Bernard Lamb Posted May 20, 2017 Share Posted May 20, 2017 The Red Lion at one time had a very good dining room.However after the last visit by my cycling club it was condemned and demolished. The pub itself is still OK for a meal I would agree that the best feature of Hatfield is the A1M tunnel.For those who do not read the Tony Wright thread there is a recent discussion of Hatfield and the railway bridges in the area. We all like to take the piss, but to be serious for a moment I will just mention a tragic incident that I will now always associate with Hatfield. RIP Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted May 20, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 20, 2017 Personally, I prefer the Hatfield conected to Manchester and Glossop. Mike. Counting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PaulCheffus Posted May 20, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 20, 2017 Personally, I prefer the Hatfield conected to Manchester and Glossop. Mike. Counting! Hi Ok i'll bite it's Hadfield not Hatfield. Cheers Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted May 20, 2017 Share Posted May 20, 2017 My mother, who grew up in South London, says that as a girl she saw signs proclaiming 'Hatfield and the North' in central London, and assumed that Hatfield was some Northern city like Manchester or Leeds. It was only when she moved to Peterborough and started using the A1 that she realised the truth.... Tres ancien joke, relating to the Southern end of The Great North Road before it was dualled/motorway upgraded. On leaving the centre of the Universe the signs read Barnet and The North, Hatfield and The North, Stevenage and The North, Baldock and The North, Biggleswade and The North. But on passing Biggleswade there was no further direction to 'The North', therefore one had arrived at that destination. (Supplementary: after 'The North' was 'The Far North' then 'The Uttermost North' and then - Scotland.) The old Great North Road - before the upgrade to dual carriageway and then motorway - it might be added was a hideously dangerous route. Apart from the pre WWII 'Barnet Bypass' - Stirling Corner, Mill Hill to Hatfield - which was easily the finest stretch of dual carriageway in the UK when constructed (so good that Tim Birkin made his 'Blower Bentley' mods in a Welwyn Garden City workshop across the railway from 'Shredded Wheat', for the easy access to the only stretch of UK public road which in any way approached the potential of the Mulsanne straight for high speed testing) it was succeeded by a long stretch of three lane road. 'One lane for going up to town, one lane for coming down from town, one lane to die in'. The accident rate was fearful and at night with quite literally single track country lanes making unsigned right angle junctions to this major artery, 'smash ups' were an everyday occurence. (One of the post WWII doctors at Welwyn's Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital wrote a memoir describing how often the morgue ran out of space.) North of Stevenage it was mostly two track, with Baldock memorably having two right angle bends in quick succession, the road hemmed about with wood framed jettied cottages and practically no pavements! Some optimist had black and white chequering painted on the kerbing, to guide the traveler through. And so one proceeded to Biggleswade, and on passing through this town was in 'The North'. Well, definitely in Bedfordshire, which may be South, East, Midlands or North: it mattered not, in the 1950s it was in the middle ages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted May 23, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 23, 2017 Have finally arrived in Hatfield, after coming from Cornwall via Ledbury (no, I'd never heard of it either), Stow-on-the-Wold (I kept my eyes shut), Bicester, Aylesbury & Hemel Hempstead. Still, baseboards have been collected, a building has been delivered and a burger has been eaten. Roll on tomorrow (visiting the Stevenage & District MRC.) After the course, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Have finally arrived in Hatfield, ..... Presumably you'll be pleased to be disappointed.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted May 23, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 23, 2017 It's dark, I don't know if I ought to be disappointed or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimbus Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Have finally arrived in Hatfield, after coming from Cornwall via [...] Hemel Hempstead. Managed to escape the Magic Roundabout then? The Nim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted May 23, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 23, 2017 Managed to escape the Magic Roundabout then? The Nim. No, that will suck him in to the vortex when he least expects it......or dreckly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 It's dark, I don't know if I ought to be disappointed or not. Wait until daylight. Just wait. Oh boy, just you wait and see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted May 24, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 24, 2017 The HH Plough is nothing compared to the one in Swindon; which I first encountered in the dark. That was a challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Have finally arrived in Hatfield, after coming from Cornwall via Ledbury (no, I'd never heard of it either), Stow-on-the-Wold (I kept my eyes shut), Bicester, Aylesbury & Hemel Hempstead. . I've been travelling between East Anglia, East Midlands and Cornwall for forty years, and I've never been to any of those places! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loconuts Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Have finally arrived in Hatfield, after coming from Cornwall via Ledbury (no, I'd never heard of it either), Stow-on-the-Wold (I kept my eyes shut), Bicester, Aylesbury & Hemel Hempstead. Still, baseboards have been collected, a building has been delivered and a burger has been eaten. Roll on tomorrow (visiting the Stevenage & District MRC.) After the course, of course. You were obviously using a Cornish steam powered Sat-Nav. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Have finally arrived in Hatfield, after coming from Cornwall via Ledbury (no, I'd never heard of it either), Stow-on-the-Wold , Bicester, Aylesbury & Hemel Hempstead. Roll on tomorrow (visiting the Stevenage & District MRC.) After the course, of course. Well, since you are clearly motorway averse, and the A1M North is a pig at the end of the working day, you might prefer to travel to St Evenage on the A1000 via WGC then the B197 via Oaklands and Knebworth. There are other and yet more salubrious routes, but these are exclusively reserved for the use of the local residents. (Herts is rather like Cornwall in this respect.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted May 24, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 24, 2017 No, not motorway averse, model railway orientated. I collect a pair of baseboards and delivered a building; the first objective being some 16 months late and the second to circumvent using any postal service. I did see the road between the Premier Inn & the office block the course is in - bland and not inspiring, although the de Havilland building is quite a good example of the art deco style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted May 24, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 24, 2017 No, not motorway averse, model railway orientated. I collect a pair of baseboards and delivered a building; the first objective being some 16 months late and the second to circumvent using any postal service. I did see the road between the Premier Inn & the office block the course is in - bland and not inspiring, although the de Havilland building is quite a good example of the art deco style. What's the course, Orienteering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PMP Posted May 24, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 24, 2017 Sounds like a nice cross country route, choosing the right roads you'd see a lot of excellent countryside and towns that way, H/H excepted of course. As 34 says avoid A1m Welwyn Stevenage 1700-1830ish, A1001 from Hatfield to Tesco roundabout A6129 to Stanborough, B197 to Welwyn (excellent pubs), and then on as 34c's. If SDMRc is still at Datchworth, definitely take B197 after Oaklands on entering Woolmer Green turn right at The Chequers pub (dump), and stay on that road to Datchworth. Club used to be in old chapel lhs as you get into Datchworth village. Go past the cricket ground you've gone too far. It is a very nice but overlooked part of the northern Chilterns, I miss it hugely. Except Hatfield obvs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted May 24, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 24, 2017 Hi Ok i'll bite it's Hadfield not Hatfield. Cheers Paul Obviously not local..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Hatfield does have one saving grace in the form of an independent VW/Audi spare parts specialist shop, just over the road from the Galleria, but that's the only positive thing I can think of other than the road out of there (other roads are available). You have forgotten the best thing in Hatfield, The view from your car rear view mirror as you are travelling on the A1 As an aside you have the walk from the Galeria to St Albans along the old GNR branch line track bed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 The Red Lion at one time had a very good dining room.However after the last visit by my cycling club it was condemned and demolished. And cyclists wonder why they're unwelcome in some establishments . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 What's the course, Orienteering? If it's in Hatfield, it's more likely to be Disorientation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted May 24, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 24, 2017 I enjoyed a very pleasant evening as a guest of the Stevenage & District MRC this evening, please note this was not in Hatfield, but some miles north. Watching a O gauge B17/6 hauling 15 coaches round the track was quite entertaining. Managed to find my way back to Hatfield again, in the dark so I didn't have to look too closely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted May 24, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 24, 2017 The saving grace of visiting the S&DMRC is that they don't actually meet in Chavenage, to visit both towns in one day would have scarred you for life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 The saving grace of visiting the S&DMRC is that they don't actually meet in Chavenage, to visit both towns in one day would have scarred you for life. Oi, I resemble that remark! Stu, glad you enjoyed your visit, it was a pleasure to meet you (and put a face to a name), also probably a good job you made it Wed, not Monday, as I said it can get a bit 'cosy' with 30+ members! You are welcome to visit anytime you are in the area, if we are open of course, and that invite is open to any RMWeb-er who wants to risk a 'local club, for local members'!, just PM me in advance for details. That includes any locos/stock you might want to run/test, in 2mm, 4mm or 7mm (all standard gauge). Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 And cyclists wonder why they're unwelcome in some establishments . ... I'd imagine that a group of sweaty middle-aged men wearing dayglo spandex were unwelcome pretty much anywhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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