Isabel Hospice Chain Walk celebrates 10 years

The route, designed and led by the event sponsors Ramblers Worldwide Holidays, will start and finish at their picturesque Head Office, situated in a working water mill, in Lemsford Village

The route, designed and led by the event sponsors Ramblers Worldwide Holidays, will start and finish at their picturesque Head Office, situated in a working water mill, in Lemsford Village

The Isabel Hospice sponsored Chain Walk is celebrating its 10^th Anniversary this year with a new 10 mile walk. The route, designed and led by the event sponsors Ramblers Worldwide, will start and finish at their picturesque Head Office, situated in a working water mill, in Lemsford Village, reputedly that referred to in the old Victorian song: There's an old mill by the stream, Nellie Dean

Isabel Hospice fundraiser, Maria Alexander says, 'The idea of the Chain Walk is that the 19 routes make a symbolic chain around our catchment area of 350,000 people in eastern Hertfordshire.

'Each walk, ranging between 3.5 and 12 miles, is a separate link, and is a circular countryside walk, with a break at a local pub for lunch, with the exception of the 3.5 mile walk where lunch is at the end of the walk.

'We are very excited by this new walk and hope that many people will register to experience a lovely day, and raise much needed funds for Isabel Hospice. The Hospice provides free specialist palliative care for local people suffering with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses and has running costs of 4.8 this year.'

Fundraisers on a previous walk

The walk leader, Michael Hatch from Ramblers Worldwide explains, 'We always intend to provide more than a walk between A and B. Local knowledge and history add a lot to the enjoyment of a walk, as well as sharing the experience with like-minded people.

'The Brocket Estate, where our walk starts, is alive with history. From the days of Elizabeth I through the excesses of two 19^th century prime ministers to the contemporary tale of the missing Ferraris, this grand house with landscaped grounds is the backdrop to some fascinating tales.

'Later the walk passes the edge of Wheathampstead, the presumed location of the last battle between the Ancient Brits and the Romans. We pass by Shaws Corner, George Bernard Shaws home for over 40 years.

'There is some lovely, relatively unknown countryside on this walk, some of it along the River Lea, some through woods and over fields. Walkers