Pre-wedding driving - awesome roads in South Herts?

[ianwynneuk]

Hi guys,
I have a TVR Chimaera, love it but don't often get to drive it on good roads. Me and the best man have a couple of days off to enjoy some pre-wedding driving.
I live in Elstree and Borehamwood, near Barnet in South Herts. Obviously from here Norht is the answer but I have no idea about good roads!

I have read that the B660 from Bedford to Peterborough is good but that is about 40 miles from me just to get to the start!

Any tips for a good 100-150 mile drive that we will both really enjoy? Want to stay off the motorways where possible really, waste of fun and fuel in a car like this of course

Thanks for any advice in advance

Ian

[dougc]

Ahhhh, my favourite topic.

Look up the following:

B158 Kentish Lne from Brookmans Park to Hertford
B1004 Ware to Bishops Stortford
A507 Baldock to Buntingford
B1368 Hare Street to Harston
A4012 Husbourne to Hockliffe
A4146 Hemel to Leighton Buzzard
A413 Aylesbury to Buckinghma (then on to Silverstone)
Anywhere South of Westcot and Waddesdon to the West of Aylesbury
B655 Hitchin to Barton-le-clay and anywhere to the North of that road.
B656 Welwyn to Hitchin

That should do for now...

[ianwynneuk]

dougc said:

Ahhhh, my favourite topic.

Look up the following:

B158 Kentish Lne from Brookmans Park to Hertford
B1004 Ware to Bishops Stortford
A507 Baldock to Buntingford
B1368 Hare Street to Harston
A4012 Husbourne to Hockliffe
A4146 Hemel to Leighton Buzzard
A413 Aylesbury to Buckinghma (then on to Silverstone)
Anywhere South of Westcot and Waddesdon to the West of Aylesbury
B655 Hitchin to Barton-le-clay and anywhere to the North of that road.
B656 Welwyn to Hitchin

That should do for now...

Wow - lovely. Won't need to drive 40 miles now then just to get to the start! Thanks so much.

Ian

[dougc]

No worries.

A good route to link many of those together is to start at Brookmans Park and go up the B158 to Hertford, head across to Ware and take the B1004 to Stortford via Much Hadham. At BS go North on the B1383 to Saffron Walden but turn off just before onto the B1039 and the B1368 leading to Buntingford. Use the A507 to get to Baldock. Stay on the A507 past Baldock to the M1 at J13 and then go to Woburn on the A4012. Stay on the A4012 until it meets the A5. Head South for a few miles, then go along the A505 briefly to get to the A4146 to Hemel. Here you can pick up the M1 Southbound to get back home.

[Chris71]

Ah! My thread has arrived.

That said, I think Doug has covered most of it!

From Barnet I would say head to Potters Bar (Galley Lane/Wagon Road is the route of choice!) then take the B158 up to Hertford - this is by far the best road for gaining a bit of height on the map, and taking you away from London to the better roads. You then have two choices: go east (ahem) or go west.

West
Turn left off off the B158 just before Hertford and cut through to the B1000 via Hertingfordbury. Take the B1000 to Welwyn, then pick up the B656 and follow that to Hitchin. Then pick up the B655 towards Barton Le Clay, follow that as it goes out into NSL, and back into a 40mph limit past a (nice) pub on your right. About 1/4 mile after the pub you take a turning to the right which leads you down quite a bumpy but entertaining road to the village of Apsley End, where you emerge on a tight corner. Turn left and follow the road out the village, through Higham Gobian and on to the northern tip of Barton Le Clay. Then pick up the A6 heading north until you meet the A507, where you want to head east towards the A1/A10. The road will seem a bit dull to start with, but trust me it turns into a cracker. The good bit (one of the best roads in the South East, surely?) is between Baldock and Buntingford.

Here carry on eastwards on the B1038, then pick up the B1368 heading north. Around Barley you pick up the B1039 going east again, which takes you to Saffron Walden. Then thake the B184 down to Thaxted (although any of the roads around there are good) and then the B1051 - another corker. At Bishop's Stortford pick up the bypass briefly and head round to the B1004 (signposted Much Hadham I think?). The first bit of this road is superb - very, very twisty with some beautiful well-sighted corners. At Much Hadham turn left to follow the B1004 towards Widford, where you turn left onto the B180. Follow this to Stanstead St Margarets, where you're only a short hop back to Hertford to retrace your route to Potters Bar/Barnet.

East
As above, but going counter-clockwise.

I've tried to indicate the roads which are worth doing, so you can pick any of them really. When I had the TVR (being a more comfortable motorway car than my current mount) I'd hop up the A1 to Welwyn and just do the B656 and B655, then turn round and head back.

[plenty]

Some sterling advice above. If you are willing to venture just a tad further afield (and it's hardly a major trek from Borehamwood really - with two days off I'd be going to Wales) - the North Essex area around Saffron Walden is blessed with riches (B1052, B1053, B184 for starters), while the area between the A1 and A600 around Old Warden is chock-full of lanes that while unclassified, are well-surfaced and lots of fun.

Wherever you go, though, do beware of dodgy characters in red TVR S3s and blue Caterhams.

[ianwynneuk]

Doug, Chris,
Brilliant, just brilliant. I posted on here (normally posting int he TVR Chim section of course!) thinking that no one would know of any good roads and look at what I have got, a day of immense fun!

Thank you ever so much, really appreciate it. I was lost without this.

What motors do you run?

Ian

[ianwynneuk]

ianwynneuk said:

Doug, Chris,
Brilliant, just brilliant. I posted on here (normally posting int he TVR Chim section of course!) thinking that no one would know of any good roads and look at what I have got, a day of immense fun!

Thank you ever so much, really appreciate it. I was lost without this.

What motors do you run?

Ian

Ah just seen the above - gives me a clue, S3 and Caterham

Ian

[Chris71]

ianwynneuk said:

ianwynneuk said:

Doug, Chris,
Brilliant, just brilliant. I posted on here (normally posting int he TVR Chim section of course!) thinking that no one would know of any good roads and look at what I have got, a day of immense fun!

Thank you ever so much, really appreciate it. I was lost without this.

What motors do you run?

Ian

Ah just seen the above - gives me a clue, S3 and Caterham

Ian

Used to be a pair of TVR S3s, but I've gone to the dark side (or rather the cold and damp side).

At the risk of a blatant plug keep your eyes on the London and Herts/Beds/Bucks sections of the forum as we organise a local meet every so often, which usually has a drive attached to it. Next one is Sunday 13th September.

Feel free to drop me a PM if you want any more info about the local roads or fancy a hoon.

[ianwynneuk]

Chris71 said:

ianwynneuk said:

ianwynneuk said:

Doug, Chris,
Brilliant, just brilliant. I posted on here (normally posting int he TVR Chim section of course!) thinking that no one would know of any good roads and look at what I have got, a day of immense fun!

Thank you ever so much, really appreciate it. I was lost without this.

What motors do you run?

Ian

Ah just seen the above - gives me a clue, S3 and Caterham

Ian

Used to be a pair of TVR S3s, but I've gone to the dark side (or rather the cold and damp side).

At the risk of a blatant plug keep your eyes on the London and Herts/Beds/Bucks sections of the forum as we organise a local meet every so often, which usually has a drive attached to it. Next one is Sunday 13th September.

Feel free to drop me a PM if you want any more info about the local roads or fancy a hoon.

Great stuff.
Am trying to get to the mid-Essex meet on 9th Sept and maybe this one would be good too. Where do you meet?

Love to drive the Chim but rarely get chance for proper driving!

Ian

[Chris71]

ianwynneuk said:

Chris71 said:

ianwynneuk said:

ianwynneuk said:

Doug, Chris,
Brilliant, just brilliant. I posted on here (normally posting int he TVR Chim section of course!) thinking that no one would know of any good roads and look at what I have got, a day of immense fun!

Thank you ever so much, really appreciate it. I was lost without this.

What motors do you run?

Ian

Ah just seen the above - gives me a clue, S3 and Caterham

Ian

Used to be a pair of TVR S3s, but I've gone to the dark side (or rather the cold and damp side).

At the risk of a blatant plug keep your eyes on the London and Herts/Beds/Bucks sections of the forum as we organise a local meet every so often, which usually has a drive attached to it. Next one is Sunday 13th September.

Feel free to drop me a PM if you want any more info about the local roads or fancy a hoon.

Great stuff.
Am trying to get to the mid-Essex meet on 9th Sept and maybe this one would be good too. Where do you meet?

Love to drive the Chim but rarely get chance for proper driving!

Ian

Currently it's The Plough in Crews Hill, but sounds like it may be changed to the Cock O'the North in Bell Bar (basically a suburb of Potters Bar).

We usually have a reasonable TVR presence and one of the regulars has just bought a rather insane ex-race Chimera 500.

To be honest if I was as close to the A1 as Boreham Wood I'd be quite tempted to hop on up to junction 6 (through the tunnel ) and then head off on the B656 and 655 for starters. It does start to get genuinely rural by that point though, so obviously you have 'rustic' tarmac and the occasional wayward tractor to contend with.

You have to try the A507 though. Whenever you go up there you see interesting cars being driven enthusiastically - it's clearly known. I also think the Bishops Stortford end of the B1004 is - for a few short miles - close to B-road perfection.

[ianwynneuk]

Hi Guys,
Just thought woudl let you know about this (back from honeymoon now). Me and the best man did the first route heading north through Brookman's Park adn then West as described. It was one of the most awesome days and the B1007 was just stupendous, brilliant S bending road through the fields with great visibility, cutting the corners and taking some real speed. Can see a few cars being written off with some enthusiastic driving!

Thanks ever so much, it was a magical day and I think we might do it again this weekend!

The only bad road was the A road going West. Really dull and boring and we ended up just cutting back and picking up the A1. I think we had been so spoilt by the time we got there that we wanted pristine roads only!

All the best.

Ian

[Chris71]

ianwynneuk said:

Hi Guys,
Just thought woudl let you know about this (back from honeymoon now). Me and the best man did the first route heading north through Brookman's Park adn then West as described. It was one of the most awesome days and the B1007 was just stupendous, brilliant S bending road through the fields with great visibility, cutting the corners and taking some real speed. Can see a few cars being written off with some enthusiastic driving!

Thanks ever so much, it was a magical day and I think we might do it again this weekend!

If you find yourself at a loose end, then why not head over to the unofficial PH meet at The Plough in Crews Hill (near Enfield). We tend to place the emphasis on driving the cars rather than gawping at them in the pub car park for two long (although we do that!) and usually take in a few good roads afterwards.

Either way I strongly recommend checking out the other roads I mentioned too - that last bit of the B1004 is a definite highlight, but there are others of that sort of standard in the area.

[AdvocatusD]

Very useful and just what I was looking for last weekend!

What's the status on speed cameras and otherwise keen folk who think doing 65 in a 60 (on a clear road, etc, etc) is a "crime"?

[ianwynneuk]

On the fast roads there are no cameras, not even through the villages, but of course you have to respect the speed limits to avoid running over anyone in the populated areas.

To be hones though, 60mpg round the bends and up to 90-100mph on the straights is enough on these roads (so I am told! Of course I wouldn't break the speed limits). You don't need to go mad!

Ian

[Chris71]

AdvocatusD said:

Very useful and just what I was looking for last weekend!

What's the status on speed cameras and otherwise keen folk who think doing 65 in a 60 (on a clear road, etc, etc) is a "crime"?

Don't think there's a camera near any of the good roads. The A507 is reportedly fairly well policed by cars and bikes, but that's not surprisingly as it's extremely popular with local petrolheads on 2 and 4 wheels. On a summer's evening about 1 in 4 cars around there is something interesting and rapid!

As for the meet, we adhere strictly to speed limits in the villages. Well-sighted NSL stretches can be a slightly different matter, but we're still relatively restrained I'd say. The main thing is everyone goes at their own pace and no one's pressurised to 'keep up'.