14 miles (22.5 km) with 305m total ascent
 |
| Flowers along a footpath on Walk 41: The Northaw Loop |
Please note that this route involves walking along Carbone Hill (points 15 to 16) and Cucumber Lane (18 to 19) where there is no pedestrian pavement. Both sections are part of the official The Hertfordshire Way, however walking groups or those walking with children might want to choose a different walk for safety reasons.
Getting there
There is a bus stop outside The Woodman which is served by the number 200 and 201 buses. There are also bus stops outside The Crown in Newgate Street served by the number 308 and 380 buses. You can check bus times at Intalink.
Fly through preview of walk
If you want to check what sort of landscape you will be crossing before you set off on this walk you can view a short 3D video of the route below. It's created using the free version of Relive.
Directions
 |
| Map for Walk 41: The Northaw Loop Click on the map for a larger version Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors There is an interactive map embedded at the end of these directions |
1: From Brookmans Park’s Bradmore Green (location - https://w3w.co/washed.fake.hammer) head SE along Bluebridge Road for 400m before taking the second road on your left, Bluebridge Avenue. Head 180m ENE to the end and enter Moffats Open Space via a gate (location - https://w3w.co/create.enjoy.vets).
2: Turn right and continue heading SE towards a gap in the hedge, go through the gap and turn left heading E with the hedgerow on your left and the field on your right for 310m until you reach a gap in the hedge (location - https://w3w.co/bravo.courier.humid).
3: Go through a gap in the hedgerow and turn right into Gobions Wood. Head SSW for 430m until you reach a wooden bridge, cross the bridge and climb to the path slightly to your right heading SW for 75m until you reach a footpath (location - https://w3w.co/monks.agenda.quest).
4: Turn left on North Mymms footpath 11 and head SE along the southern edge of Gobions Wood for 170m. Cross a wooden bridge, go through a gate (location - https://w3w.co/drain.lower.inch), and then cross a field, heading SE for 480m and then SSE for 190m towards Folly Arch in the distance. Continue until you reach Hawkshead Road (location - https://w3w.co/change.island.spices).
5: Turn left and head ESE for 110m to Swanley Bar Lane where you turn left and head E for 700m to the A1000 Great North Road (location - https://w3w.co/wide.losses.empty).
6: Turn right and follow the A1000 SSE for 300m, heading up the hill until you reach a right-hand bend. Although busy at times, this road is okay to walk along because there is a good path alongside.
7: On the bend you will see a footpath sign on the E side of the road (location - https://w3w.co/woes.added.hooks). Cross and take North Mymms footpath 49 SE for 700m. This is a narrow path with fields on your left and a hedge on your right. Continue along this path until you reach a patch of woodland. Here you will see a path go off to your left. Ignore it. Your way is straight ahead through the woodland with a small brook on your right.
8: At the end of the woodland you will come to a footpath T-junction (location - https://w3w.co/reap.depend.shall). Turn left on North Mymms footpath 4, and head E for 430m keeping the garden fences on your right, until you emerge on the B156 Coopers Lane at the junction of Well Road and Judge’s Hill (location - https://w3w.co/spell.keep.gums).
9: Cross the road, and then head ENE then SE along Judge’s Hill, the B156 for 720m. This road has a good pavement for pedestrians. Follow this road until you get to Northaw.
10: When you reach Vineyards Road (location - https://w3w.co/broom.parade.puff) turn left and head NE for 660m downhill until the road swings left by some woodland with a lay-by on your right. Here you will see a footpath sign on your right (location - https://w3w.co/left.intend.pace).
11: Take that path, Northaw footpath 1, and head ENE and the SE for 1km. This is a pleasant tree-lined path with fields on both sides. Continue along as it turns sharp right at Hempshill Brook. Follow it round as it heads SE to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/jars.depend.sheets).
12: You turn left and continue on Northaw footpath 1 and follow the path up a steep, tree-lined hill heading NE until you reach the B157, The Ridgeway, in Cuffley (location - https://w3w.co/mimic.anyone.mount).
13: Turn left and cross the road continuing NW for 200m until you reach Hanyards Lane on your right (location - https://w3w.co/public.rich.hype). Turn right here and head NE for 690m along Hanyards Lane dropping down to Hill Rise. Turn left on Hill Rise and continue until it reaches Tolmers Road (location - https://w3w.co/back.urban.elder).
14: Turn left on Tolmers Road and follow it to the end where you will enter Home Wood. There is a bench here if you want to stop for a snack (location - https://w3w.co/paying.mason.nurses). Continue through Home Wood on North Mymms footpath 2 for 640m until you reach Caborne Hill where it crosses Cuffley Brook (location - https://w3w.co/factories.angle.frock).
15: Turn right and follow Caborne Hill NE for 880m until you reach Newgate Street.
* This part of the walk needs care. Although it is officially part of the Hertfordshire Chain Walk, a long-distance path, there is no pavement for pedestrians. For much of the way there is a verge, so you are fine, but there is one section as you approach Newgate Street where the verge disappears. Proceed with caution. If traffic approaches push into the hedgerow (there is enough space), but traffic does race along this road and you will need to be alert.16: When you reach Newgate Street Village turn left.
* At this point you could visit two pubs in Newgate Street, The Crown and The Coach and Horses.After 70m you will reach New Park Road on your left (location - https://w3w.co/foam.fled.mount). Follow this road as it heads WNW for 1.7km. The road will eventually becomes a track, Hatfield restricted byway 88. Keep walking with the farm on your left and fields on your right. This is a lovely stretch with great views on both sides.
17: When this path turns sharp right (location - https://w3w.co/feed.react.theme) continue on it, ignoring a path to your left, and head NNW until you reach Tylers Causeway.
18: Turn left, cross the road and, after passing a few houses on your right, turn right on Cucumber Lane (location - https://w3w.co/blank.hungry.counts). Head NW for 470m along Cucumber Lane until you reach a right-hand bend with a bridleway sign on the left (location - https://w3w.co/poker.zoom.noisy).
19: Take this path, Essendon bridleway 10, and head NW for 1.3km through a Hornbeam wood and then along a paved road until you reach the last house on the left (location - https://w3w.co/fits.bottom.expect).
20: Take the path, Essendon footpath 20, along the side of a house. When you reach a gate make sure you head to the right of the bush ahead, and not to the left and continue SW with the field on your right and the hedgerow on your left for 190m until you reach another gate leading in the SW corner of the field leading to footbridge (location - https://w3w.co/closet.below.entertainer). Here you turn right on Essendon footpath 19 then head NW for 210m until you reach the B158 at the top of Wildhill Lane. Turn left then head SSW down the E side of the B158 for 310m until you reach a footpath sign on your right (location - https://w3w.co/frozen.flank.museum).
21: Take this path, Hatfield footpath 85 NW for 540m as it goes across three fields and down to the car park at The Woodman (location - https://w3w.co/sprint.cheek.answer).
22: Once you are in The Woodman car park you will see a gate at the SW end. To find this gate walk from the pub to the end of the car park but take the right-hand branch which leads to the path (location - https://w3w.co/newly.wiser.open). This is path, Hatfield footpath 84, and follow it for 280m through a gate, across the first field (this first bit can be soggy), across a footbridge, through another gate, across another field, and over another footbridge. Immediately after the footbridge turn left and go through another gate and then emerge in a field (location - https://w3w.co/cook.fund.golf).
23: Turn right, keeping the hedge on your right and the field on your left, and continue for 490m as the path curves round to the left and heads SW. Go through a gap in the hedgerow (location - https://w3w.co/slam.watch.zones). Turn diagonally right and then left and head SW with the hedge on your right and the field on your left climbing the hill with woodland straight ahead.
24: When you reach a path cut through the crop follow it for 400m climbing to the top of the hill where there are excellent views back towards Wildhill (location - https://w3w.co/leaps.warm.canny). Continue SW following the path until it emerges on Grubbs Lane (location - https://w3w.co/song.remind.small).
25: Turn left on Grubbs Lane and head SE for 75m looking for path on your right into another field (location - https://w3w.co/long.train.glitz). Follow this path, Hatfield footpath 83 SW for 730m across two fields, through a small plantation, (at this point, look out for the remains of the WWII Tett turret on your right), across a third field, and emerge on Woodside Lane by a garage (location - https://w3w.co/stored.crisis.barks).
* At this point you can turn left to visit either The Cock o' The North or The Dutch Marketplace for refreshments. There is also a shop at the garage.
26: Turn left on Woodside Lane and cross the A1000 Great North Road at Bell Bar and head down Bell Lane. Continue along Bell Lane for 480m until you reach a left-hand bend at the top (location - https://w3w.co/accent.kicked.hits).
27: Take the footpath on your right, North Mymms footpath 33, for 1.1km following it with the woodland on your left and the field on the right as it heads NWW until it meets Bulls Lane (location - https://w3w.co/dance.priced.deed).
28: Turn left and take the path running alongside the lane, still North Mymms footpath 33, for 440m to Skimpans Bridge.
29: Immediately after the railway bridge take the footpath on your left, North Mymms footpath 34 (location - https://w3w.co/staple.pram.patch), and head S for 430m first alongside the railway, then to the right of a football pitch before turning SW through woodland and emerging at the North Mymms Youth and Community Centre car park. Cross the car park road and continue along North Mymms footpath 34 until you reach Station Road in Welham Green (location - https://w3w.co/twins.upset.cherry).
30: Turn right on Station Road and head NW for 170m until you reach a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/hurt.landed.transit).
* At this point you could continue along Station Road for 220m to visit The Sibthorpe Arms.Cross the road and take this path, North Mymms footpath 8, as it heads SW across a field for 650m and enters woodland.
31: At a footpath junction head SW, now on North Mymms footpath 32 for 70m before cutting through woodland (location - https://w3w.co/orchestra.rings.noon) and heading SW on North Mymms footpath 30 for 170m down to a footbridge and up to a field (location - https://w3w.co/sorry.stole.galaxy). Turn left and follow North Mymms footpath 30 SW and W for 280m until you reach the cycle track along Swanland Road.
32: Turn left on the cycle track and head SSE for 180m until you reach Warrengate Lane on your left.
33: Turn left on Warrengate Lane, pass The Woodman Inn on your left, and follow it SSE for 450m until you reach Bradmore Lane (location - https://w3w.co/poems.news.chase).
34: Turn left on Bradmore Lane and follow NE and E for 1.2km until you reach Station Road (location - https://w3w.co/every.swift.soak).
35: Turn right on Station Road and head S back to Brookmans Park where there is a pub, Brookmans, and restaurants, a cafe and shops.
Did this in August 2021,an excellent walk overall, although the advertised unpleasant stretch along a road was not great - fairly busy with high speed traffic and minimal verges. The path at section 7 was very rough going, overgrown with nettles and brambl
ReplyDeleteDid this in August 2021,an excellent walk overall, although the advertised unpleasant stretch along a road was not great - fairly busy with high speed traffic and minimal verges. The path at section 7 was very rough going, overgrown with nettles and brambles, narrow and uneven. Part 31 I couldn't follow, no obvious cut through the woodland, but found a different way to join up with the path.
ReplyDeleteGripes aside, a lovely afternoon with some excellent views and a good amount of variety. Pub stops are still going strong.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteYes, I totally agree. That bit is not pleasant. But it is the only way to create a loop. And that route is part of the official Hertfordshire Way, so it seems others have found it hard to work out an alternative.
But sorry it was difficult.
And yes, there are many sections overgrown with nettles and brambles late August. We recommend people wear long trousers, and we take secateurs and anti-hystamine cream this time of the year.
But glad you enjoyed it. And thanks for the feedback.
David