Berkhamstead reccie - where should we visit?

[ElsieTanner14]

hi

We're planning a reccie to Berkamstead this Saturday as considering moving there (usual story: have a 1 year old, London flat, need garden and space etc etc).

Can anyone suggest places/areas we should visit to get a flavour of the town? We'll head for the main shopping area but is there anywhere we should try to see? We don't know anyone who lives there so its a bit of a leap in the dark.

thanks in advance

What are your hobbies/ interests? Do you have children? Do you need to commute?

Also, why Berkhamsted?

I used to live near there and it's a fab place. Not THAT much to see, but check out the Rex Cinema website to see if they have any matinees on for toddlers. Also check out the canal for some lovely walks. On a more practical note, go and see the station and work out the cost of parking (as homes within walking distance are considerably more expensive than those a bit further out).

For shopping I used to go into Watford, so you could have a look there. I actually quite liked the Harlequin Shopping Centre (apart from Christmas Eve, when it took me 3 hours to get out of the car park).

The best thing about Berko is the surrounding countryside so take a look at Ashridge for some lovely National Trust walks and tea and cakes. Wendover Woods isn't far either - we had an annual car park pass and went every weekend.

It's worth walking the whole high street in Berko to get a feel for it - it's very linear and spread out, so just walk up one side and down t'other and don't forget to call in at Vah DIY to marvel at the tardis-like interior and ability to sell everything that man has ever made for fixing up houses in one seemingly small shop.

Ashtead Common and Tring museum - great for running about and natural history, in that order 😊

Stupid ...meant Ashridge Common luckily feesh has more sense 😀

Walk along the canal tow path and visit canal fields playground if your dc is the right age for that. Make Believe cafe is a child friendly cafe just behind tesco - might be worth a visit?

It's more the sort of place that gets more interesting the more people you know and it's pretty easy to meet people especially if you have kids. Things like fireworks night, turning on of xmas lights and ashridge garden party are a big deal. Saturday is market day too. Hope you enjoy your day.

I used to live there too. Definitely go for a walk by the canal or to the castle ruins.
Loads of nice restaurants/cafes for lunch and some of the pubs are lovely too. The Old Mill used to be nice on a sunny day.
Worst case scenario and it's raining, there's always Kidzone.
Hope you have a fab day

Thanks all for your suggestions (have also now learned how to spell Berkhamsted correctly ...)