Hertfordshire to Cambridgeshire

This is such an enjoyable journey, no motorways, no rushing, just smaller roads bounded by typically English countryside.

The verges at this time of year are so beautiful, they have not been cut back, but have been allowed to grow tall and are home to a wide variety of wild flowers.

High grasses compete with golden buttercups each trying to outdo with the other for the most light and ending up equal. I remember picking buttercups as a child, all children did it in those days and then held them under each others chins to see if the yellow reflection showed. When the colour shone back there was much glee in telling and being told that you loved butter. No logic, it was just a nonsensical piece of childish fun, which made us all laugh and feel happy. Post war, times were very different and pleasure easily found.

The verges are full of bright red poppies ( Malvaceae) otherwise commonly known as malvas or mallows, we mainly see common mallows, they have many flower heads which are lilac to mauve in colour, much less often we spot a plant of musk mallow, this is a delicate looking plant with white or pink flowers and beautiful cut leaves. Another delicate looking plant is the cow parsley and other members of the umbellifer family, at this time of year the verges are rich in this plant also.

One of the best sights though, has to be the pink and white dog and field roses cascading down, hedgerows and trees, they remind me of waterfalls and are stunning to see and also to smell, as well as being an excellent source of nectar for wildlife.

Wayfaring trees/ bushes are also very noticeable at this time of year, with their large clusters of creamy white flowers, and of course in the autumn they please both us and the wildlife with their huge clusters of bright red or black berries..

Occasionally we see verges barren of wild flowers but covered in tall grasses, which seen from a distance have an attractive pale purplish haze

Horse chestnuts and laburnums have finished flowering, but we look forward to the long, dangling, twisted seed pods of the laburnum and the rich beauty of the fruit of the horse chestnut tree - conkers - in the autumn.

The deep pink of the hawthorn is beautiful when seen massed on the plant. In some cases hawthorns have left behind their shrub like form and have grown into very characterful trees, with their knobbly and gnarled branches and trunks.