The Wind in the Willows
On the weekend of 18th Nov we went to Stanborough Park which encloses 126 acres of beautiful countryside park with two lakes a nature trail and plenty of adventure sports.
It is located 2-3 miles from our house on the outskirts of Welwyn Garden City. On the particular sunny Saturday morning after our usual trip to the library we walked to Stanborough Park to spend a quiet afternoon.
The walk towards Stanborough Park is quite picturesque with shaded sidewalks. At a particular point, the tree cover on the sidewalk was so thick that we were standing on a narrow path with trees on both sides forming an arch above our head. The atmosphere (except for the sounds of the motorway) was like being in a forest. (I have named this part as the LOTR sidewalk because it reminds me of the time the hobbits fled into the forest to evade the black riders.)
We entered Stanborough Park and had our first glimpse of a large lake, a boatyard and a brick building. The signboard directed us to the reception in the building and we went in there to get hold of a map and seek information about the park.
The lake is called the South Lake and has facilities for fishing, sailing and windsurfing. We picked up a map at the reception and set off on our exploration.
The path was very picturesque with the River Lea on our right and South Lake on our left. The river bank was lined with reeds and willow trees and it was the perfect setting for Ratty and Mole, Mr. Toad and their friends for messing about along the river.
The South Lake also has angler’s platforms at regular intervals. People can set up their equipment on these platforms and enjoy a quiet day of fishing on the lake. There are also sailboats available for hire and it is quite a sight to watch the sails billowing in the wind.
About half a kilometer along the path the course of the River deviates from the Lake and plunges into thick woods. This is the entry point of the Reedmarsh Nature Preserve and the beginning of the nature trail. Unfortunately the rains had left the ground soft and muddy and we could not continue along the nature trail. This part of the park preserves the delicate ecosystem of the river bank and is the perfect way to observe riverside wildlife. Unfortunately we didn’t catch a glimpse of any birds or river animals (probably because it was winter).
We returned to the lake and walked around it and spent a lot of time watching the sailboats. Since the A1 (M) motorway actually runs through the park, there are plenty of traffic sounds inside the park. At one point the honking of trucks sounded like elephants trumpeting in the woods. We had a picnic lunch under a circle of trees and walked to the railway embankment which borders the park. In addition to the regular trains we also caught sight of a steam train…
After refreshments at the café we decided to head back home. We were disappointed because we hadn’t seen the other lake mentioned in the information leaflet. It was when we walked towards the car park that we saw the tunnel. The tunnel was built under the motorway and the River Lea was flowing into it. There was a narrow path between the walls of the tunnel and the river and we made our way across the motorway into the other side of the park. This was where we saw North Lake. This is also known as the boating lake because of the rowboat facilities available in summer. This lake has plenty of ducks, mallard and swans and visitors are allowed to feed them. I tried to take a picture of a swan that was resting in the sun. As I pointed the camera, the swan suddenly woke and screeched at me; almost as if it was scolding me for disturbing it. After walking around North Lake we sat on a bench facing the lake and watched the swans gliding through the water. The sun was quite low in the west and the air was chilly when we made our way back home.
It was a restful day spent in communing with nature and it left us with a sense of tranquility and a wish to spend another day at the park.
It is located 2-3 miles from our house on the outskirts of Welwyn Garden City. On the particular sunny Saturday morning after our usual trip to the library we walked to Stanborough Park to spend a quiet afternoon.
The walk towards Stanborough Park is quite picturesque with shaded sidewalks. At a particular point, the tree cover on the sidewalk was so thick that we were standing on a narrow path with trees on both sides forming an arch above our head. The atmosphere (except for the sounds of the motorway) was like being in a forest. (I have named this part as the LOTR sidewalk because it reminds me of the time the hobbits fled into the forest to evade the black riders.)
We entered Stanborough Park and had our first glimpse of a large lake, a boatyard and a brick building. The signboard directed us to the reception in the building and we went in there to get hold of a map and seek information about the park.
The lake is called the South Lake and has facilities for fishing, sailing and windsurfing. We picked up a map at the reception and set off on our exploration.
The path was very picturesque with the River Lea on our right and South Lake on our left. The river bank was lined with reeds and willow trees and it was the perfect setting for Ratty and Mole, Mr. Toad and their friends for messing about along the river.
The South Lake also has angler’s platforms at regular intervals. People can set up their equipment on these platforms and enjoy a quiet day of fishing on the lake. There are also sailboats available for hire and it is quite a sight to watch the sails billowing in the wind.
About half a kilometer along the path the course of the River deviates from the Lake and plunges into thick woods. This is the entry point of the Reedmarsh Nature Preserve and the beginning of the nature trail. Unfortunately the rains had left the ground soft and muddy and we could not continue along the nature trail. This part of the park preserves the delicate ecosystem of the river bank and is the perfect way to observe riverside wildlife. Unfortunately we didn’t catch a glimpse of any birds or river animals (probably because it was winter).
We returned to the lake and walked around it and spent a lot of time watching the sailboats. Since the A1 (M) motorway actually runs through the park, there are plenty of traffic sounds inside the park. At one point the honking of trucks sounded like elephants trumpeting in the woods. We had a picnic lunch under a circle of trees and walked to the railway embankment which borders the park. In addition to the regular trains we also caught sight of a steam train…
After refreshments at the café we decided to head back home. We were disappointed because we hadn’t seen the other lake mentioned in the information leaflet. It was when we walked towards the car park that we saw the tunnel. The tunnel was built under the motorway and the River Lea was flowing into it. There was a narrow path between the walls of the tunnel and the river and we made our way across the motorway into the other side of the park. This was where we saw North Lake. This is also known as the boating lake because of the rowboat facilities available in summer. This lake has plenty of ducks, mallard and swans and visitors are allowed to feed them. I tried to take a picture of a swan that was resting in the sun. As I pointed the camera, the swan suddenly woke and screeched at me; almost as if it was scolding me for disturbing it. After walking around North Lake we sat on a bench facing the lake and watched the swans gliding through the water. The sun was quite low in the west and the air was chilly when we made our way back home.
It was a restful day spent in communing with nature and it left us with a sense of tranquility and a wish to spend another day at the park.
I wish I had read LOTR or seen the movies...then I wud be better able to make some 'connect' in u r ramblings and scenes in LOTR :))
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