched at The Feathers (Greene King) to mixed reviews. Some of the picnickers moved on meantime.

Plenty of birds at Amwell Reserve.

4 walked the short version.

Plenty of us frequented The Jolly Fisherman at the end.

Return trains: 16.49 to 17.49.

12 off the train, 1 had driven in from Welwyn, 1 must have been on a later train. She was encountered on the platform by one of the 16.49 finishers, and claimed to have walked 3/4 of the walk. 14

There might be some confusion on the platform as a Ramblers group (Capital Walkers) are starting an 11-mile walk from this station at the same time. Their walk is also in and around the Ash valley, but I don't know how much the two walks will overlap.

Odds are that it is the same walk with the two short cuts. However it is advertised as a packed lunch, though with a pub stop.

9 SWC Walkers managed to quickly disentangle themselves from a similar number of Capital Walkers who disembarked from the train at St. Margarets (based on a casual observation, our average age seemed well below theirs). Not sure where they went as we only really saw some of them again at the Jolly Fisherman at the end of the walk...

We set off under grey and slightly foggy conditions . In the morning there was a reasonable amount of snow on the ground -- though not the heaping blankets hoped and dreamed of....Nonetheless, enough to illustrate the stride of quite a vast number of critters walking the area....We authoritatively identified a pheasant footprint after one ran down a snowy lane just ahead of us...Reaching the balmy heights of 2 degrees above in the afternoon saw much of snow melt with a return of some muddy patches....

Although efforts were made to bring the whole group on the long walk.....in the end, 5 did the long walk and 4 the short. We all reconvened at the Jolly Fisherman for a bevie before catching the 17:19 back to London.

Well done Stargazer for doing the 12m walk before doing a half-marathon today. Best of luck. I am sure yesterday was execellent training.

This walk is not suitable for a mid-week winter walk where the short version is 12 miles long with lunch after 8 miles. As a founder member of the mid-week walkers could I remind walk posters that the group mainly consists of senior walkers who prefer a more leisurely pace using senior railcards which cannot be used until after 9.30 or10.00 am if using a Network card for our younger walkers on a day off from work.

I disagree, and on several accounts. (I) It is autumn, not winter. There is light until 17.00 hours. (II) The train posted was at 9.42 (ie after 9.30) and the full price rtn ticket was - at £11,80 - below the minimum threshold of £13.00 for the Network Railcard, so the 10 o'clock cutoff for that didn't matter. (III) And, arriving in St. Margarets at 10.21, it meant that there was ample time for slower walkers doing the short walk to get to a pub 8 miles away, had they tried.

As it was, the delayed 9.42 was terminated at Broxbourne "to regulate the service", so we had to wait for the 10.12 anyway, and were half an hour behind the posted schedule upon arrival at St. Margarets.

7 walkers were up for this ramble in overcast later sunny conditions, which featured gently rolling fields, plenty of small woods showing autumn colours, streams and rivers, grassy valleys, a haunted ruined church, a birdwatchers' paradise, the Lea Navigation and just one stile and only 500m of arable field crossings. What's not to like?

4 opted for the main (long) walk with lunch at The Anchor, which proved to be exceptionally good value: main course plus drink for £15 for two people, and tasty it was as well, and the beer was delicious! The other 3 took Shortcut II, cutting all of 1 mile from the main walk (ie no one walked the short walk). The 4 long walkers caught the 'shortcutters' mid-afternoon and we arrived back in St. Margarets as one group. As we turned from the Lea Navigation onto the road, the level barriers were down for the 16.47 train, and one tried (but failed) to catch it, the rest went straight into The Jolly Fisherman for a bevvie. A jolly good day was had by all.

A day return fare from Tottenham Hale to St Margaret's using an Oyster pay as you go is £9.70.

Same price as my ticket from the machine then!

To be pedantic about the fares, there is no such thing as a day return on Oyster. A paper day return ticket is £9.70, as Sandy says. If you use Oyster you'll probably pay £3.60 out (off-peak, touch-in after 9.30am) + £5.70 back (peak, touch-in 4-7pm) = £9.30, so slightly cheaper.

If you have a Senior Railcard the paper day return is £6.40. If your railcard is linked to your Oyster card the fare out is reduced to £2.40 but there's no discount on the peak fare back. In this case the paper day return is cheaper (£6.40 vs. £8.10).

For other journeys the prices will obviously be different, but in general if your return journey is in peak the paper day return will be cheaper if you have a Senior Railcard and Oyster PAYG cheaper if you don't.

Thanks for all this detailed information Sean. It only came up because we were surprised to see Oyster card readers at St Margarets and I wondered if I needn't have bothered buying a paper ticket. I'm inclined to think if you have to do that much research to know the answer, I'll be sticking to old tech for a while yet.

Thank you Pete (& everyone) for a fantastic day out! You'll be pleased to hear we safely caught the 15.47 so were safely back in London in time (phew)!

8 alighted from the train but one stayed behind at the station to wait for a friend who was driving but sadly we never saw them again.

Perfect early autumnal weather for walking, dry mild and cloudy , and we set off at a medium pace to try to reach the lunch-time pub around 1pm as we all opted to do the 12 mile option. The splendid rolling countryside and woodland was only marred by the sad sight of the horse chestnut trees autumnal leaves ruined by the depredations of the leaf miner ant. Will they ever find a way to get rid of this pest?

Excellent roasts and fish at the lunch-time pub before the gentle amble back along lovely riverside valley paths. Three opted for the 15.47 whilst 3 others (Moontiger was marching to his own drum) had a riverside drink before catching the next train 30mins later. Lovely day out on one of our often under-appreciated Hertfordshire walks. One or two issues with the written directions which will be passed on to the walks author. I also made a note to make a winter visit to the bird watching and nature reserve near St Margarets which would make a nice short day out.