Good Morning, Hertford!

We can safely say, Autumn has arrived. Today's a mild 20°C, but tomorrow brings a near-certain soaking (97% chance of rain), so pack the brollies for the school run and save your outdoor plans for Thursday and Saturday.

The fortnight ahead is a good one. Queen's greatest hits take over BEAM, Shakespeare gets the slapstick treatment in Ware, a swing orchestra fills the Southern Maltings dance floor and pumpkin season is in full swing across the county. Railway Street has a brand new bakery, and Les Middlewood is leading a walk through Hertford's pub history. Plus, the results of your very first Great Hertford Debate are in, and it was closer than we expected.

👇 Here’s what we’ve got for you this week:

• What’s On

• Town Talk

• Kiddies Scoop: Your pumpkin patch round-up

• Eye Catching Deal: Outdoor Edge, Halloween disco & Bubble tea

• Property Of The Week: A turnkey family home in Hertford Heath

• Weather: Brolly Wednesday, sunshine Thursday

• Mind, Health & Fitness: Life changing podcasts + a fab casserole recipe

• Extra Sprinkles: The votes are in!

What’s On

🎭 Arts + Entertainment

Hertford Jazz Jam
Thu 8 Oct | Check listing for time | The Hertford Club, Hertford
Musicians bring their instruments, listeners bring their ears, and everyone gets a proper night of live jazz without leaving town. 🎟️ Check listing for price | Info here

Candle Making Workshop
Sat 10 Oct | 15:30-17:30 | Tewinbury Farm
A mindful, beginner-friendly session with Pemberley Candles. Pour two scented soy candles, hand-roll your own beeswax dinner candles and take the lot home. Early Christmas presents, sorted. 🎟️ £55pp | Book here

Twelfth Night by The Pantaloons
Sat 10 Oct | 19:30-21:30 | Southern Maltings, Ware
Shakespeare's comedy of fools, duels and mistaken identities, done the Pantaloons way: live music, audience participation and plenty of mayhem. Family-friendly too. 🎟️ £15 adults, £10 children in advance (£18/£12 on the door) | Grab tickets

Afternoon Tea Dance with Barry Sapsford's Swing Orchestra
Sun 11 Oct | 14:30-17:00 | Southern Maltings, Ware
A live swing orchestra, a sprung wooden dance floor and homemade cake. Jive, cha cha or just sit back and listen. All ages and abilities welcome. 🎟️ £7, £5 concessions, add afternoon tea for £15 | Take a spin

Afternoon Cinema: Michael
Tue 13 Oct | 14:00 | Fletcher's Lea, Ware Priory, Ware
The big-screen biopic of Michael Jackson's rise from Jackson 5 child star to the King of Pop, with refreshments included. A lovely midweek treat. 🎟️ £6 | Save a seat

Four Rivers Folk Club
Wed 14 Oct | 20:00 | The Hertford Club, Hertford
Hertford's long-running folk night is back with another evening of live acoustic music, hosted by Pat Crilly. 🎟️ More here

We Will Rock You
Wed 14 - Sat 17 Oct | BEAM, Hertford
Hertford Dramatic & Operatic Society take on Ben Elton's rock musical, packed with more than 20 Queen anthems including Bohemian Rhapsody and Don't Stop Me Now. Expect big vocals and an audience on its feet. 🎟️ £25 | Book tickets

Autumn Concert
Fri 16 Oct | 19:30 | Hertford Methodist Church, Hertford
An evening of live music to welcome in the season. 🎟️ Info here

Roots Goes Wild with Mel Brown
Sat 17 Oct | 18:30-21:30| Tewinbury Farm
Tewinbury's alfresco supper club heads into the woods for one night, with firepits, festoon lights and guest chef Mel Brown of The Laundry in Brixton cooking a multi-course autumn feast over the flames. Wine pairings included. 🎟️ £79pp | Pull up a hay bale

Hertford Music Club: Kosta Popović
Sun 18 Oct | Check listing for time | Quaker Meeting House, Railway Street, Hertford
Montenegrin cellist Kosta Popović, who has played with the London Symphony Orchestra's cello section, performs with pianist Valentina Wang. 🎟️ Check listing for price | Tickets here

🏰 Community + Family

Mudlarks Charity Quiz Night
Fri 9 Oct | Doors 19:00, quiz 19:45 | Morgans Primary School, Hertford
Round up a team of up to 10, bring your own snacks and test your general knowledge, with a raffle and a bar on the night. Every penny supports adults with learning disabilities and mental health concerns. 🎟️ £8pp | Get your team in

Bengeo Community Event
Sun 11 Oct | 14:00-16:00 | Bengeo Parish Hall, Hertford
Love Bengeo celebrates local gardens and wildlife corridors with a Wildlife Trust speaker, live music, art activities and a bring, buy or swap plant stall. Have a nose around the community garden next door too. Bring cash. 🎟️ FREE | More here

A Pint of History Guided Walk
Sun 18 Oct | 11:00-12:30 | Hertford Museum, Hertford
Les Middlewood leads a circular stroll through the town centre, telling the stories behind Hertford's pubs past and present, and how they fit into the town's long brewing history. 🎟️ £8pp | Book your spot

Little Traders Market
Sun 18 Oct | 13:00-15:00 | Leaside Church and Community Centre, Ware
Handmade gifts, crafts and treats from small independent traders, all with a Halloween twist. 🎟️ Free entry | Pop along

🌱 Health + Wellbeing

Rage & Rest
Sat 10 Oct | 19:00-21:00 | Bengeo Parish Hall, Hertford
An evening of movement, breathwork and emotional release, finishing with deep restorative sound. Let it all out, then properly switch off. 🎟️ £30, call 07925 794534 | Info here

Nervous System Reset with Esme
Thu 15 Oct | 17:30-18:30 | The Secret Space, 105 Fore Street, Hertford
One slow, soothing hour to calm a busy mind and release tension, with Esme Winterflood. No experience needed, just come as you are. 🎟️ Check listing for price | Book your place

Good Food, Great Company
Tue 20 Oct | 15:00-18:00 | The Joyful Sprout, Ware
Often eat alone? Cook a tasty plant-led meal alongside others, then sit down and enjoy it together. All ingredients and equipment provided. 🎟️ FREE, booking required | Save your seat

📣 Town Talk

Nine days without trains starts Sat 17 Oct. No services will run from Hertford East, Ware, St Margarets or Rye House from Sat 17 to Sun 25 Oct while Greater Anglia replaces track at Rye House. That's a week on Saturday, so if you commute or have half-term plans, sort your backup route now. Hertford North is unaffected. Full story

Three weeks left to shape the south of town. The Castle Plus Neighbourhood Plan consultation closes at midnight on Mon 26 Oct. If you live near Mead Lane, Balls Park, Foxholes, Sele Road or either station, it's worth ten minutes of your time. Take part here

Got something on your mind? Your local councillors are holding a drop-in on Sat 10 Oct. No appointment needed, just turn up. Details here

Kiddies Scoop

🎃 Your Pumpkin Patch Round-Up Pumpkin season is officially here, and there's a patch for every kind of family:

• Bury Lane Farm, Royston: No booking and no entry fee, just turn up and pick. Open daily until Sat 31 Oct.

• The Pop Up Farm, near Harpenden: Hertfordshire's original pumpkin patch is celebrating its 10th season, with thousands of home-grown pumpkins and squash. Until Sat 31 Oct, booking advised.

• Spook-Fest at Aldenham Country Park, Elstree: A spooky farm day out with pumpkin picking, a bouncy castle and animals. From Sat 10 Oct.

• Stan's Halloween Spooktacular at Standalone Farm, Letchworth: Pumpkin patch, Halloween hay maze and family activities on selected dates from Sun 11 Oct.

LEGO Club | Hertford Library Free-play building fun for ages 5-11. A great rainy-afternoon rescue. 🎟️ Info here

📌 Save the date for half term: Celtic Harmony Camp's Samhain Celebrations run Mon 26 - Sat 31 Oct, marking the start of the Celtic new year.

🔥 Eye Catching Deals

October Triple Thrill at EDGE Outdoor Activities
📅 October | EDGE Outdoor Activities, Westmill Farm, Ware
Pick any three activities, from axe throwing and archery to laser tag and zorb balls, for up to five people. That's less than £20 each for a proper action-packed day out. 🎟️ £99 for up to 5 people | Call 07801 711701 or book here

Woody's Spooky Disco: Early Bird Offer
Thu 22 Oct | Under 4s 13:30-15:30, 4+ 16:00-18:00 | Woody's Play Barn
A half-term Halloween disco with a cold food buffet for all ages, plus laser tag for the 4+ session. Book early to save up to £4.51 per child. 🎟️ £14.99 per child | Book your spot

Free Bubble Tea Sundays at Pearl Milk Bar
Sunday’s in October | Pearl Milk Bar, Hertford
New customers can try a free fruit tea and milk tea. Just follow them on Instagram, like their October reel and show staff when you visit. Rice boxes are only £6 too. 🎟️ FREE samples | Claim yours here

(One of each sample per new customer, while stocks last.)

🏡 Property Of The Week

London Road, Hertford Heath, SG13

Want a home where the hard work's already done? This four-bedroom detached house has been beautifully refurbished and substantially extended by its current owners, and it's ready to move straight into.

The showpiece is the open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, created by a three-metre double extension: the kind of room where homework, cooking and catching up all happen at once. There's a separate living room for quieter evenings, and the garage has been converted into a home office plus utility room, so the commute is just a few steps.

Upstairs, all four bedrooms are doubles, and the main one has its own en-suite. Outside there's a great-sized rear garden for summer barbecues, and Foxholes Farm plus miles of woodland walks are right on your doorstep. It's also in the catchment for Simon Balle School and Haileybury. Freehold.

🔗 Take a look inside

🌦 Hertford Weather: 6 - 12 Oct 2026

A cloudy but mild start today, with highs of 20°C and only a 20% chance of rain. Make the most of it, because Wednesday is a washout: a 97% chance of rain, a cooler 15°C and a blustery northerly wind. Brollies, wellies and a good book for the evening.

Thursday is the pick of the week, mostly sunny with just a 5% chance of rain, although mornings dip to a chilly 8°C, so grab a coat. Friday brings showers (47%) and gusts of up to 29 km/h, before a brighter, partly cloudy Saturday (15%) that's ideal for the Farmers Market and a pumpkin patch trip. Sunday and Monday stay mostly cloudy and mild at 17-18°C.

Best days: Thursday and Saturday

✨ Mind, Health + Fitness

We’re always on the hunt for a good pod that informs, inspire or just makes us think a little deeper. I’ve stumbled upon this post, which is one to save if self care is your thing too: 🎧 Podcasts that have changed my life for the better

👉 Recipe of the week: Smokey Sausage Casserole

🧁 Extra Sprinkles

🏆 The results are in: Where's Hertford's best autumn walk?

You voted, and it was tight right to the end!

• Panshanger Park: 41% of the vote

• Hartham Common & the riverside: 35%, just one vote behind

• Cole Green Way: 12%

• Somewhere else entirely: 12%

Congratulations, Panshanger Park!

And our "somewhere else" voters made some brilliant cases. One reader nominated the riverside walk from Hartham all the way to Ware station, saying it was lovely and peaceful even in the rain, and that the late autumn colours would only make it better. Another kept it short and sweet: Hertford Lock, hands down. Pure beauty. We couldn't agree more. 🍂

You’re now fully up to date, Hertford.

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