Chilterns Weekend Walkers
CWW news
Any village boasting great walks and three fine pubs is bound to attract walkers, but CWW's affection for Sarratt runs deeper.
As a social hub, the Hertfordshire village seems to have a magnetic attraction for the group, hosting the Christmas lunch for many years and now a spree of summer events.
CWW's favourite pub is fittingly called the Boot. It was the group's Christmas venue from 2017 to 2022, replacing the nearby Cricketers, where the festive lunch tradition began.
Former group chair Andrew Zelin explained how it all started: "It was 20 years ago when I was leading a group on the Sunday before Christmas and we went into the Cricketers in Saratt for an intentionally a quick pub lunch as other people were shivering outside with their sandwiches on the green.
"They were offering a three-course special including turkey for the price of not much more than a single course so naturally, we all partook! We didn't come out of the pub until 2.45pm and still had three miles to walk back to our cars before it got dark. The following year, I put the Sarratt meal at the end of the walk and included the slap-up Christmas dinner that we all know today!”
Getting into the Christmas spirit at the Boot in 2018
Not everything has gone to plan on the Christmas walks. Extreme weather forced cancellations in 2010 and 2017. Leading a walk through snow one year, Alan Shiell remembers how a group of skittish horses seemed spooked by walkers' Santa hats.
A frosty scene in Sarratt on the 2022 Christmas walk
But Sarratt's charms are to be enjoyed all year round, so in April 2022 Andrew hosted a Saturday afternoon walk and meal at the Cock - the village's only pub not previously used for a social.
When the village hall hosted a pop-up cafe in June, Mark Percy jumped in to arrange an afternoon walk followed by tea.
This was swiftly followed by a summer evening figure-of-eight walk and fish and chip supper at the Boot. And on a blazing hot afternoon in June 2023 we returned for a walk taking in the Sarratt Flower Festival at Holy Cross Church, which was such a success, it's become another Sarratt annual fixture, spawning both a Friday evening and a Sunday afternoon walk in June 2024.
So what makes this village so special? Andrew says: "Sarratt has a magical appeal as one of the many attractive villages in the area bounded by the Rickmansworth Road, Watford, the A41 and Chesham. Each village has its own character and pub. Sarratt has three including a massive attractive green. I envy the residents of the area at all times of the year... except during a winter freeze!"
