The annual event offers adults and children the opportunity to help the College celebrate, and see for themselves, the birth of this season’s lambs.

In addition to the birthing of lambs, there will be tractor rides, farm tours, family games and tours of Oaklands Animal Care Centre which is home to a range of animals from reptiles to rabbits.

The College offers a range of courses including Animal Care, Agriculture, Horticulture and Countryside Management.

Hot and cold refreshments will be available and homemade chutney and free-range Oaklands eggs will be on sale. Parking is available on site and is free, as is the event.

Char-Grilled, Locally Sourced Steak

The Alford Arms in Frithsden has won more than it’s fair share of awards over the years, including Hertfordshire Dining Pub of the Year in the 2010 Good Pub Guide.

We decided to take a drive out in the countryside today and, after 25 minutes of winding, single track lanes bordered by hedge rows, found ourselves at the front door of this great pub. If you’re familiar with the Wicked Lady, and like the “countryside” feel of the Brocket Arms, you’re bound to like The Alford Arms which has great food, much of it sourced locally, is beautifully situated, offers friendly and efficient service, and manages to hang on to some of it’s country pub charm. I’ve written a full review over on StAlbansPeople. Recommended wholeheartedly.

You’ll find Bushwood Antiques at Gaddesden Lane, Redbourn, HP2 GHN

I’ve written more about our visit in an article on St. Albans People but below are some photos to give you a taste of what the event is all about:

Heartland Forest Blog

Heartwood Forest which, when fully planted, will be the largest new native forest in England, is just a few miles north of St. Albans, near Sandridge.

The forest, being created by the Woodland Trust on over 800 acres of land, is being planted by volunteers – and they could use your help.

On the Heartwood Forest Blog, you can keep up to date on what’s happening, find details of how to get there, and learn how you can volunteer to plant some trees.

There’s not a lot to the village – a single high street contains most of the businesses, including antique shops at either end, a couple of pubs, a beauty and health spa, several hairdressers and general shops.

Whilst offering all the shops that most local residents need, the High Street probably isn’t the main draw for out of town visitors, most of whom probably come for a walk around the impressive village common.

The common, a large grassy heath, was once owned by the Abbey of St. Albans. There were originally two large mounds, referred to as the “Mounds of the Banners”, likely to be 8th century Saxon graves, which were excavated in 1178. Bones found in the excavations, thought to be those of St. Amphibalus, were transported with great ceremony to the Abbey. Following the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530’s, the common passed through many hands. In 1948, the Earl of Verulam gave the common to the people of Redbourn.

There’s still plenty to see and do in Redbourn, including a few pubs worth a visit, one on a particularly lovely street village street, a couple of antique shops, and a local museum. You can find out more in the longer post I wrote about Redbourn for St. Albans People – have a look.

I pass through, or more correctly under, St. Pancras most days on my commute from St. Albans to London Bridge for work. Earlier this week, however, I had to go to Brussels on business so took the Eurostar, as I’ve done several times in the past. If you’ve not yet been, it’s a great service that gets you, First Capital Connect willing, from St. Albans to Brussels in just over three hours – for about £100 if you buy your tickets early and don’t need flexibility.

You can read more about traveling from St. Albans to Brussels, Lille and Paris on the Eurostar over on St. Albans People, where I’ve also listed the travel times between St. Albans and Luton Airport and St. Albans and Gatwick. Going abroad from St. Albans is a lot easier than many people would think!