ノーサウアンドカフリーの天然記念物・トップ14

The ghost of Geoffrey De Mandeville, Earl of Sussex and Hertfordshire and Constable of the Tower of London has been haunting the Moat since the 12th Century. He was arrested for treason and hid his treasure down  a very deep well which he guards. Many have tried to find the well but so far none have succedded

The moat’s main use was probably defensive. One use of the lodge would have been to detain individuals who had broken the harsh forest laws. The moat would also have helped to drain the site, been used for rubbish disposal and possibly for keeping fish.

Poor quality excavations in the late 1880s and again in 1923 suggested that the lodge was quite substantial, with rubble masonry walls and glazed floor tiles in some rooms. The name Camlet remains a mystery. It first appears in local records in 1440 AD. The moat was originally crossed by a wooden drawbridge, the base frame of which was lifted in 1923 and recorded in 1949. A small piece found recently was dendro-chronologically dated to c.1357.

This woodland is made up of an impressive collection of 150 different species of conifer trees. The planting of these conifers began in 1767 by the Baker family, who then resided on the Bayfordbury Estates in Hertfordshire. The woodland is now owned by the University of Hertfordshire and is open for the public to explore.

As well as the beautiful, far reaching views, an interesting obelisk sits atop Pole Hill. The hill lies on the Greenwich Meridian and the obelisk was erected to indicate the direction of true north from the transit telescope in the Greenwich Royal Observatory. Zero longitude is 19ft (5.79m) to the east of the structure.

As you walk through Trent Country Park, you might not be expecting to come across a medieval moat. But that's exactly what you'll discover. Probably built in the 14th century, there was once a lodge here that may have been used to detain those who broke forest laws. There was a wooden drawbridge to cross the water.

Old moated lodge, now a scheduled Ancient Monument.

There are some nice trees on this path but the Great Oak is further along, past the Orangery, you get a decent view nearby overlooking the west side of Panshangar. Some of it has been newly opened to make for a longer circular walk.