P.E.M. Memorial Bench

You'll find a simple wooden bench tucked away near Elstree, a quiet memorial to someone called P.E.M. whose full story has largely faded from public memory. That's rather the point of it, really - it's the kind of understated tribute you stumble across while walking through the Hertfordshire countryside, not the sort of place you'd plan a day trip around.

What makes it worth knowing about is precisely its lack of fanfare. There's no visitor centre, no car park, no gift shop. Just a bench in a proper rural setting where you can sit for ten minutes and think about whoever this person was. It appeals to history types with a taste for local stories and walkers covering longer routes through the area - people who enjoy finding things rather than having them announced.

The nearest town is Elstree, about four miles away, which puts you in reasonable striking distance of both Elstree Park and The Mimms Caravan Park if you're basing yourself in the area for a week. Neither park is spectacular - Elstree sits at 3.8 out of 5, The Mimms at 3.6 - but they're functional enough for a Hertfordshire base while you explore the quieter corners around here.

Timing-wise, there's no admission fee (or if there is, it's not enforced), and you can spend as little as five minutes or as long as you fancy. Best visited when the weather's decent, obviously. It won't hold your attention for hours, but as an off-the-beaten-path stop during a longer walk, it does the job.