Martins Pond being in such beautiful coutnry side is ideal for walkers. Along with our own pub walk there are several walks that have our pub at some point along them.
The first is Leg 7 of ' The Hertfordshire Way' which is approximately a 9 mile walk from Tring train station to Hemel Hempstead Station. The Hertfordshire Way is in all good book shops or can be ordered at amazon by clicking here

We are also on the Grand Union Canal Walk

We also have an organised walk which occurs every other Wednesday at 10am followed by coffee at the pub. Details of this can be obtained by clicking here

Martins Pond's Pub Walk

Martins approximately 8 miles which will certainly help you build up an appetite, so dont forget to pop in or call us to reserve a table before you head off.

Thanks to Newsquest Media for this article which depicts the route eloquently.

Absolute Silence

POTTEN End has retained its village status, despite the ever-encroaching tentacles of Hemel Hempstead, the name derives from "pottern", a building used for the storage of pots and jars.
The area around the green was known as Martin's Pond, which is now, appropriately, the name of the pub formerly the Red Lion.

The muddy track leading from the village follows the course of Grim's Ditch, reputedly an iron age earthwork believed by some to be a demarcation line between the Saxon manor of Berkhamsted, or even a firebreak. Whatever, the ditch, or what's left of it, is plain to see as you head for the golf course. Strategically-placed notices warn of the dangers of flying missiles.

Having negotiated the "firing range", I arrived at the Inns of Court memorial, dedicated "in affectionate remembrance to the Officers' Training Corps" of the Great War. Of more than 12,000 men trained here as commissioned officers, 2,000 gave their lives. As a tribute it seems so little for so much loss of life.

From the golf clubhouse, a right of way leads across high meadows towards the Bulbourne, where Berkhamsted nestles, Alpine-like, in the valley ahead. It may be the finest view of any Hertfordshire town. This is a grand place to be on a brisk Sunday morn, where silence reigns, save for the distant sound of church bells and the rattle of unseen trains.

And so to Berkhamsted Castle, where a notice proclaims: "Visitors are forbidden to climb on the walls". Did this include Prince Louis of France, who, in 1216, had to wait a fortnight before the starving garrison let him in? Before that it may have been the scene of the formal surrender of the Saxon lords to the victorious William the Bastard after the Battle of Hastings. Many royal names are associated with the castle, not least the Black Prince. Thomas a'Becket lived here, and Geoffrey Chaucer was clerk of the works.

The first castle was a wooden structure. A later castle built from flint and rubble was disused after 1495 and most of the stonework was plundered. In 1838 they knocked the main gate down to build the railway. The Victorians were great builders, but terrible conservationists. "The castle's old magnificence is gone, yet comely grace is blended with decay." Today, visitors can simply walk into the grounds, and it's a good place for a cuppa if you're a hiker.

In contrast, a totem pole unexpectedly graces the side of the Grand Union Canal. It was carved by a Kwakaith Indian to commemorate the use of Canadian cedar by a local firm. I walked the towpath, to bridge 139, and headed into Northchurch, formerly known as Berkhampstead St Mary after its 13th Century Church.

Inside the church is a brass dedicated to "Peter the Wild Boy", who is interred in the graveyard. Peter was a "congenital idiot" who, in 1725, was discovered roaming the woods around Hanover almost naked and acting like an untamed animal. He was brought to England by George I to amuse the court and ended up on a farm near here. An illiterate, Peter wore a collar with his name on it so that he could be taken home when found. He died in 1785, still untamed.

I headed for Northchurch Common. Here are open meadows, and woodlands, the latter likely to bewilder anyone who is complacent. How fortunate we are to be free to roam in such country, although it appeared I was alone in doing so, except, that is, for a few dog walkers, and here and there a family or two out for a stroll.

The Ashridge Boundary Trail and Hertfordshire Way are keys to successful navigation. I walked the forest trail to Frithsden Beeches, a vast woodland of very old, pollarded trees and associated deadwood, "managed for nature conservation and historic interest". To anyone seeking peace, I would say come to this place, where to stand still will guarantee silence, total and absolute.

A path leads back to the Inns of Court Memorial, and I retraced steps to Martin's Pond. The village, or the pub? I leave you to guess.

Approximate distance: 8 miles

Start and Finish: Village Green, Potten End (Martin's Pond)

Route

Grim's Ditch, Inns of Court Memorial, Berkhamsted Golf Club, Berkhamsted Castle, Grand Union Canal, Northchurch, Northchurch Common, Berkhamsted Common, Frithsden Beeches

Abbreviations

l.=left; r.=right; n. s. e. w.=north, south, east, west; br.=bridge; r.o.w.=right of way; PH=public house; m.=mile; s/post=signpost; f/post=fingerpost; b/way=bridleway; ch.=church; f/p = footpath; r/way=railway; cont.=continue; FM=farm

Directions

Take public bridleway (Grim's Ditch) across golf course to Inns of Court memorial. Turn l, .25m, r. to Berkhamsted golf clubhouse, take r.o.w. to Berkhamsted Castle (free admission). Pass under r/way, cross Grand Union Canal (Totem Pole nearby). Take canal towpath 1.5m. to Bridge 139, turn l to church (in sight). Retrace steps, cont. on B4506 for 0.5m. Take public bridleway n.w. across Northchurch Common, crossing B4506. Cont. almost to Norcott Hall Fm, take Ashridge Forest Trail to the Aldbury road. Turn r., cross B4506 on Hertfordshire Way via Coldharbour Fm to Frithsden Beeches, crossing golf course to Inns of Court Memorial. Return to Potten End.

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