Walk 23: Hatfield-Wildhill-Brookmans Park

8.5 miles (13.7 km) with 182m total ascent

 

A station-to-station linear walk from Hatfield station, along the Lea Valley and over to West End, Essendon and then via Wildhill to Brookmans Park. Ideal if you want to leave the car at home and have a few pints along the way. The route can be muddy in places after rain. Some gentle hill climbing involved.

Directions

Map for Walk 23: Hatfield-Wildhill-Brookmans Park
Click on the map for a larger version
Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors
There is a larger interactive map embedded at 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.

1: Leave Hatfield station and cross the road (location - https://w3w.co/issues.smug.cake) and head E down Arm And Sword Lane that runs alongside The Great Northern pub.

2: At the bottom of the lane, turn left on Park Street and go under the viaduct. Continue until you reach The Old Hertford Road (location - https://w3w.co/rents.think.action).

* There are two pubs close to this point if you turn left on Park Street. They are The Horse and Groom and The Eight Bells.

3: Turn right on The Old Hertford Road until you meet Hertford Road, turn right, cross over the A414 and take the footpath on your right as soon as you cross the bridge (location - https://w3w.co/orange.crib.fields).

4: Turn right here and head ESE then E for 280m passing Mill Green Museum on your left and continuing until you reach Mill Green Lane (location - https://w3w.co/always.grew.ledge).

5: At the point where Mill Green Lane joins the A414 to Hertford take the footpath to your left (location - https://w3w.co/invest.flops.jumpy), which continues along the N side of the A414 heading E for 870m. This is part of the Lea Valley Walk and can be a bit noisy.

6: Head ENE and E for 840m along the north side of the A414 until you reach Gypsy Lane (location - https://w3w.co/orbit.soil.island). Here you turn right and cross the A414 (needless to say great care is required to cross this busy dual carriageway).

Once on the other side of the A414 head SSE down the lane for 310m passing a wood mill on your right, and follow the lane as it bends to the left to a bridge over the River Lea. This is Hatfield bridleway 75.

7: As soon as you cross the River Lea turn left then follow the road for 230m until it turns sharply to the right (location - https://w3w.co/clocks.join.ties).

8: At this point you take the track straight ahead. The first 60m of this path is still Hatfield bridleway 75, but the track then crosses the parish boundary (location - https://w3w.co/parent.final.dwell) at which point it becomes Essendon bridleway 6. Continue along this bridleway heading E and following the southern bank of the River Lea for 820m until you reach a bridleway on your right. This is Essendon bridleway 10, which heads S (location - https://w3w.co/limbs.adding.appeal).

9: Turn right and continue heading S on this bridleway for 1.5km until you emerge on West End Lane (location - https://w3w.co/grew.flag.milky).

10: Here you turn right and follow the lane round to The Candlestick pub and restaurant (location - https://w3w.co/calculating.axed.pets). Take the footpath on the left just before you reach the pub, Essendon footpath 13, and follow it ESE for 430m until you reach a bridleway junction (location - https://w3w.co/retail.vets.wire). This is Essendon BOAT 14 (Byway Open to All Traffic).

11: Turn right on Essendon BOAT 14 and follow it SE, S, and SW for 1.5km until you come to West End Lane again.

12: Turn left, drop down the hill until you reach Wildhill. Turn left at Wildhill and refreshments can be taken at The Woodman.

13: Continue through The Woodman car park heading for a footpath in the SSW corner (location - https://w3w.co/gravel.like.racks). This is Essendon footpath 84. Follow it SSW for 230m, cross a footbridge (note, this bit can be boggy), continue through another gate, cross a field, and cross another footbridge before turning left and going through another gate (location - https://w3w.co/noting.slams.liability) where you turn right.

14: Now head SW then SSW for 200m with the hedge on your right and the field on your left until you reach a gap in the hedgerow on your right (location - https://w3w.co/slam.watch.zones). Go through this gap and head SW up the hill for 210m with the hedge on your right and the field on your left until the path goes diagonally SSW uphill.

15: At the top of the hill (location - https://w3w.co/meant.groom.lately) keep the woodland on your right and the field on your left and continue heading SW for 270m until you reach Grubbs Lane (location - https://w3w.co/movies.begun.sadly).

16: Turn left and walk SE along Grubbs Lane for 60m looking out for a footpath on the right. This is Hatfield footpath 83 which you follow heading SW for 730m through a field, over a footbridge, across another field, through a small copse (at this point, look out for the remains of the WWII Tett turret on your right, location - https://w3w.co/smashes.vocab.tent), and across a third field before reaching the corner of Woodside Lane and the A1000, Great North Road (location - https://w3w.co/stored.crisis.barks).

17: Cross The Great North Road and head SSE down Bell Lane.

* You can take a short detour by turning left and heading SE at this point for refreshments at The Cock Of The North or The Dutch Marketplace cafe further along.

Continue down Bell Lane heading S for 450m until the lane bends to the left at the top of the hill. Here you take North Mymms footpath 33 on your right (location - https://w3w.co/fight.tested.level).

18: Take this path then follow it W for 1.2km with the fields on your right and woodland on your left until you reach Bulls Lane (location - https://w3w.co/insect.brush.helps).

19: Turn left on North Mymms footpath 33 then head WNW along the south side of Bulls Lane for 460m until you go under Skimpan’s Bridge, which carries the East Coast Mainline.

20: After the bridge turn left along North Mymms footpath 34 (location - https://w3w.co/traps.sudden.films) then follow it SSE for 110m with the railway on your left until the path bends to the right and heads SW for 210m before dropping down to a set of steps then bends to the right before reaching the North Mymms Community Centre car park (location - https://w3w.co/boxer.field.models).

21: Turn left on Station Road and follow it S for 1km to Brookmans Park station. There are several shops, cafes, restaurants and a pub, Brookmans, serving refreshments in the village.

Interactive Map

---