The Hertfordshire Way is a circular walk around the
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
of
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For gov ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. The total length is which was originally fully waymarked in the anticlockwise direction but is now waymarked in both directions. One section has two optional routes reducing the possible length to .
The walk is mainly in open countryside, some less than 20 miles from central
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, but also passes through the historic city of
St Albans
St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman ...
, the
County town
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...
of
Hertford
Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census.
The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, n ...
and the towns of
Royston
Royston may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Royston, Queensland, a rural locality
Canada
* Royston, British Columbia, a small hamlet
England
*Royston, Hertfordshire, a town and civil parish, formerly partly in Cambridgeshire
* Royston, South Yorks ...
and
Bishop’s Stortford
Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, just west of the M11 motorway on the county boundary with Essex, north-east of central London, and by rail from Liverpool Street station. Stortford had an estimated po ...
. A number of the smaller, attractive villages of Hertfordshire are also encompassed in the route.
The route is formally divided into 16 sections most of which are accessible using public transport but as a circular walk it can be used to suit the wishes of the walker.
The walk was planned and is cared for by The Friends of the Hertfordshire Way, who are affiliated with the
Ramblers Association
The Ramblers is the trading name of the Ramblers Association, Great Britain's leading walking charity. The Ramblers is also a membership organisation with around 100,000 members and a network of volunteers who maintain and protect the path ...
. Funding for maintenance of way marks etc. is provided through subscriptions and donations to the group and sale of the guidebook.
History
The route originally started development in 1995 as part of the celebrations to mark 60 years of the Ramblers Association but it was not until 1996 that the route was officially established with the first issue of the guidebook published in 1998. At that time it was in length. Over subsequent years amendments and additions have been made. A second edition was published in 2009. A third edition was published in 2017 () and is available from the Friends of Hertfordshire Way. The third edition builds on the previous editions and makes adjustments to the route to avoid recent housing and highway developments and also to address a small number of access concerns. These changes particularly affect legs 7,8,12 and 13.
Route
The route is divided into 16 legs the shortest being around and the longest in length. The route starts in North East Hertfordshire at Royston.
Leg 1
Royston to Wallington. This leg is just over and passes across Therfield Heath and along parts of the ridge of North Hertfordshire with long views over Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. Pasque Flowers can be seen around Easter on Therfield Heath. The route passes through the villages of Therfield, Kelshall and Sandon before arriving at Wallington. Wallington is one of the few places with poor public transport.
Leg 2
Wallington to Little Wymondley. This leg is about and passes through the villages of Clothall, Weston and Graveley. After passing under the A1M it continues west before turning south through Great Wymondley to finish at Little Wymondley.
Leg 3
Little Wymondley to Codicote. This leg is about . Soon after the start of this leg there is a difficult crossing of the A602 before heading to Titmore Green. The route continues south through Almshoebury, St Pauls Walden, with connections to
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was th ...
(Bowes-Lyon), and Whitwell before arriving at Codicote.
Leg 4
Codicote to St Albans. This leg is about passing through Ayot St. Lawrence and
Shaw's Corner
Shaw's Corner was the primary residence of the renowned Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw; it is now a National Trust property open to the public as a writer's house museum. Inside the house, the rooms remain much as Shaw left them, and the g ...
(George Bernard Shaw), Wheathampstead, Coleman Green and Sandridge and having skirted the north of St Albans finishes at Verulam Museum illustrating the Roman history of the town.
Leg 5
St Albans to Markyate. This leg is approximately via the villages of Redbourn and Flamstead.
Leg 6
Markyate to Tring Station. This leg is . The route goes via Great and Little Gaddesden to the National Trust open space of the Ashridge Estate where you have a good chance of seeing fallow deer before descending to Aldbury and Tring Station.
Leg 7
Tring Station to Kings Langley. This is the longest leg being . The route follows the southern edge of the Ashridge Estate, crosses Berkhamsted common then turns south to Berkhamsted castle then joining the Grand Union Canal to Bourne End. Finally it leaves the Bulbourne valley via a steady climb to reach Bovingdon, Chipperfield and the descent to Kings Langley. This leg can be divided into two shorter sections, typically around Berkhamsted.
Leg 8
Kings Langley to Shenley. This leg is . The route remains mainly in open countryside despite its proximity to the M25 corridor and Hemel Hempstead, Watford and St. Albans passing through Abbotts Langley, Aldenham and Letchmore Heath.
Leg 9
Shenley to Cuffley. This leg is . The route passes South Mimms and the northern edge of Potters Bar and Northaw to reach Cuffley.
Leg 10
Cuffley to Hertford. This is the original route of the walk but legs 10A and 10B provide an alternative to Hertford. This leg is just over almost all in rolling countryside via Newgate Street, Essendon, Little Berkhamsted and Bayford to finish in the County town of Hertford.
Leg 10A
Cuffley to Broxbourne. This is the first stage of the alternative route to Hertford. The leg is just over via Goffs Oak and Hammond Street then skirting Hoddesdon in woodland before arriving in Broxbourne.
Leg 10B
Broxbourne to Hertford. This is the second stage of the alternative route to Hertford; it is long. The route starts following the river Lea to Rye House and Stansted Abbotts before briefly entering the Ash valley and then resuming with the river Lea from Great Amwell in to Hertford.
Leg 11
Hertford to Widford. This leg is . This route follows three tributaries of the river Lea; the Beane as far as Stapleford, the Rib from Wadesmill to Thundridge and the Ash from Wareside.
Leg 12
Widford to Bishop’s Stortford. This leg is almost . The route initially follows the river Ash to Much Hadham before heading to Perry Green former home of
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. As well as sculpture, Mo ...
and then on to Green Tye, Dane Bridge and Bury Green toward the river Stort and Bishop’s Stortford. The walk ends on the outskirts of town.
Leg 13
Bishop’s Stortford to Hare Street. This leg is a little over almost all in the open countryside of North East Hertfordshire.It passes Cradle End and Millfield Cottages prior to crossing the A120 at Stone House Farm. It rejoins the original route at Hadham Hall. Finally it passes through Upwick Green, Patmore Heath and Little Hornmead to finish in Hare Street
Leg 14
Hare Street to Royston. The final leg is again in open countryside some with long views north as the escarpment is reached and passing the villages of Great Hornmead, Little Hornmead, and Ansty. Approaching Nuthampstead you pass the WW2 airfield and USAF Memorial to 398 squadron before completing the trail at Royston via Barkway and Reed.
Connecting Trails
The following trails intersect with the Hertfordshire Way:
* Ridgeway National Trail
*
Icknield Way
The Icknield Way is an ancient trackway in southern and eastern England that runs from Norfolk to Wiltshire. It follows the chalk escarpment that includes the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills.
Background
It is generally said to be, wi ...
Lea Valley Walk
The Lea Valley Walk is a long-distance path located between Leagrave, the source of the River Lea near Luton, and the Thames, at Limehouse Basin, Limehouse, east London. From its source much of the walk is rural. At Hertford the path follows t ...
*
Chiltern Way
The Chiltern Way is a waymarked long-distance footpath in the Chiltern Hills of southern England. It was created by the Chiltern Society as a Millennium project.
Route
The Chiltern Way runs for around .Hertfordshire Chain Walk
*
Harcamlow Way
The Harcamlow Way is a waymarked walking route in England running in a figure-of-eight from Harlow to Cambridge and back again, hence its portmanteau name. On the way it runs through Essex, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The route is 141 mile ...
Transport
The eastern side of the County (Broxbourne, Hertford and Bishops Stortford) are served by rail from London Liverpool Street station. The north east (Royston, Letchworth, Cuffley and Hertford) are served from London Kings Cross or Moorgate. The centre (St Albans) is served by Thameslink from St Pancras whilst the west (Kings Langley, Berkhamsted and Tring) are served from London Euston. Full details of rail services and intermediate stations can be obtained fro National Rail
Details of local bus services can be obtained using either th Intalink website or both rail and bus vi Traveline South East
Maps
The route is identified on the following OS Explorer (1:25000) maps: 174; 181; 182; 193; 194;