Bourn Hall Clinic circular walk lifts the spirits

The walk begins on the hall steps, which by the way was built in about 1602 for John Hagar and stands on the site of a castle.  From the hall you’ll walk down the drive and bear right at the stone Bourn Hall Clinic sign onto a path.

Once you’ve crossed the field with a panoramic view across the village, on your right is an old barn and field. This view always reminds me of my time spent in America and the small, family farms of New Hampshire.

As you turn left onto the lane by the garage, although you might not see them you’ll certainly smell the hundreds of violets that grow in the springtime. You might even see a startled rabbit in the woods that run along the lane.

Walking through the village, on the right you’ll see a modern building addition almost diagonally opposite one of the oldest. It’s a little blue cottage and dates from the 1600’s.

On the return journey, you’ll go through the churchyard of St Helena and St Mary’s Church. Here is the final resting place of Dr Patrick Steptoe, who along with his colleague Dr Robert Edwards, pioneered IVF treatment and founded Bourn Hall in 1980. Their decades of work resulted in the successful birth of Louise Brown on the 25^th July 1978.

The lane that runs down the back of the hall is edged with Bluebells in the spring. As you turn left into the grounds, there are some magnificent, ancient trees close to newer apple trees planted by staff members. The vegetation in this area has been managed to encourage the butterflies you’re likely to see on a sunny day. You’ll go past an old, overgrown Victorian bathing pool where if you’re quiet, you might catch a glimpse of the resident turtle.

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