Archive for 2015

A lovely letter from Age Concern

Posted on December 18th 2015

We received this lovely letter of thanks from Ian Woods, one of the trustees at Age Concern.

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Haunted Hertfordshire

Posted on October 31st 2015

Halloween always brings out the spookiness in people, and along with the fun element of Trick or Treat for the children, adults enjoy the fancy dress parties, scary movies, and more increasingly the fright nights and spooky tours that are available to scare yourself silly!

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Half Term Outings

Posted on October 29th 2015

It seems a long time since the summer holidays and when school began again in September, but autumn half term is finally with us. For many this is a week or two to recharge the batteries and a break from the normal routine, and to spend a bit of time with the family and children. It’s a great opportunity to get out and about around the St. Albans area, with many activities and events taking place throughout Hertfordshire for children and their parents/carers.

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St. Albans Car and Van Hire Supports Local Charity

Posted on October 16th 2015

To most of us the 350 mile Isle of Wight Cycle Challenge would be a daunting prospect, and too daunting to even consider undertaking. However, for Team FORGE (Friends of Rennie Grove Enthusiasts), that's exactly what they did!

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Isle of Wight Cycle Challenge

Posted on August 16th 2015

We're providing the transport for the Isle of Wight Cycle Challenge: 17 intrepid cyclists will set off on 17 September for a 350 mile cycle challenge. The team is made up of Corporate Supporters (and Colin who hasn't ridden a bike for 40 years) who plan to raise £30,000 to celebrate 30 years of care at Rennie Grove.

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Hens and Stags - Subtlety in St. Albans

Posted on June 24th 2015

We know that hen and stag weekends don’t usually lend themselves to the description of ‘subtle’, but it seems more and more ladies and gents are choosing a much more civilised occasion to celebrate their upcoming nuptials. There are many things to see and do around the St. Albans area, and we’ve chosen a couple of them to tell you about.

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All Aboard in St. Albans!

Posted on June 17th 2015

St. Albans is a pretty active city, involving a diverse range of people from the local community. This is aided through the work of ‘Active St. Albans’ - an independent, voluntary-led organisation which supports our community clubs and organisations to deliver a higher quantity and quality of sport and physical activity to local residents.

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St. Albans Half Marathon... are you ready?

Posted on June 9th 2015

It's the St Alban's Half Marathon this weekend and we've got more than a dozen vans hired out for the occasion. This is the 34th year for the event, and last year attracted more than 6000 athletes, competing in the half marathon, walking half marathon, 5K race and 1.5 mile children’s fun run.

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Historic Stays in St. Albans

Posted on June 5th 2015

With the summer months only weeks away, you may have considered some time away with the family, or some peace and quiet as a couple or with some friends. If you’re hiring a vehicle from St. Albans Car and Van Hire, and plan on driving around the area and visiting some attractions, then you’re also going to need to think about somewhere to stay.

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Finding out a bit about Frogmore

Posted on May 27th 2015

Frogmore is a village just two miles south of St. Albans, in the parish of St. Stephen, Hertfordshire. It has a varied history, with a number of historical buildings still in situ, including the popular Holy Trinity Church of Frogmore.

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Driven by Steam

Posted on May 22nd 2015

Obviously at St. Albans Car and Van Hire, we pride ourselves on the diversity of our fleet, and the quality of our vehicles, however, we also enjoy a bit of transport history, and as such, here’s a little information about the St. Albans Steam and Country Show.

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Flutter by to see the Butterflies

Posted on May 20th 2015

If you’re looking for things to do, and great days out around the St. Albans area, then a drive to Butterfly World at Chiswell Green is one you might like to add to your list. Just under three miles from St. Albans, The Butterfly World Project is set among 27 acres, with landscaped gardens and outdoor spaces.

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Sight, Sounds and Smells at St. Albans Street Market

Posted on May 13th 2015

It has been said that St. Albans’ street market is maybe the most colourful and vibrant in the South of England. Every Wednesday and Saturday the whole length of St. Peter’s Street in the city centre is bustling with a variety of stall holders and visitors.

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Could you Climb the Clock Tower?

Posted on May 6th 2015

As you’re taking a drive through St. Albans, you’re bound to see one of its oldest monuments - the Grade 1 listed Clock Tower - which stands at nearly 20 metres high. Built between 1403 and 1412, it is the only medieval town belfry in England, and its design was based on the Clock House at Westminster Palace.

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Past and Present at Hatfield

Posted on April 22nd 2015

Only several miles from St. Albans, is the town and civil parish of Hatfield, in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. The town has long been associated with aircraft design and manufacture, as it was home to British Aerospace until the 1990s. It is also home to the University of Hertfordshire.

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St. Albans Cathedral

Posted on April 15th 2015

To tell you a little bit more about some of the sights worth a drive to in St. Albans itself, one of the oldest is St. Albans Cathedral - the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain. The church has been welcoming pilgrims and visitors since the 11th century, and is open to the public all year round, 8.30am – 5.45pm daily. Entry is free, and there are free guided tours which last about an hour.

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Heartwood Forest, in the Heart of Hertfordshire

Posted on April 8th 2015

Situated in Sandridge, just 2.5 miles north of St. Albans, is the Woodland Trust’s Heartwood Forest – nearly one thousand acres of lush woodland, with its pretty flowered floor during the spring and summer months.

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Harry Potter in Leavesden

Posted on April 2nd 2015

About seven miles from St. Albans, in the northern suburbs of Watford, lies the commercial area of Leavesden, within easy reach of both the M25 and M1 motorways. The area is part of the Abbots Langley civil parish, and has a residential community in Leavesden Green.

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Verulamium Park - the Gateway to London

Posted on March 25th 2015

If you happen to be driving in the St. Albans area of Hertfordshire, maybe on a day trip, or as part of a London area mini-break, then you might like to visit Verulamium Park, for a little piece of tranquillity and a big piece of history.

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A Drive through Rural Redbourn

Posted on March 23rd 2015

Four miles from St. Albans is a village called Redbourn – a village noted as one of the oldest recorded cricketing locations, with cricket having been played on the common in 1666. Despite being only 25 miles from London, Redbourn is a rural community surrounded by farms, fields and natural beauty. The village has been settled at least since Saxon times and it is recorded in the Domesday Book, which suggested a well-established, thriving, agricultural community. Back in the coaching era it was also known as the ‘Street of Inns’, as it had at least 25 pubs and inns along its roads!

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Back to Nature in Bricket Wood

Posted on March 15th 2015

If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise! Well, maybe not, but in the 1930s, the village of Bricket Wood – situated just over four miles south of St. Albans - became popular for naturism, with two sites , Five Acres County Club and Spielplatz, still remaining today.

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Slovakia

Posted on March 10th 2015

It's always wonderful when our vans are spotted out and about, and these lovely photos from Slovakia are no exception. Just look at those balconies!

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Roman Ruins at Bluehouse Hill

Posted on March 3rd 2015

Once you’ve picked up your vehicle from St. Albans Car and Van Hire, if you are interested in seeing a piece of Roman history, then the Verulamium Roman Theatre at Bluehouse Hill is a must-see! It is situated on the western outskirts of St. Albans, only three miles from junction 21 of the M25, and so in easy access of the main route in and out of the city.

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Driving Through Bedmond? Beware the Witch!

Posted on February 15th 2015

Bedmond, a small village in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire, has a story or two to tell. With archaeological findings from as far back as the early Stone Age, it certainly has some history. It is situated only twelve miles or so from St. Albans Car and Van Hire, and is in the parish of Abbots Langley. Although many of its historic landmarks have now been pulled down, such as the Ovaltine Dairy Farm (a beautiful black and white thatched building, part of which was a copy of the model dairy farm which Marie Antoinette owned in Versailles), and The Travellers’ Rest public house, notoriously reputed to be a regular stopping place for Dick Turpin, the village does have some interesting buildings.

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Commuter Connections in Abbots Langley

Posted on February 9th 2015

Abbots Langley is a large village in Hertfordshire. Birth place to the only English Pope, Nicholas Breakspear (Pope Adrian IV), in 1100, it was also home to Elizabeth Greenhill, who features in The Guinness Book of Records. Elizabeth was noted as mothering thirty-nine children (thirty-two daughters and seven sons) during the 17th century, who all survived to adulthood! Abbots Langley is an old settlement and is mentioned in the Domesday Book, under the name of Langelai.

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Little Aldenham – A Little Piece of England

Posted on February 2nd 2015

A tiny village in Hertfordshire, Aldenham is a popular choice for Londoners who want to escape the rush of the city and find some peace and tranquillity in the countryside. Aldenham is only fourteen miles from Marble Arch, so a perfect retreat not far from the city, located in the Green Belt and protected as a conservation area.

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Essential Advice for Driving in Cold Weather

Posted on January 25th 2015

Well we can certainly tell it is now winter; the cold weather has come all of a sudden, after the unseasonal warmer days of late autumn and early December. Unfortunately the drop in temperature brings with it some negative aspects when it comes to driving. Have you been caught out and late for work with the extra time needed to scrape ice from the car windows in the mornings? The cold weather means extra preparation, especially when it comes to driving, whether you drive a large vehicle, van or car, so here’s a bit of advice for driving in cold conditions.

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Tips for Saving Petrol While Driving

Posted on January 23rd 2015

If you drive, there’s no doubt you’ve noticed the amount it costs to fill up your car/van/truck with petrol or diesel has decreased over the last few weeks. The price at the pumps has continued to go down as the price of oil has decreased, but we’re so used to paying sky-high prices, that we’ve lost sight of the fact that petrol and diesel used to be so much cheaper. As for many people driving a vehicle is still a necessity, here are some tips on how to cut your fuel bills even further.

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