Baker Monument, Bayfordbury

East of Hertford, near Bayfordbury, stands the Baker Monument - a Victorian memorial that most locals would walk past without a second glance. It commemorates a 19th-century figure from the area, though the monument itself is the real draw rather than any grand visitor experience. There's no visitor centre, no café, no interpretive boards telling you what you're looking at. You just turn up, find it, and spend five minutes looking at stone and inscriptions.

It's the kind of thing that appeals to local history buffs and curious walkers exploring the Hertfordshire countryside rather than families after a day out. If you're staying at Hertford Camping and Caravanning Club Site - barely a mile away - it makes a decent add-on to a circular walk, nothing more. The real value is as a quiet spot away from the main roads, a chance to see how Victorians commemorated their dead, and frankly, proof that you've explored beyond the obvious tourist trail.

Allow twenty minutes, tops, unless you're genuinely into 19th-century monuments. Free to visit, naturally. The nearest proper town is Hertford itself, where you'll find actual facilities and better attractions if the weather turns or the kids get restless. On a decent day it's worth seeking out on foot, but don't plan a journey solely around this. It works best as part of a bigger ramble through the area - the sort of detour that makes a walk feel like an actual adventure rather than just trudging the same paths everyone else does.