Walk 92: Much Hadham South Loop

4.9 miles (7.8 km) with 91m total ascent

The path through Mill Wood at point 3 on the walk

This is an undulating walk through some open countryside, deep woodland and along a river. At one point you cross the dismantled Buntingford branch line. The walk starts and finishes in the village of Much Hadham.

Directions

Map for Walk 92: Much Hadham South Loop
Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors
There is an interactive map below the directions

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: From Much Hadham village head ESE along Church Lane (location - https://w3w.co/soils.fonts.parade) for 80m to the point where Oudle Lane joins from the S just past the village hall. Here you continue straight ahead for another 40m still heading SE. At the point where the lane turns sharp left, you will see two footpaths on your right (location - https://w3w.co/honest.mimic.gown).

Turn right and take the left-hand path of the two, Much Hadham footpath 23, then follow it as it heads SE for 690m. This footpath is part of the Hertfordshire Way. You will go through a gate, cross a track (location - https://w3w.co/surely.best.start), through another gate and continue heading SE until you reach a lane (location - https://w3w.co/noble.bench.laser).

The route doesn't cross the ford or bridge, but we did in order to take the photo

2: Turn right on the lane then head NW for 60m looking out for a footpath on your left just before a ford (location - https://w3w.co/image.number.slice). Turn left on this path, Much Hadham footpath 25, and head SE for 170m until you reach a lane called Stansted Hill (location - https://w3w.co/common.reveal.family). Continue heading SE walking up Stansted Hill for 50m looking out for a footpath on your right (location - https://w3w.co/begin.complains.moral).

The footpath off Stansted Hill mentioned in point 2 above

3: Take this path, Much Hadham bridleway 28, as it heads WSW, then turns to head SW then S along the western edge of Sidewell Wood. Follow this path for 1.9km. After leaving Sidewell Wood you reach an aluminium gate. Go through this gate and through a second gate continuing S through Mill Wood until the bridleway emerges on Bourne Lane (location - https://w3w.co/race.artist.logic).

The footpath through Sidewell Wood, mentioned in point 3 above

4: Turn right on Bourne Lane and head WSW for 180m until you cross the B1004, High Street. Look out for a path immediately opposite, just to the left of the bus stop (location - https://w3w.co/simple.onion.fonts).

5: Take this path, Widford bridleway 12, heading WSW and then SW. Soon after the waterworks on your left you reach a concrete track (location - https://w3w.co/petty.number.risk). Continue along this path for 830m until you reach Pegs Lane (location - https://w3w.co/hails.lamps.foal).

The path alongside the River Ash

6: Turn right on Pegs Lane and head NW for 30m, cross the bridge over the River Ash, and immediately after the bridge take the path on your right, Widford footpath 13 (location - https://w3w.co/wires.cheeks.adopt).

Follow this path for 370m first NNE, N, and NE. Just after a large tree the path veers to the left (location - https://w3w.co/rate.social.chemistry) and heads NW for 60m climbing the embankment to the dismantled railway (location - https://w3w.co/wallet.farmer.lungs). This was the Buntingford branch line, part of the Great Eastern Railway network, closed 1965.

Turn left at the tree and climb the embankment to the disused railway

On the other side of the old railway continue heading NW for 350m across a field that can be muddy, this is still Widford footpath 13. You should be heading to a spot to the left of the middle tree in the image below (location - https://w3w.co/tests.cove.worth).

When you reach the brow of the hill, continue heading towards a white signpost to the right of Barrow Farm in the distance (location - https://w3w.co/sock.broker.acting).

Walk to the left of the tree in the middle of the field

7: Widford footpath 13 continues to the immediate right of the farm. Here you head NNE for 480m first on the right-hand side of the hedge. The path turns NE and becomes Much Hadham footpath 14 before it crosses Blackbridge Lane (location - https://w3w.co/learn.critic.candy). Cross the lane and head NNE for 180m on Much Hadham footpath 14 with the woodland on your right.

Footpath 14 after Blackbridge Lane - see point 6 above

8: When you reach a footpath T-junction (location - https://w3w.co/places.wheels.bonds), turn right and follow Much Hadham bridleway 14 for 230m as it heads NNE before you reach a junction with a paved track (location - https://w3w.co/issued.buddy.retain).

Here you continue to follow the path to your left and head NNE, and then cross a field heading NE and continue along the bridleway until you reach the junction of Station Road and Windmill Way (location - https://w3w.co/shady.lower.save).

Turn left after the phone box and post box at the junction with Station Road

9: Turn left, walk past the phone box and post box on your right, then head NW for 140m looking out for a footpath on your left (location - https://w3w.co/solve.resort.cubs).

Take this path, Much Hadham footpath 11, and head NW, then N for 350m until you reach Kettle Green Road (location - https://w3w.co/clever.snaps.parade).

10: Turn right on Kettle Green Road then head NE then E for 75m until you reach a track on the left (location - https://w3w.co/dice.assure.forget). Turn left here then head N then NW for 80m until you reach a footpath on the right (location - https://w3w.co/sleeps.posed.glaze). Take this path, Much Hadham footpath 10, as it heads NE for 590m until you reach a paved track (location - https://w3w.co/path.stamp.cups). Turn right and follow the track ENE for 150m to the junction with the B1004 (location - https://w3w.co/making.lake.zooms).

11: Turn left and walk 220m N along the B1004 back to the start point.

There is a pub, The Bull Inn, on High Street, the B1004, close to the start/finish point (location -  https://w3w.co/verge.descended.swift).

The Bull Inn - Much Hadham village

Interactive map

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