Walk 106: Much Hadham South-East Loop

6.1 miles (9.7 km) with 127m of total ascent

 

This is a great walk for anyone who wants some fairly steep ups and downs and likes wide-open views. The tracks are well-signposted and good underfoot, although they can be muddy after rain. At one point you cross a field with rare-breed cattle grazing, including a bull. But a notice on the gate describes the cattle as “well-tempered and docile”, and they ignored us when we walked across their field.

Directions

Walk 106: Much Hadham South-East Loop
Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors
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1: Park where you can find a space along the B1004 in Much Hadham having checked for any parking restrictions (location - https://w3w.co/verge.descended.swift). We parked close to the Bull Inn near the start of the walk. Head ESE along Oudle Lane for 80m passing the village hall on your right. Immediately after the village hall Oudle Lane turns right, but you continue straight heading E along Church Lane and following it as it swings to the left and heads NNE for another 50m until you reach a footpath on the right (location - https://w3w.co/float.yours.them).

The footpath and bridge mentioned in point 2

2: Take this path, Much Hadham footpath 21, cross a footbridge, and almost immediately go through a gate, and head NE uphill (this is steep) through the woodland for 200m until you leave the woodland via a gate and veer left. Continue for another 270m until you reach a junction in the tracks just before you reach a road (location - https://w3w.co/brass.jobs.ladder).

The footpath mentioned in point 3 - take the right-hand path

3: Turn left here. The path now forks and you take the right-hand path, Much Hadham footpath 19, and head NNW downhill (this is steep) for 90m to another junction in the paths . Take the path on the right, Much Hadham footpath 18, and continue NNW for 210m passing a tennis court on the right and then on to Winding Hill (location - https://w3w.co/mouth.allow.deal).

The footpath mentioned in point 4 as it leaves the woodland and climbs

4: Cross Winding Hill and take Much Hadham bridleway 16. Head N for 20m before taking a right fork. Continue on the bridleway through the woods heading NE for 210m (this is steep) until you leave the woods (location - https://w3w.co/teach.scam.total). Here a footpath goes off to your right but you ignore it and head to your left and continue NNE and then N with the hedgerow on your right and the field on your left for another 250m until you reach Bush Wood where you will find a bench on the right (location - https://w3w.co/super.boots.scans).

5: Turn right at Bush Wood on Much Hadham bridleway 55, and head E for 620m to a footpath junction where the bridleway turns right and heads SSW for another 150m to another junction (location - https://w3w.co/surely.being.marker).

The bridleway mentioned in point 6

6: Turn left and head ESE on Much Hadham bridleway 17 for 420m until you reach a gate leading into a field (location - https://w3w.co/badly.slope.storms), see image below.

The gate mentioned in point 6

When we did this walk in July 2020 there was a herd of the rare breed White Park Cattle in the field along with a bull. According to the sign on the gate at both ends of the footpath, the cattle are “well-tempered and docile” but can “mimic your behaviour if you decide to run, but only out of curiosity”.

 

Go through this gate then turn left and head NE for 85m until you reach a concrete bridge over a brook (location - https://w3w.co/avoid.gear.dart).

7: Cross the bridge, turn right then head SE for 30m until you join a track running to the left of the brook (location - https://w3w.co/frosted.making.cheer) with the golf course on your left follow this track, Much Hadham bridleway 49 SSW for 740m until you reach the B1004 (location - https://w3w.co/loft.every.slowly).

The bridleway mentioned in point 7

8: Turn right on the B1004 and head NW for 35m, cross the brook via a road bridge, and then turn left on Danebridge Road (location - https://w3w.co/pocket.piano.drums) and head SW for 450m looking out for a track on the left just before a postbox on the left (location - https://w3w.co/slot.trout.atoms). This is Much Hadham footpath 37.

Much Hadham footpath 37 mentioned in points 8 and 9

9: Turn left on Much Hadham footpath 37, and head SE for 140m looking out for a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/swaps.pillow.assets).

10: Turn left on this path, a continuation of Much Hadham footpath 37, and head first NE then SE for 350m to a footpath junction (location - https://w3w.co/facing.erase.rate).

The cottage where the path swings right mentioned in point 11

11: Turn left, still on Much Hadham footpath 37, and head NE then SE for 600m until you reach a cottage where the path swings to the right and heads SW for 60m before reaching a lane (location - https://w3w.co/send.deeply.ballots).

12: Turn right on the lane and head SW for 120m until you reach a track on the left just before the Prince of Wales pub (location - https://w3w.co/went.angle.shady).

13: Turn left here and head SE on Much Hadham restricted byway 42 SE for 330m until you reach a junction in the track (location - https://w3w.co/ally.seats.topic).

The junction mentioned in point 14

14: Take the right fork and continue SW on Much Hadham restricted byway 42 for another 70m to another junction in the track (location - https://w3w.co/proper.fried.filer), see image above. Here you keep right on Much Hadham footpath 41 and head SW, S, and SW again for 450m until you reach another junction (location - https://w3w.co/button.poems.boil), see image below.

The first right turn mentioned in point 15

15: Turn right on Much Hadham restricted byway 41, and head SW and S for 110m looking out for Much Hadham footpath 41 on the right just past a pond, see image at the top of these directions. Take this path and head first NW for 50m then SW for 590m to the lane at Perry Green where you will find the Hoops Inn on the left (location - https://w3w.co/woes.green.expect).

One of the sculptures mentioned in point 16

16: Turn right in the village and then take the path on the left which runs to the right of the Henry Moore Studio & Gardens (location - https://w3w.co/wishes.abode.opens). This is Much Hadham footpath 43. Follow it past the studio on your left and then past some sculptures on your right and then continue through the woods and head NW for 530m past a farm on the right and on to a footpath junction (location - https://w3w.co/signal.cats.sunk).

The footpath junction mentioned in point 17

17: Turn right on Much Hadham footpath 30 and head NNE for 170m to another footpath junction (location - https://w3w.co/tape.assure.fallen).

The footpath heading to the woods mentioned in point 18

18: Turn left on Much Hadham footpath 29 and head WNW for 340m until you reach the woodland (location - https://w3w.co/spaces.quarrel.taken). Here you turn left and head SSW for 75m to the end of the woodland where you turn right at a telegraph pole and take the right-hand of two paths heading downhill and W for 150m until you meet a crossing in the tracks (location - https://w3w.co/random.fields.riches). Here you will find a bench at the junction of four paths.

The bench mentioned in point 18

19: Turn right and head NNE, N, then NE for 740m along the W of Side Hill Wood until you reach Stansted Hill (location - https://w3w.co/begin.complains.moral).

20: Turn left on Stansted Hill and head NW for 50m to the point where the road bends to the right (location - https://w3w.co/common.reveal.family). Go through the gate on the left leading into a field with two paths, one heading left and the other straight ahead. Take the path straight ahead, Much Hadham footpath 25, heading NW across the field and downhill for 160m to Malting Lane and a ford (location - https://w3w.co/image.number.slice).

21: Turn right on Malting Lane and head SE for 160m looking out for a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/noble.bench.laser).

The gate mentioned in point 22

22: Turn left on this path, Much Hadham footpath 23, and head NNE across a field for 160m heading for a gate on the other side (location - https://w3w.co/blues.shared.could). Once through the gate head NNW for 530m to Church Lane, crossing a gravel track along the way (location - https://w3w.co/surely.best.start). Turn left on Church Lane (location - https://w3w.co/staple.dawn.over) and head WNW for 120m back to High Street, the B1004.

Interactive map

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