Driving South

I took the day off today and decided to venture a little farther afield. I got in the car and drove for an hour south(ish) and visited Panshanger Park, in between Hertford and Welwyn Garden City. Owned by the Cowper family from the late 17th century to the early 20th century, the Panshanger Estate was shaped around the Mimram Valley following input from Humphry Repton and 'Capability' Brown. Since the 1980s, the park has been owned by Tarmac and parts have been quarried for sand and gravel. It's a brilliant mix of grazed pasture, parkland, woodland and lakes and river. I'd seen some of the great beetles being found there by others on the Beetles Facebook page so thought I'd go have a look.