Walk 123: Aspenden South-West Loop

6 miles (9.7 km) with 86m of total ascent

The Roman road Stane Street between points 7 and 8

This walk is rich in history. It includes a 1.5 km stretch along Stane Street, a Roman road which is now a tree-lined byway. The route also passes the site of the former medieval village of Wakeley. It starts and finishes in the village of Aspenden where refreshments can be taken at The Fox when open.

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 123: Aspenden South-West Loop
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Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
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Those with GPS devices can download GPX or KML files. We've added What3Words 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.

Aspenden bridleway 6 at the start of the walk

1: From The Fox pub in Aspenden (location - https://w3w.co/breed.mingles.crafts) head W along Aspenden Road for 380m until you reach a bridleway on the left (location - https://w3w.co/drifting.guess.cavalier).

2: Turn left on Aspenden bridleway 6 then follow it uphill, cross a footpath junction, then continue S for 400m until the track swings to the right where it becomes Westmill bridleway 7 (location - https://w3w.co/reap.zaps.simulates).

Wakeley bridleway 7 approaching Wakeley Spring

3: Follow Westmill bridleway 7 as it heads WSW for 1.5 km until you pass woodland called Wakeley Spring on the right (location - https://w3w.co/pump.oddly.clutches). Just beyond Wakeley Spring on the right is the site of the medieval village of Wakeley.

The junction of Wakeley bridleway 7 and Wakeley restricted byway 5

4: At this point the bridleway swings left (location - https://w3w.co/pioneered.slamming.shelter) then heads SSW for 100m to a junction (see image below) (location - https://w3w.co/rehearsal.quaking.salmon).

Turn left on Wakeley restricted byway 5

5: Turn left on Wakeley restricted byway 5, which is a concrete track. Head SSE for 440m at which point the concrete track becomes a metalled lane. Continue SE along this lane for another 170m until you reach a bridleway on the right (location - https://w3w.co/gazed.booms.loft).

Turn right on Wakeley bridleway 10

6: Turn right on Wakeley bridleway 10 then head WSW for 640m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/sprains.stepping.september), see image below.

Turn right on Great Munden BOAT 59

7: Turn right on Great Munden BOAT 59 (byway open to all traffic). This is Stane Street the Roman road that runs for 39 miles (63 km) between Ermine Street at Braughing in Hertfordshire and Colchester in Essex.

Head NW along this byway for 1.5km, ignoring all paths to your right and left, until you reach a byway on the right just before a wooden footbridge over a ford (location - https://w3w.co/king.tunes.rebounder), see image below.

Turn right on Cottered BOAT 47

8: Turn right on Cottered BOAT 47. This byway looks like it could be muddy after rain. It was fine when we did it, but there was a lot of excavation work going to clear the drainage ditches and hedges and trees have been uprooted or cut back.

Excavation work along Cottered BOAT 47

Continue heading NNE, N, NNW, then NNE again for 790m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/shoppers.system.rejoiced), see image below.

Follow Cottered footpath 29 with the ditch on the right

9: Keep right at the junction then follow Cottered footpath 29 as it heads NNE for 610m until you reach another junction (location - https://w3w.co/months.friday.require), see image below.

Turn right on Aspenden footpath 7

10: Turn right on Aspenden footpath 7 then head NE for 50m then E for 370m with the hedgerow on your left and the field on your right until you reach a field (location - https://w3w.co/violinist.both.loving).

11: The signpost points directly over the crops and your way is to continue ESE across the field for 150m to the hedgerow beyond (follow the direction of the yellow arrow in the image below).

Head ESE across the field to the hedgerow - see yellow arrow

The tunnel of hawthorn on the opposite side of the field

12: Once across the field go through a tunnel of hawthorn (location - https://w3w.co/circular.instincts.modes) before reaching a wooden footbridge which you cross, turn right then continue along the edge of the field heading E for 190m until your footpath drops to the right to join a track where you turn left (location - https://w3w.co/luggage.renovated.smothered), see image below.

Aspenden footpath 7 drops to the right then turns left

13: Turn left then head E, still on Aspenden footpath 7, for 960m until you reach the junction with Aspenden restricted byway 10 (location - https://w3w.co/financial.final.ridiculed), see image below.

Turn right on Aspenden restricted byway 10

14: Turn right on Aspenden restricted byway 10 then head S for 160m at which point where the track bends to the left (location - https://w3w.co/inert.waddled.beaters) and becomes Aspenden bridleway 3.

Aspenden bridleway 3 heading back to Aspenden

15: Follow this bridleway heading E towards the church on your left in the distance. Continue for 440m until you join Aspenden Road (location - https://w3w.co/tolerates.swam.merge).

16: Continue straight along Aspenden Road heading E for 600m until you reach The Fox (location - https://w3w.co/relatives.surprised.lifeguard) where the walk started.

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Interactive map

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