Looking to explore? 5 of the most picturesque villages in Hertfordshire
If you are looking to explore some new treasures across the region, then look no further, as we have rounded up some of the prettiest villages to visit.
Keep this list somewhere safe in case you want to wander around any of the picturesque locations in the area anytime soon.
Set between Hitchin and Stevenage in the Chiltern Hills, St Ippolyts has the perfect charm of a small village while being near towns.
Properties in the village date back to the 17th century with gables houses and timber-framed houses back to the 16th century.
St Ippolyts has a handful of popular pubs, including The Rusty Gun, The Bird In Hand and the Hermit of Redcoats.
Near Tring, Aldbury is also located in the Chiltern Hills and people describe it as offering the "ultimate chocolate box charm."
Medieval stocks still stand in the village along with several historic homes, all offering impressive views of the surrounding countryside.
The Greyhound Inn is the local pub and has a 4.4 Google Rating, with one guest sharing: "Fantastic food and service. Really happy with our overnight accommodation. The view from our bedroom window is a, "feel good" feeling."
Aldbury has also been used in several film and TV productions, including Midsomer Murders, Inspector Morse and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
The village of Redbourn was previously named Hertfordshire Village of the Year, home to a busy high street and many independent shops.
With a handful of local pubs and a Common that welcomes joggers, dog walkers and cricketers, Redbourn is a popular spot.
It also benefits from being near Harpenden and the M1 along with the annual Hertfordshire Show taking place just outside the village.
Much Hadham was once named among the best places to live in the UK by the Sunday Times, earning praise for a strong community and being a picturesque village.
The village is between Ware and Bishop's Stortford with a historic high street home to characterful buildings, including the local pub, The Bull.
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The Bull has a 4.4/5 rating from over 290 reviews with one guest sharing: "Simply a great pub. The menu is lovely, not too big but has something for all. The staff are just attentive and friendly. There is a good bar for both drinkers and those who wish to eat."
Ayot St Lawrence is filled with cottages and a picturesque view from the village best known for its links to playwright George Bernard Shaw.
Shaw's former home is now a National Trust property, Shaw's Corner, that attracts many visitors every year.
Between Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City and Harpenden, Ayot St Lawrence comes at a hefty price as Zoopla once named it the most expensive village in the region.
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Sixteen years have passed since Shaw Connolly's teenage sister, Thea, slipped out of their family home in rural Maine to party with friends and never came home. Shaw (short for Shawnee), now a fingerprint expert for law enforcement agencies, is certain that her sister was murdered, but she is obsessed with learning where she was buried. More Information Shaw Connolly Lives To Tell By Gillian French (Minotaur Books; 352 pages; $28) Even now, after all these years, she continues to put up posters and roam the woods of their hometown with a cadaver dog. Her obsession takes a toll not only on her but on her family, driving her husband away and traumatizing her two boys. But in author Gillian French's 'Shaw Connolly Lives To Tell,' Shaw isn't the only one who is obsessed. Someone is obsessed with her. His name is Anders Jansen, and he calls Shaw frequently, often at odd hours. He taunts her about Thea, revealing details that hint at his involvement in the girl's disappearance — but never enough to justify an arrest. As their cat-and-mouse game continues, the phone calls become more menacing, and soon he starts following her and making vague threats against her family. When Shaw grows alarmed enough to get a protective order, he violates it, giving police a justification to make an arrest. But now he's on the run, the police can't find him, and the calls continue. Meanwhile, Shaw has a job to do. She assists police investigating the death of a man who was bludgeoned while walking his dog. She is called to assist with an arson fire in a vacant building. But then there is another arson fire. And another. And another. When the arsonist burns down the church Shaw attended as a child, she and the readers wonder if Anders could be setting the fires. This well-written, emotionally wrenching novel is not a mystery in the traditional sense. It is apparent early on that Thea is dead and that Anders killed her. The tension lies in how far Shaw will go to learn where she is buried, what Anders will do if she persists, and the price the people she loves will pay for her obsession.
