Little Hartsbourne Wood
The land here was bought by the Woodland Trust charity in 1996, whereupon they planted many new trees to accompany the existing mature specimens. It adjoins Merry Hill, also owned and maintained by the Woodland Trust, and there is an adjacent orchard (Merry Hill Fruit Field). The fruit field is an excellent idea: apples, pears, plums etc to be picked and eaten by anyone, immediately in a picnic or taken home for dessert. There are plenty of wild brambles about, too, so the foraged ingredients for a dessert are ready to hand in September. It's a publicly accessible, quiet and peaceful place to go wandering, with its many interlacing pathways.
Disused hay barn to the east of Merry Hill, near the entrance from Bushey Heath.
The over-extravagantly named Jubilee Bridge. Presumably it was conferred in 2002, the year of Betty's golden jubilee.
View west from the bridge.
Yet another, different but equally rustic, bridge. Exceptionally good place for butterflies.
As said, all the mature trees were pre-existing, so all the planted trees have yet to achieve full maturity. It's a place with many more trees, and many more pathways through them, than illustrated in the PDF map I sent. Actually, the place is a labyrinth—to the extent that my wife is anxious of walking here because she thinks she might get lost (even if she's with me!). Well, you can't really get lost but I am occasionally surprised by where I come out, taking one path or another!
The paths are maintained, occasionally mown, throughout the year.
For half the year, the lower-lying paths are quite waterlogged and muddy. A clay subsoil prevents drainage to a certain extent. After all the recent sunshine, however, exposed earth is baked hard and cracked. Butterflies and dragonflies are in good supply, birdsong is constant.
It's a great pleasure to emerge from a shady tunnel of foliage into the sunlight. From the wood, it's possible to take a path through the fruit field to Merry Hill, then to follow Merry Hill Lane down as far as Haydon Hill House and take a snicket (small pathway) down to the foot of St James' church yard. A short but steep-ish walk uphill through the church yard brings the walker to the church itself. If the path is then followed out of the north side of the church yard, and onto Bushey High Street, the walker can reward his ambulatory exertion with a pint at The Red Lion (or, better still, walk a bit further to The Swan on Park Road. It's cosier).
Part of Merry Hill Walk.