🚴 Join me on a gravel bike adventure from Hatfield to Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, UK! This cycling vlog is packed with hidden history, ghost train stations, canal paths, and epic disused railways – the perfect mix of exploration, fun, and a bit of chaos. There’s even some very old rare footage of me from the days of short hair and and camping in Spain with the KTM motorbikes, not to mention a very silly insert where I supposedly chased by the landowner !
In this ride we cover:
• 🚂 The Alban Way & Nicky Line – old railway lines turned cycling paths
• 🏚️ The ruins of Old Gorhambury House (with a close call from the landowner!)
• 🦢 Wildlife and smooth gravel along the Grand Union Canal
• 🎭 A visit to Shaw’s Corner, the home of George Bernard Shaw
• 😂 “Scuzzy alleys,” silly banter, and all the unpredictable fun of cycling days out
This isn’t just a ride—it’s a reminder that you can always find adventure close to home. Whether you’re into gravel cycling, bikepacking, or just exploring by bike, this one’s for you.
👉 If you enjoy cycling vlogs, UK gravel rides, and hidden history by bike, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to help grow the channel. More rides coming soon!
#gravelcycling #cyclingvlog #UKCycling #bikeadventures #gravelride #cyclinguk
If you fancy buying me a coffee, I’d love a Large Latte thingy, or whatever they have in the pot, link below
https://ko-fi.com/scuzzylondon Or https://buymeacoffee.com/jscuzzylondon
It’s time for another exploratory bike ride. And today I’m out here in Hatfield heading out somewhere towards Welling Garden City or Hartford. [Music] Here we go. [Music] Oh [ __ ] Going down there. First of all, there’s going to be quite a lot of railway tracks or old railway tracks on this route. Things like this. Really rather pleasant. The first route we’re on is called the Alburn Way and it’s a 6 and a half mile path between here in Hatfield and St. Alburn’s perfect for cyclists and walkers. So, let’s jump on the Alburn way. See where we end up. I’m not feeling at my mental best or my physical if I’m honest. Got a bit of a sore back. So, this could be the ideal remedy with a bit of luck. Getting out into nature, bit of fresh air, bit of daylight, and hopefully this will be the fix I need. There’s a good few scuzzy back alleys to get us started here through the industrial estate. Zip switch. Hip switch styly. You’re right. Straight as an arrow. I haven’t been out filming on the bike for a couple of weeks. Been a little bit out of practice. So, it’s time to get back in the game, I think. Scuzzy Explorations on two wheels. It’s been too long. And here we go. Let’s give you a quick look of where we are. That’s the location. This is the scuzzi alley. It’s artistic scuzz. artistic scuzz apparently. We’ve got a new terminology. Yeah, I think we’re in a posher part of the country. We’ve got very precise scars with a tinge of arc to it. Let’s get cracking. The nice thing about a route like this is it gets me back into it. I have been off the bike for a few weeks, bit more really, and my overall cycling has sort of diminished a little bit. I suppose it’s gone down. My my miles per week has reduced. Ah, here we go. There’s our first bit of interest. Nast Hide Halt, which is otherwise known as a ghost station. Not seen one of these before. This is what a ghost station looks like. There’s the end of the tracks. There’s the other end of the tracks. I suppose there used to be an old station here in 1968, maybe. There is what would have been one of the platforms. Look at that ghost train. Yeah. Nast hide halt. Never heard of it. Here’s [Music] another ghost station. What’s this one called? Hill end. Imagine in the 19th century or whenever it was, trains, maybe steam trains running along here. Tracks right underneath me right now. Small trains joining small towns together and small villages. lots of runners out here on a Sunday morning. There’s an old railway. It’s got to be an old railway, isn’t it? Yeah. Looks like we’re going through a little bit of wetland here. Or have I suddenly ridden myself into Florida? Wow. Actually rather nice. All right. Famous last words. Sneaking in without payment. Eh. This is a very Roman part of the country and all the roads are straight and flat. So you can come and enjoy them at any time. Well, this is a cool little find. We are in the grounds of Gorbury and this is old Gorebury house. How cool is this? What a place to have a little pit stop. There it is. The terra cotta bust of Sir Nicholas Bacon is thought to have been made in about 1570 and once stood housed in the long gallery somewhere here in Gorenbury House. What a cool ruin. Now, let’s take the piss out of it. There you go. That was the old ruins. Something I didn’t expect to see today. But what a fun place that was. It’s where I got chased by the landowner. He released the hounds on me. Had to make a quick getaway. Luckily, they didn’t get me. I just wanted to say that a little bit about the channel and why it’s why it is what it is. You know, it’s meant to be a bit of fun, bit of light-hearted entertainment, bit of getting out there and showing you that you can still explore and do stuff even as you get a little bit older in life. You know, there’s nothing stopping you. It’s supposed to be about light entertainment with a sprinkling of stupidity, a bit of ADC here and there, my attempts at humor, and getting out, getting outdoors and exploring your backyard, exploring anywhere you live. Because half of the places we’ve been today, I’ve never been before. I may have passed by. I may have been on the waterway just up above, but I haven’t been underneath it. I haven’t been in these urban environments before. So, there’s always something you can check out in your backyard if you go looking for it. So, if you like this sort of thing and it’s half interesting, give it a like, give me a comment. It all helps the channel and I’m desperately trying to grow. I am having fun, but at the same time, I’m putting loads of hours into it and working really hard to try and keep it going. So, if you can help out with a bit of that, tell your friends, that sort of thing, I’ll be really, really grateful. Thanks a lot, guys. I’m going to carry on with the ride now. and uh I’ll catch up with you in a bit. Look at this. Cycling for me is like a mobile meditation. Those days where everything just feels right. No creeks anywhere. The tires is just the right pressure. You feel well rested cuz you slept well. The weather’s perfect, not too hot, not too cold, and crucially no wind. You’ve even managed to find a route with no potholes. These are the days you can get lost in and feel like you’ve reached a higher plane, albeit for a few seconds, minutes, or hours. Cycling can be like this some days. And when it is, there’s no better place to be. So, I’m now riding on the Grand Union Canal. And if you’ve seen any of my earlier videos like Eling and Actton and places like that, very often I would ride home along the Grand Union Canal because I used to work out that way. And this is the same canal up here in Heml Hemstead that we’re heading towards now. And it’s that lovely time of year where you see amazing sites like this. Mr. Swan or Mrs. Swan probably sat on the nest. I think he was talking to the dog. Sorry, dog. Evily steep the first time. This part of the show is called Scuzzy Hamill. Here we go. Hamilton Hemp on the SC. Oh, at its best, mate. It’s right up there. Look at that. We love it. Harper’s real deal. Look at that. I wouldn’t be out of shape in a peep show video. Well, this is our second disused railway line of the day. It’s called the Nikki line. Not something I’ve ever heard of. Head to Redborne by the looks of it, which I happen to know is a big cyclist paradise. Nikki line it is. Lead on up the steps. [Applause] If you’re ever curious about the Nikki line, this is what it looks like. Uh, not always like this. This looks to be a bit of an exception. Most of it’s like this. We’ve missed our turning. Ah, cardboard box, mate. Old school. We’d have to go. Ooh, hang on. We got us an issue. Oh, we can get through the side here. That can’t stop us. I’ll jump it. I’m round it. I’ve done it. Can we get through? Of course, we can get through. No problem. He says this bit under repairs apparently. And these are the repairs. Nothing major. Look at that view. Literally tunnel vision. It’s great. Imagine a ghost train coming down here now towards us. Steam blowing. Woohoo. All that. We’re going to run out of tracks. Synchronized bunny hops. Doesn’t get any better than this. This could be an autoborn in Germany. It could be. Couldn’t that for two bikes. Exactly. 140 mph for 15. Yeah. Just slowed it down. Added a few stones on the ground. It’s all good. Without doubt, the best bikes for this area. KTM 9990 Super Motors. Preferably with the loudest cans you can get. wings or JCE. Just imagine the two of these going through your village. Sounded like two war plananes gonna attack you. Been a great trip. I’m showered, clean, somewhat exhausted. The roads today were outstanding. Absolutely unbelievable roads today for about 150 200 mi of fast sweepers, tight bends, you name it, everything. Spain, you’ve been a treat. Check out the old tunnel. Oh, this is great. Woo! Bloody hell. I can’t see [ __ ] [ __ ] hell. I thought it was my glasses for a minute, but it really is dark. I’m going through the Alps again. Oh man, that was crazy. How cool was that, man? I can’t stop. The Nikki line is just too good. There’s no end to it. Full speed, flat all the way. The Nikki line wins the day in my mind. Come to Harper, do the Nikki line, tunnels and everything. Woohoo. This is us apparently. Well, that was the end of the Nikki line. What a great little line that was. I’ll rate that 8 out of 10. The next stop on this little tour of this part of the country involves inolves a stop at a little village where a once rather well-known literary figure used to live. Now, some of you may know the name, but do you know what he’s famous for? That’s the question, cuz I didn’t. I knew the name, but I had no idea what he became famous or what he was known for. So, when we get there, I will explain all about a certain character. This is the little village of Aot St. Lawrence, where a once famous British playwright, poet, and social activist lived. He was active on subjects such as feminism, vegetarianism, and other social economic matters. He was also one of the founders of the London School of Economics, LSSE. And just ahead here is where he lived. The clue, of course, may be in the name here on the gate in this National Trust House. This is Shaw’s Corner and of course I am talking about the one and only your favorite George Bernard Shaw. A lot of people have heard of him, let’s say, but not many people know what he was known for. And it was those matters that I just told you about. So if you’re interested, you can go and see inside of George Bernard Shaw’s old house. It was famous for having his writing studio at the back, which he made himself, which was a revolving studio of some kind. So, I guess he could sit there seeing changing scenes all the time as he wrote his scripts. Here we go. George Bernard Shaw’s house. So, this is where I’m going to end today’s ride in the rather pleasant place of Welling Garden City. And that’s it. I am going to roll out of here. See you next time. I got to say this is a first. Never taken a bike on an escalator before. [Music]
2 Comments
I don't remember you having hair that short.
Do you like rides like this with points of interest along the way ??