17.8.2016 Section 11
Again an early start is necessary as it takes about 1 ½ hours to get to get to
Stanmoor Station where todays section starts ( and obviously finished the last time ).
Leaving the underground station behind me I am greeted after a short walk with
some very nice, Bauhaus influenced
buildings before the path disappears into
the Stanmore Country Park. Dense woodland with open spaces is quickly passed
and the lovely Stanmoor Little Common with its two ponds is reached. They are
called Caesar’s Ponds as apparently the Romans dug them out.
Heading one passes the Harrow Rugby Field and one reaches the gates of a hospital, the
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.
No, I didn’t have to use their A & E, my feet behaved nicely, despite the walking.
Alongside the fence of the hospital the path reaches wide open grassland with horses grasing and
the M1 in the background. 
Heading over the wide open space one passes quite a few meadows with grasing horses before
one reaches the end with the M1 crossing via a bridge.
After a short walk alongside a rather busy road the path disappears again, fortunately into dense
woodland.
with the Aldenham Reservoir on one side of the path. The reservoir was dug out around 1795 by
French POW’s to allay concers of local mill owners that the Grand Junction Canal would lower
the levels of nearby rivers and would take their trade away. From the reservoirs dam one has a
great view of the reservoir which these days is used for sailing.
Leaving the reservoir behind the path crosses wide open grassland
with little rolling hills on the horizon and the spire of the Elstreet Church.
A characteristically English view.
Quickly the grounds of the Elstree Gold & Country Club are reached and one has to cross the golf course.
Unfortunaly the LOOP path is not marked very well or rather at all and I got a “bit” lost. It took a while
to realise this but furtunately the railway line brought me then somehow back into civilisation i.e. the l
ocal shopping centre where I indulged a nice coffee and a piece of cake in the local COSTA.
From here only a short walk brought me to the Elstree and Borehamwood Train Station where I was
greeted by a nice muriel commemorating Elstree’s Film Studio history.
Film production began in 1914 and after the WW2 TV series like Morecombe & Wise and the Muppet Show have been produced here.
Interested in more details about the studios and what was filmed here over the years ?
Then click here
Some more pictures of this section can be found here and a map with todays waypoints can be found here
This concludes the 11.section: 4 1/4 miles, 65 1/4 miles still to go.
