St. Albans Blog » Things to do Close to St. Albans

Childwickbury Art Fair

Robin — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:23:05 +0000

We spent much of Sunday at the Childwickbury Art Fair, held on the Kubrick family estate a few miles outside St. Albans. Although there was serious art on display, some of it for sale, the event offers a really fun day out for families, and threw all sorts of unexpected – but welcome – twists our way.

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:

Herts County Show

Robin — Sun, 30 May 2010 17:50:39 +0000

We had a family day out at the Herts County Show today. The £14.50 entrance fee for adults is a bit steep, but once you forget about that it’s all good fun, and a reminder that Hertfordshire still has a strong rural and farming tradition. The kids enjoyed seeing sheep shearing, horse jumping, poultry, cows, rabbits and more. They also, in what was a highlight for them both, got to clamber around inside the Herts Air Ambulance. There were also tractors, tourism and charity leaflets being handed out at, and plenty of opportunities to buy stuff for your dog, garden, or stomach. The Herts County Show does make for a good day out – I’d say great if the tickets we a few quid cheaper.

Heartwood Forest Blog

Robin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:03:08 +0000

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.

Visit to Nearby Redbourn

Robin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:49:20 +0000

Yesterday we took a drive out to the village of Redbourn which is just 4 miles or so from our home in St. Albans.

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.

From St. Albans to Continental Europe in about 3 Hours

Robin Hamman — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:16:44 +0000

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!

Day out in Hertford

Robin Hamman — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:12:54 +0000

We had a nice day out today in Hertford, which is, considering it’s the county seat, quite a bit smaller than St. Albans. It is, despite its small size, certainly worthy of a visit.

The thing that, for us at least, most sets it apart from other towns of a similar size is that it seems to have held on to it’s individuality.

The town’s layout seems to be medieval, rather than marred by the type of development St. Albans saw in the latter half of the 20th century, and rather than national chain stores you’ll find many small, independent shops.

Let’s just hope they can hang on – it was our first visit in about a year and in that time Hertford has lost at least two shops, Wiggingtons (furniture) and an antique store, we used to stop at.

I’ve posted some photos of Hertford, as well as an article, including a review of our lunch in the All Day Cafe and some ideas of what you can see and do in Hertford on St. Albans People….

Ice Skating at the Galleria – ends Sunday 10 Jan

Robin Hamman — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:39:27 +0000

Deja Vu in Berkhamsted

Robin Hamman — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:20:30 +0000

This quirky shop, which shares it’s lovely rural location with a nursery, cafe and a barn full of refurbished cast iron fireplaces, specialises in Victorian crystal lighting and mirrors. Lovely stuff if you’re trying to bring some Victorian glamour back into your home. You’ll find Deja Vu at Little Heath Farm, Little Heath Lane, Potten End, Berkhamsted HP4 2RY – 01442864442

Authentic Grates Berkhamstead

Robin Hamman — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:48:04 +0000

This may be just the place if you are looking for an antique cast iron fireplace…

Snow Brings St. Albans School Closures

Robin Hamman — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 07:43:29 +0000

Some St. Albans schools have announced their closure today due to the heavy snow. Find out more on the Herts County Council cancellation page: http://www.imodus.com/summary.aspx?company=99

Or listen to BBC Three Counties Radio: http://www.BBC.co.uk/threecounties