Walk 73: Hatfield to Brookmans Park North-West Linear

7.6 miles (12.3 km) with 136m total ascent

The path leading up to Redwell Wood

The walk starts outside the Galleria in Hatfield and heads south along the route of the old railway branch-line from Hatfield to St Albans. You will pass the restored station of Nast Hyde Halt, walk for almost two miles down a tree-lined byway, cross Colney Heath common, then climb the hill over to North Mymms across Potwell Valley with its meadows and swallow holes. Eventually you drop down to Water End and cross the swallow holes before crossing the fields to Brookmans Park.

Directions

Map for Walk 73: Hatfield to Brookmans Park North-West Linear
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Catch the 610 Uno bus from Brookmans Park or Welham Green to the Galleria in Hatfield (location - https://w3w.co/dollar.grand.hurls). As you approach the Galleria the bus swings left down College Lane and then takes another 10 minutes going round the University of Hertfordshire before returning and arriving at the Galleria bus stop, so you could jump off a stop before the Galleria to save 10 mins.

1: Head NW from the bus stop looking out for a sign on your left immediately after you cross the A1(M). Take this path, Hatfield footpath 184 (location - https://w3w.co/supporter.lively.limbs), and head SW for 200m with the A1(M) on your left until a path turns to your right under a bridge (location - https://w3w.co/allows.goat.lifted).

You are now on the Alban Way, which follows the route of the former Hatfield to St Albans railway line.

Follow the path SW for 1.1km as it goes through a small housing estate and then crosses Ellenbrook Lane. Cross the lane and continue heading SW. Immediately after Ellenbrook Lane you will pass through the restored Nast Hyde Halt, one of the stations on the old line.

Nast Hyde Halt on the Alban Way

It's worth stopping here to explore the community effort that has preserved some of this railway history.

Nast Hyde Halt on the Alban Way

The video below, shot by North Mymms resident and photographer, Ron Kingdon in 1968, shows this line when it was operating.

Continue walking SW following the track until you see a byway on your left. This is Colney Heath BOAT 52 (byway open to all traffic), although it is also registered as Hatfield BOAT 26 (location - https://w3w.co/quick.retail.engage).

* At this point you could make a short detour to The Plough at Sheepshyde by continuing WSW for 210m before taking a path on your left and head SSW for 330m to the pub.

The byway heading S from the Alban Way

2: Turn left and follow this byway as it weaves its way SW and SE for 620m until it crosses the A414 North Orbital Road (location - https://w3w.co/vase.unwanted.civic).

Follow the byway on the other side of the A414, now Colney Heath restricted byway 51, and head SSE and S for 830m. It becomes a gravel road at the point where a large concrete cube blocks the byway but you continue until you reach a footpath intersection just before a new estate of houses (location - https://w3w.co/name.privately.senses). If you reach the houses you have gone too far.

The footpath junction at E of Colney Heath and N of Roestock

3: At this intersection take the path that goes off to your right, Colney Heath footpath 24 and follow it as it bends to your left heading SW behind the backs of the houses.

Continue for 500m with the houses on your left and the field on your right. Follow this path over a number of fields, still heading SW, until you reach Colney Heath High Street (location - https://w3w.co/ground.struck.pepper).

* At this point you could take a short detour to visit The Crooked Billet by turning right and heading NW along the lane for 430m.

4: Cross the road and turn left. Soon after the shops turn right to reach the common. You will see a coal post in front of you (location - https://w3w.co/ports.invest.humans).

A coal post at Colney Heath

Head SW and climb the path to reach Coursers Road. Here you turn right, cross the bridge, and take the gravel track on your right (location - https://w3w.co/cove.dimes.front).

The gravel track leading SW from Colney Heath

Continue heading SSW down this track for 230m until you reach a wooden gate on your left leading to another part of Colney Heath Common (location - https://w3w.co/alarm.builds.tins).

The gate leading south and SE towards Coursers Road

5: Take this path and head SE, diagonally across the field for 200m. You will come to a gap in the hedgerow (location - https://w3w.co/trials.tones.jars) and your way is ESE to your left with the hedgerow on your left and the field on your right. You are aiming for the wooden gate in the far corner of the field.

The gate leading from the common land to Coursers Road

Go through the gate and turn right heading S with Coursers Road on your left and the field on your right.

The path bends round following Coursers Road and you continue, now walking SW for 300m on Ridge bridleway 32, until you reach a path on your left which crosses Coursers Road and enters Coursers Farm (location - https://w3w.co/tiger.dinner.crowds).

The footpath sign by the gap where the path crosses Coursers Road

6: You are now on Ridge footpath 8. Follow the white markers with yellow arrows through the farm until you leave the farm buildings behind and have a track ahead of you (location - https://w3w.co/memory.moment.wished). On your right will be an industrial site with machinery. You continue straight heading S.

The track heading south from Coursers Farm

7: When you reach a group of portable buildings and containers (location - https://w3w.co/valley.chip.things) you turn left (see image below) and follow the white sign which is marked 'permissive path' and follow this SSE then WSW for 600m looking out for a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/hammer.deflection.given).

Take the permissive path and head SSE

Turn left and head SSE on Ridge footpath 8 crossing several fields. There are way-marked post set up to guide you (see image below).

Follow the way-marked signposts and cross several fields

At one point, close to the top of the hill, you take a right turn followed by a left turn and then continue through the crops.

Follow the way-marked signposts and climb the hill

You will pass through a field that had grazing shire horses the day we did this. They were friendly.

8: When you reach the buildings at top of the hill (location - https://w3w.co/oven.shadow.carry), turn left and follow the Ridge bridleway 10 NE.

At this point there are some great views over the Hertfordshire countryside to the NW and W. You can see St Albans cathedral on a good day. Continue NE. On your right is Redwell Wood.

The path leading NE to Potwells Valley with Redwell Wood on the right

9: Follow the path through the woods until you reach a gate opening out a great view to the NE over North Mymms (location - https://w3w.co/words.cared.heave). This is Potwells Valley. There is an interesting feature about the geology of this area on the North Mymms History Project in a feature entitled The Natural History Around Water End.

Potwells Valley looking NE over North Mymms

Continue heading NE, now on Ridge footpath 29 as it drops down the hill to reach a crossing in the track (location - https://w3w.co/ballots.froth.tuned).

Cross the track and continue heading NE now on North Mymms footpath 44 to a wooden footbridge. Cross the bridge and then climb though the field to a gate leading to North Mymms bridleway 91 running NE alongside the S of Cangsley Grove (location - https://w3w.co/crib.leave.sides).

Turn right on this path and continue through the woods. You will cross another track, and continue NE, now on North Mymms bridleway 1 for 1.2km until you reach a track (location - https://w3w.co/backed.rocks.switch) running along the W side of the A1(M). This is North Mymms BOAT 5. Here you turn left and head N until you reach Tollgate Road (location - https://w3w.co/simple.bench.oils). Turn right on Tollgate Road and head N walking under the footbridge.

10: Just after the footbridge take the path on your left (location - https://w3w.co/weep.tools.agrees). This is North Mymms bridleway 82, as it climbs left and over the footbridge crossing the A1(M). Drop down to the other side where the path emerges on Swanland Road. Cross Swanland Road and walk SE down Warrengate Road until you reach The Woodman Inn (location - https://w3w.co/task.wonderfully.cares).

11: Here you turn left on the North Mymms footpath 7 immediately after The Woodman Inn and follow it round over the swallow holes climbing through the woods at the other side to reach an open field (location - https://w3w.co/horses.winner.again).

The swallow holes at Water End

The swallow holes at Water End

12: At the open field turn right then follow the North Mymms footpath 8 round to the right with the field on your left and the hedgerow on your right. Head for the SW corner of this field then cut through the hedgerow to reach Bradmore Lane (location - https://w3w.co/whips.forks.trout). Here you turn left then follow the lane to Station Road where you turn right, cross the railway bridge and arrive in Brookmans Park.

There are many opportunities for refreshments in Brookmans Park, including Tealicious (location - https://w3w.co/solve.lace.flag), Brookmans Bakery (location - https://w3w.co/meant.roof.chill), and Brookmans pub/restaurant (location - https://w3w.co/prone.cycle.straw).

If you are on Facebook and would like to discuss this walk with fellow-walkers, please join our friendly Facebook group where members are sharing photographs and comments about their walks in the Hertfordshire countryside.

Interactive map

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