Walk 133: Ridge North-West Loop

4.9 miles (8km) with 107m of total ascent

The view SE after point 20

This is a good walk for those who enjoy wide open views, in this case across the valley of the River Colne towards St Albans. It starts and finishes close to The Old Guinea pub/restaurant in Ridge then follows footpaths and byways across and alongside open fields with a fair bit of up and down along the way.

Walk information

Part of this walk was rerouted in November 2024 to avoid a section where the public right of way was blocked. You will be aware of traffic noise from the M25 for much of the walk. The route crosses many livestock and arable fields where there are signs throughout the walk requesting dog owners to keep their pets on a lead. There is one section along part of The Hertfordshire Way, between points 9 & 10, where brambles and nettles might be a problem in the summer months; we recommend you take hiking poles and secateurs. In wet weather some of the paths will be muddy and slippy.

Getting there

The nearest bus stops to the start of the walk are close to Clare Hall, Blanch Lane, South Mimms (location - https://w3w.co/summer.pipes.hails). The bus stops, which are served by the number 398 bus, are a 530m walk east of The Old Guinea pub. There are also bus stops in Shenleybury (location - https://w3w.co/cones.visits.rocky) where you can join the walk at point 17. Those stops are served by the numbers 357, 358, and 602 buses. You can find bus times at the Intalink site.

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 133: Ridge North-West 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 below these 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: With your back to St Margaret's church on Deeves Hall Lane in Ridge turn left then head N for 45m until you reach a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/atoms.basic.snake), see image below.

Ridge footpath 23 at the start of the walk

Turn left on Ridge footpath 23 then head WSW through the northern edge of St Margaret's churchyard for 45m until you leave the churchyard at a gate (location - https://w3w.co/rate.begin.rungs), see image below.

Go through the gate then turn right

2: Go through the gate then turn diagonally to the right to follow Ridge footpath 23. Head NW for 50m until you reach a gate leading to a footpath junction (location - https://w3w.co/talked.rise.ballots).

Follow Ridge footpath 21 across an arable field

3: Go through the gate then head NW on Ridge footpath 21 across an arable field. Continue for 340m until you reach the hedgerow (location - https://w3w.co/logo.assets.shots), see image below.

Continue heading NW, still on Ridge footpath 21

4: Head NW, still on Ridge footpath 21. Continue for 70m across another section of arable field before reaching a tree on the right (location - https://w3w.co/valve.grows.years), see orange arrow on the image above.

Head NW across another arable field

5: Head NW across another arable field, still on Ridge footpath 21. Continue until you reach a gap in the hedgerow (location - https://w3w.co/dices.amount.mount), see image below.

Go through the gap then continue on Ridge footpath 21

6: Go through the gap then head NNW. Continue, still on Ridge footpath 21, for 140m until the footpath cuts through the hedgerow to reach Mimms Lane (location - https://w3w.co/slice.carry.human).

Cross Mimms Lane and continue on Ridge footpath 21

7: Cross Mimms Lane and continue on Ridge footpath 21 through woodland until you reach Packhorse Lane (location - https://w3w.co/cared.bride.deputy), see image below.

Turn left on Packhorse Lane

8: Turn left on Packhorse Lane then head N for 165m until you reach a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/chimp.boxer.aside), see image below.

Turn left on Shenley footpath 23

9: Turn left on Shenley footpath 23 then head SW along a stretch which is also The Hertfordshire Way.

* This is the section mentioned at the start of these directions and which might be overgrown with brambles and nettles in the summer months. You might need hiking poles and secateurs to beat back or cut back any encroaching growth.

10: After 320m you will reach a meadow (location - https://w3w.co/origin.snow.pram), see image below.

Continue heading W on Shenley footpath 23

Continue, now heading W but still on Shenley footpath 23, until you reach a gate leading to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/calm.lines.fingernails), see image below.

Turn right on Shenley BOAT 33

11: Go through the gate then turn right on Shenley BOAT 33 (byway open to all traffic). Head N for 240m until you reach Rectory Lane (location - https://w3w.co/sends.window.figure).

12: Turn left on Rectory Lane then head W for 10m until you reach a footpath on the right (location - https://w3w.co/logo.note.cheat).

Shenley footpath 25 heading NW off Rectory Lane

Turn right on Shenley footpath 25 then head NW. Continue for 600m until you reach the top of the hill (location - https://w3w.co/laws.brave.party) with the Hemel Hempstead Model Flying Club site on the left (location - https://w3w.co/gold.mime.onion).

Shenley footpath 25 approaching the top of the hill

13: When you reach the top of the hill continue to follow Shenley footpath 25 (location - https://w3w.co/update.cheese.gain) as it heads NW then downhill along a track.

Continue heading NW, Shenley footpath 25

Continue heading NW and downhill, still on Shenley footpath 25. After 600m you will reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/broken.sprint.cute), see image below.

Turn left on Shenley footpath 26

14: Turn left on Shenley footpath 26 then head SW for 340m to where the footpath goes through a gap in the hedgerow (location - https://w3w.co/pint.kinds.digs), see image below.

Go through the gap to continue on Shenley footpath 26

15: Continue heading SW, still on Shenley footpath 26, until you reach to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/rotate.signal.covers), see image below.

Head SW on Shenley bridleway 13

16: Continue heading SW, now on Shenley bridleway 13 which is also the Watling Chase Trail along this stretch. After 430m look out for a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/certified.worked.foal), see image below.

Turn left on Shenley footpath 29

17: Turn left on Shenley footpath 29 then head SSE for 145m to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/yoga.pages.cigar), see image below.

* Walkers have trodden an alternative route to the public right of way at this point so you might find the official route hard to make out. The map below shows the official route between points 17 and 18 in green and the unofficial route in orange.

Detour shown in orange, official route in green

Turn left on Shenley footpath 30

18: If you follow the official route along Shenley footpath 29 turn left on Shenley footpath 30, which is also The Hertfordshire Way at this point.

Shenley footpath 30 heading ESE

Head ESE for 270m until you reach the edge of woodland (location - https://w3w.co/plenty.path.cake) where Shenley footpath 30 crosses a track (location - https://w3w.co/bunks.once.hooks), see image below.

Head SE on Shenley footpath 30

19: Continue now heading SE, still on Shenley footpath 30, for 525m until you come to a white-topped post, see image below (location - https://w3w.co/stuff.pushy.singer).

* At this point walkers appear to have taken a detour from the official public right of way to avoid a particularly muddy livestock field which, when we crossed it at the end of November 2024, was boggy in places and was home to some particularly curious and frisky horses who nudged us and followed us. If you are worried about horses (and boggy muddy fields) you might want to consider the detour marked in orange below from point 20 which joins the official route at point 23. If not please continue to follow the directions below.

The unofficial detour between points 20 & 23 in orange

20: If you don't take the detour, leave the track then head diagonally to the left heading SE, still on Shenley footpath 30, across a field for 65m to a gate in the hedgerow, see orange arrow on the image below. The detour is the track to the right in the image below.

The orange arrow shows the public right of way

Go through the gate still on Shenley footpath 30

21: Go through the gate then head SE across a livestock field, still on Shenley footpath 30. You need to head for the edge of a copse of trees, see orange arrow on the image below where you will meet Shenley footpath 21 (location - https://w3w.co/brave.librarian.tasty), although it is hard to see because it seems little used.

Shenley footpath 30 goes to the left of the line copse of trees

22: Follow the footpath down to the southern corner of the field where you will find a gate (location - https://w3w.co/spices.joins.blank) leading to the track mentioned in the detour above.

23: Turn left on Shenley footpath 21 then head SSE for 295m until you reach a gate on the left (location - https://w3w.co/watch.swan.twigs), see image below.

Go through the gate then turn right on Shenley footpath 21

24: Go through the gate then turn right, still on Shenley footpath 21. Head SSE across a livestock field for 105m until you reach Rectory Lane (location - https://w3w.co/hooked.watch.intelligible).

Cross Rectory Lane then follow Shenley footpath 18

25: Cross Rectory Lane then go through a gate leading to Shenley footpath 18. Head SSE for 250m until you reach a stile (location - https://w3w.co/buzz.poppy.amber), see image below. This stile may well be replaced with a gate in the future.

Continue across another livestock field

26: Continue heading SSE, still on Shenley footpath 18 for 255m until you reach Mimms Lane (location - https://w3w.co/face.logs.gold).

27: Cross Mimms Lane to reach a gap leading to an arable field.

* Shenley footpath 18 continues heading SSE across this field, but the public right of way is never reinstated (despite many efforts to draw attention to this). As a result walkers have created an unofficial path along the edge of the field, which is the route we follow until this public right of way is reinstated. See image below showing the official right of way in orange and the route we take in green. This is one of the rare cases where we follow an unofficial detour because a public right of way is not available.

Detour shown in orange, official route in green

If you take the detour turn left once you enter the field then head ENE for 50m then follow the path as it bends right (location - https://w3w.co/lease.stones.sides) then heads SSE, see image below.

Continue along the edge of the field

Continue along the edge of the field for 250m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/curvy.chats.human), see image below.

Turn left at the junction on Shenley footpath 20

28: Turn left at the junction then follow Shenley footpath 20 as it heads ESE and uphill for 340m to a gate leading to a footpath junction (location - https://w3w.co/evenly.fuel.spends).

Cross the junction then head ESE on Ridge footpath 23

29: Go through the gate, cross the junction, then continue heading ESE now on Ridge footpath 23. Cross an arable field for 275m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/statue.period.slope), see image below.

Turn left at the junction, still on Ridge footpath 23

30: Turn left at the junction, still on Ridge footpath 23 then head ENE for 90m until you reach a gate leading to a field (location - https://w3w.co/called.king.scare), see image below.

Go through the gate then continue on Ridge footpath 23

31: Go through the gate then head E, still on Ridge footpath 23. Continue for 190m passing through a gate leading to a livestock field (location - https://w3w.co/after.aura.trick) then reaching a gate leaving the field (location - https://w3w.co/become.maple.racks), see image below.

Go through the gate then cross a livestock field

32: Go through the gate then cross another livestock field, still on Ridge footpath 23, to reach an exit gate (location - https://w3w.co/stand.golf.even), see image below.

Go through the gate field head ENE, still on Ridge footpath 23

33: Go through the gate then head ENE, still on Ridge footpath 23. Continue for 185m until you reach the gate you passed through at point 3 in the walk (location - https://w3w.co/fear.manliness.casino), see image below.

Turn right then retrace your steps to the starting point

34: Turn right on Ridge footpath 23 then head SE to the gate you passed through at point 2 in the walk. Go through the gate then retrace your steps back to the starting point.

Interactive map

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