Who could have asked for a better day for what was probably our penultimate
walk along the Lea Valley? Postponed from the previous month because of
torrential rain, this ramble took us from Rye House to Ware under a cornflower
blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds.
We’d stopped at Rye House before - it’s
a once-splendid moated mansion built in 1443 by Sir Andrew Ogard, and was one
of England’s first brick buildings - but a chance to see it in the sun drew us
back. More than 50 different types of brick were used in its construction, many apparent on the former gateway.
From there we continued to follow the Lea/ Lee (there seems to be no
definitive spelling), pausing to watch mother birds supervising their
fast-growing chicks as they foraged for food.
There are quite a few houseboats moored
along this stretch of the waterway, their decoration ranging from traditional
to quirky.
I hadn’t realised Stanstead had a lock as well as an airport, but it
looked to be as busy as the nearby runway.
One of the boats passing through was
heading for Devizes, but expecting the journey to take at least eight weeks –
slow travel at its best.
A short detour to Amwell Nature Reserve was rewarded
by the sight of hundreds of birds, including a cormorant. The banks were rich
with wildflowers.
There were more flowers, too, when we arrived at the historic town of Ware, which we hope to explore on our next walk. “Ware
in Bloom” the signs proclaimed proudly. More of the area’s delights were highlighted at the station on a door covered with wildlife scenes. No indication of
the artist, but fun to look at while waiting for the train back to London.