Beneath a stretch of the A1(M) motorway in Hertfordshire sits one of England's more unusual Roman sites: a third-century bath complex, discovered in 1960 by archaeologist Tony Rook and now preserved in a temperature-controlled enclosure. You reach it through a tunnel with a round entrance that looks straight out of a Tolkien illustration, then view the ruins — a hot plunge bath, a kitchen, plaster models showing how the baths were used, everyday finds and even a preserved skeleton — from an elevated walkway. A small admission fee gets you in, and the cross-section view of Roman engineering here is something you won't get at grander, more intact sites like Bath.
The baths are just one reason to detour to Welwyn, a small village wedged between Luton and Harlow. Its streets carry buildings from several centuries, including St. Mary's Church, an Anglican church whose oldest parts date to the 13th century and still hold services. The village sits on an ancient settlement crossed by a Roman road, and greenery lines nearly every lane — it's rural England at a gentle, unhurried pace.
Getting there is easy. From London, trains run from King's Cross to Welwyn Garden City in about 30 minutes, then a 15-minute bus hops you over to Welwyn itself (don't confuse the two — Welwyn Garden City is a separate, larger place). Drivers from Luton or Harlow need roughly half an hour, and you'll pass under the brick Welwyn Viaduct, a Victorian railway structure from the mid-1800s that looks vaguely Roman but isn't.
Walkers get plenty of options. The 3.5-mile Oakland's and Harmergreen Lane loop is an easy circuit through farmland, wildflower fields and the gnarled trees of Harmergreen Wood. For something tougher, the 8-mile Ayot St. Peter's and Ayot St. Lawrence Circular passes the former home of playwright George Bernard Shaw — fans of "Pygmalion" can picture him playing the organ at the Palladian church at Ayot St. Lawrence. If you'd rather skip the trails, Danesbury Park's 61-acre nature reserve and Mardley Heath's 91 acres of bluebell-strewn woodland sit right on the village's edge.
Refuel at The Rose and Crown, a pub that has poured drinks since the 17th century and scores 4.5 stars on Google Maps, with a barn that doubles as a local party venue. For an overnight stay, The White Hart — another 17th-century building nearby — offers simple, cosy rooms and an enormous bathtub for post-hike recovery. If you want to stretch the trip, the market town of Buntingford is 30 minutes northeast and the riverside town of Ware 25 minutes east.
Welwyn works well for day-trippers from London who want history and countryside without crowds, or as a low-key overnight base for hikers ticking off Hertfordshire's footpaths.
