Teddy the terrier takes town mayor for a walk for Hertfordshire’s Year of Walking

Teddy the fox terrier will take Elstree and Borehamwood mayor Richard Butler out on the inaugural ‘Teddy’s trails’ walk Sunday 11 October, one of a series of countryside walking routes surrounding the town marking Hertfordshire’s Year of Walking, sponsored by Herts County Council. The first ‘Teddy’s Trails’ walk is open to the public and kicks off at 2pm at Elstree and Borehamwood station, courtesy of Thameslink railway.

The trails, for which maps may be downloaded, are all between three and eight miles long. Walkers take the bus outbound, before tracing established footpaths through country scenery and past some interesting features indicated on the maps, back to the town. All trails have been reconnoitred and are personally recommended by Teddy, a fox terrier who has been a resident of the town since puppyhood and an enthusiastic and experienced user of the local footpath network.

Sunday’s inaugural walk is open to all and will take the 107 bus to Edgwarebury, before strolling back through the countryside, looking at points of interest along the way. The distance is about 3 miles. Teddy recommends human walkers take suitable footwear for ground that may be muddy, and bring a waterproof if rain is forecast.

2015 has been declared by the county council to be Hertfordshire’s Year of Walking, and there is a programme of events and activities under way, designed to encourage us all to pull on our hiking boots or walking shoes and get out and about on our feet.

London buses are now cashless, so remember to bring your Oyster card, Zip card, concessionary bus pass or contactless credit/debit card.

You can check the calendar of events surrounding Hertforshire’s Year of Walking at www.hertsdirect.org/walksandmore and tell them you’re coming along.

For more information or to download one of the 18 different Trails please go to www.elstreeborehamwood-tc.gov.uk

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Notes to editors

Govia Thameslink Railway

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) began running Thameslink (Bedford to Brighton, Sutton and Wimbledon) and Great Northern (London to Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn) rail services on 14 September 2014. A small number of services and stations previously operated by Southeastern transferred to GTR in December 2014 and on 26 July 2015 the Southern and Gatwick Express routes were incorporated into the franchise. GTR is now the largest rail franchise in the UK in terms of passenger numbers, trains, revenue and staff: GTR carries about 273 million passenger journeys per year, employs around 6,500 people and generates annual passenger revenues of approximately £1.3bn. www.thameslinkrailway.com