Walk 22: The North Mymms Way

11.8 miles (19 km) with 234m total ascent

The path along Foxes Lane near Welham Green mentioned in point 13 below

A half-day walk, keeping, as close as possible using public footpaths, bridleway, byways, permissive paths, and quiet lanes to the boundary of the historic parish of North Mymms in south Hertfordshire, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Allow four to five hours.

The idea for the North Mymms Way came to me as I was writing an article for The North Mymms History Project about a centuries-old tradition called 'Beating The Bounds'.

It involved a 17.5 mile walk along the parish boundary to visit, and ceremonially claim on behalf of the parish, various landmarks along the way.

Beating the bounds in August 1950
Image courtesy of the Images of North Mymms collection

Beating The Bounds last happened in the '90s. So I thought it would be nice to create a long-distance walk which did something similar. Unlike the original route, which followed the actual parish boundary, much of which is on private land, this walk keeps to footpaths, byways, and lanes.

North Mymms Parish Council (NMPC) has published a free brochure based on this walk, which I have embedded at the foot of these directions.

Fly over the route before you set off

If you want to check what sort of landscape the long version of this walk covers before setting off you can view a short 3D video of the route below. It's created using the free version of Relive.

Directions

Map for Walk 22: The North Mymms Way
Click here or on the map above for a larger version
Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors
There is an interactive map at the foot of this page

Those with GPS devices can download GPX or KML files for this walk. We've added What3Words location references for those who use that system. If you print these walks you might want to use the green PrintFriendly icon at the bottom of these directions to delete elements such as photographs.

For those travelling by car, there are three free parking spots marked on the map with a blue and white marker They are:

• in the North Mymms Parish Council car park off Jonas Way, Brookmans Park (location - https://w3w.co/complains.decay.fishery)
• along St Mary's Church Road (location - https://w3w.co/light.forgot.hike)
• at the top of Black Horse Lane (location - https://w3w.co/fine.bonus.impose).

For those travelling by train, the route passes both Brookmans Park and Welham Green stations. And for those travelling by bus there are a number of bus routes serving the area. Please use the Intalink service to find bus timetables. There is restricted parking in Brookmans Park and Welham Green and surrounding roads (check signs), but you can pay to park in the station car parks.

1: Starting in the village of Brookmans Park, cross the railway bridge then head N along Station Road for 160m.

North Mymms footpath 9 heading S alongside Station Road

2: Just before you reach Bradmore Lane on your left, look out for a footpath on your left (location - https://w3w.co/horses.save.drop). Take this path, North Mymms footpath 9, then head S through a tunnel of trees and bushes.

3: After 590m you will reach a footbridge over Raybrook (location - https://w3w.co/sooner.unwanted.chops). Cross the brook, turn right at the gate, then follow North Mymms footpath 11 W for 300m with the field on your left and Raybrook on your right. At the end of the field, cross the footbridge on your right. As soon as you have crossed the bridge, turn left then head for a gate leading to a continuation of the footpath through woodland (location - https://w3w.co/refers.change.driver). This is known as Wise’s Lane, although it is no more than a footpath. Continue W along this footpath for 570m until it dips downs, becomes a wooden elevated walkway, emerges at a concrete bridge across Mymmshall Brook (stop here to try to spot a kingfisher), and ends on Warrengate Road (location - https://w3w.co/keep.decreased.swing).

4: Turn left on Warrengate Road then head S for 600m until you reach the last house on your right (location - https://w3w.co/desk.chart.wing). Here you turn right and walk up to Swanland Road.

5: Cross Swanland Road then take the byway directly opposite. This is North Mymms restricted byway 83, which turns sharp left then leads round to a footbridge over the A1(M). At the other side of the motorway, head SW along North Mymms restricted byway 3 heading up the hill and through pine woods for 1.7km until you reach a cottage on the right (location - https://w3w.co/kept.boats.voter).

6: Here your way is sharp right heading N and uphill for 720m until you reach a cottage on your left just before a clearing (location - https://w3w.co/shelf.jolly.woke). Walk on past the cottage and continue along North Mymms bridleway 2 for 1.8km as it heads N and dips down the secluded Potwells valley and up over a hill, through Cangsley Grove, then NNE through woodland to join St Mary’s Church Road and St Mary’s church (location - https://w3w.co/nurse.outfit.places) on the left.

7: Turn left into St Mary’s churchyard then continue past the left side of the church until you reach the W entrance in the tower (the second door).

St Mary's Church, North Mymms

Here you will see a footpath on your left heading through the gravestones (location - https://w3w.co/stress.gather.spell). It is marked with small green posts and leads down to a metal gate into the grounds of North Mymms Park.

The footpath from St Mary's Church

Follow this footpath, North Mymms footpath 29, for 300m heading NW as it crosses parkland, then over the drive to North Mymms House, and then across a footbridge over the River Colne (location - https://w3w.co/drape.elaborate.frost).

Continue heading NW for 370m following the marker posts until you reach a gate leading to Tollgate Road (location - https://w3w.co/hungry.assume.congratulations).

8: Cross the road then turn left on a permissive path that runs NW inside the field and along the E side of Tollgate Road for 200m until you reach another metal gate (location - https://w3w.co/riders.labels.gallons).

Here you turn right and take North Mymms footpath 55 heading NE for 520m across the field passing a line of oaks and continue until you reach the side of the A1(M). Turn left and head NW for 70m walking with the A1(M) on your right. Climb a set of wooden steps (location - https://w3w.co/uses.resort.myself) up to the bridge over the A1(M).

9: Cross the bridge then turn left heading diagonally NNW along North Mymms footpath 52 for 360m  until you reach the hedgerow in the distance (location - https://w3w.co/losses.puddles.deed). This field is rarely cultivated and can be a mass of red poppies in June.

Poppies in the field described in point 9 above

10: Go through the gate then turn right. The bridleway (formerly Dellsome Lane) veers right. Ignore the first path on the left, and keep going until you reach a second path after 380m (location - https://w3w.co/prep.bets.times). Take this byway, North Mymms restricted byway 22, and follow it as it weaves its way NE. At the point where the path emerges in an open field you continue straight along a footpath heading NE, now on North Mymms footpath 23, with the field on your left and the hedgerow on your right. You might want to pick up a stick to push back encroaching nettles.

11: After 790m you will emerge on a footpath from Welham Green to Hatfield (location - https://w3w.co/torch.vent.damage). Turn right on this path, North Mymms footpath 20, and head S until you reach Pooleys Lane on the outskirts of Welham Green.

12: Turn left on Pooleys Lane then follow the road as it veers right, looking out for a path on your left after 240m (location - https://w3w.co/admire.branded.cabin). This path leads to Travellers Close on the Welham Green industrial estate. Continue along Travellers Close until you reach a T-junction with Travellers Lane. The railway line will be straight ahead. Turn right, and, keeping the railway on your left, head SSE until you reach Dixons Hill Road (location - https://w3w.co/bind.ridge.calms).

13: Cross Dixons Hill Road then turn left towards the station. Cross the bridge over the railway then turn right on Foxes Lane (location - https://w3w.co/pigs.when.monkey), which is a BOAT (byway open to all traffic). You will see a caravan park on your right and one on your left. Continue along North Mymms BOAT 84 for 500m until the track turns right (location - https://w3w.co/globe.noon.breath). You now head S then SE for 640m, still on North Mymms BOAT 84, until you reach Bulls Lane (location - https://w3w.co/help.limbs.cheeks).

14: Turn left on Bulls Lane then follow it E and ESE for 650m until you reach a T-junction with Bell Lane in Bell Bar (location - https://w3w.co/found.loops.couches).

15: Turn right on Bell Lane then head S and then NE for 610m as the lane climbs to the A1000.

16: Just before you reach the A1000 (The Great North Road) take the footpath on the right, North Mymms footpath 68, which is a gated road called The Drive (location - https://w3w.co/oppose.margin.panels). Turn right here then continue along The Drive heading SSW for 170m until you reach the top of Pine Grove (location - https://w3w.co/digits.cheese.sentences). Directly ahead of you to the right you will see a footpath running behind Chancellor's School. Take this continuation of North Mymms footpath 68 until you reach Brookmans Park Golf Club on Golf Club Road (location - https://w3w.co/rank.point.activism).

17: Turn left on Golf Club Road then head S until you reach the crossroads with Brookmans Avenue, Georges Wood Road, Mymms Drive, and Golf Club Road (location - https://w3w.co/caged.towns.wooden).

18: Head straight across the junction and continue S for 330m down Mymms Drive passing Moffats Lane on your right. Continue past The Grove on your right and then look out for a footpath on your right between the houses (location - https://w3w.co/shell.seats.puts). This is not a public footpath but is a permissive path leading to the woodland of Gobions Open Space, a North Mymms Parish Council public space.

19: Follow the path SSW through the woodland for 330m until you reach Gobions Pond. Here you turn left then head S towards a gate (location - https://w3w.co/tubes.casino.union). This is one of the entrances to Gobions Wood, a Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust reserve. Again this is a permissive path maintained by the trust.

Yellow flag and water lilies on Gobions Pond in June

20: Walk down this path, still heading S, with the fields on your left and hedgerow on your right. When you enter the wood continue heading S and cross a wood and steel footbridge. Once over the other side, turn right and cross a shorter wood and steel footbridge.

21: Shortly after the second bridge look out for a gate on the left leading to a permissive path (location - https://w3w.co/flip.bravo.brands). Take this permissive footpath then head S for 220m with the hedgerow on the left and the field on the right until you reach a gap in the hedge on your left (location - https://w3w.co/dark.events.demand). Go through the gap and head diagonally SE on North Mymms footpath 11 towards Folly Arch, keeping to the right of the arch until you reach Hawkshead Road (location - https://w3w.co/change.island.spices).

22: Turn right on Hawkshead Road then head W for 320m along the N side of the road past Boltons Park Farm. After passing the farm cross the road then go through a gate leading to a permissive path running parallel to Hawkshead Road heading W (location - https://w3w.co/tone.rather.hails). This path has been created for the benefit of Royal Veterinary College (RVC) students. North Mymms Parish Council was given permission to use this path for the North Mymms Way.

23: After 520m the path rejoins Hawkshead Road at the junction with Hawkshead Lane and Bluebridge Road. Here you turn left, cross Hawkshead Lane, then take another permissive path on the right which turns left then heads W along the N side of Hawkshead Lane inside the field (location - https://w3w.co/robe.wanted.libraries). Continue heading W for 370m until you reach the railway bridge.

24: Cross the railway bridge then take the first footpath on your right (location - https://w3w.co/school.makes.blur), North Mymms footpath 11, then walk N with the railway on your right. Continue on this path for 380m until you reach a footpath n your left (location - https://w3w.co/remote.pill.signal).

25: Take this footpath, a continuation of North Mymms footpath 11, and descend down a steep flight of steps heading NW through bushes to Raybrook at the bottom. Continue heading NW for 300m with the fields on your left and the brook on your right until you reach the gate you went through towards the start of the walk (location - https://w3w.co/jets.swim.second). Turn right on this footpath, North Mymms footpath 9, then head NNE for 550m, retracing your steps back to Station Road where you turn right, cross the railway bridge and return to Brookmans Park.

Interactive Map

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North Mymms Way brochure

This walk was first mapped out, written and published in 2011, and was one of a collection of local walks on the former walks section of the Brookmans Park Newsletter which I set up and edited. All those walks have since been moved here to Hertfordshire Walker.

In late 2017, I suggested that North Mymms Parish Council (NMPC) adopt The North Mymms Way as an official way-marked path. I was invited to give a presentation to councillors setting out the route and the features of the North Mymms Way.

Shortly after, NMPC decided to recognise the route, make it an official long-distance footpath, and publish a brochure to be available free of charge. That brochure is embedded below.

The brochure is available at several locations in the parish, including the council offices in Welham Green, Brookmans Park library, Potterells Medical Centre, and various pubs and community meeting places.

To see the leaflet in full screen view hover over the image below then click on the grey 'pop-out' button at the top right of the image.

For those who prefer to follow the walk on their smartphones you can download free GPX or KML files for this walk.

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