Walk 170: Standon East Loop

5.2 miles (8.2km) with 113m of total ascent

The River Rib between points 2 and 3

Another great walk from the picturesque village of Standon that includes sections of two long distance paths, The Hercamlow Way and The Greenwich Meridian Trail. You will see references to the routes on some of the direction posts along the way. The walk offers wide open views over the River Rib valley as the route climbs north, east and west. It starts and finishes on High Street, Standon where there are two pubs, The Star and The Bell. There is also Days Bakery on High Street that serves tea and coffee.

Getting there

There are several bus stops in the village of Standon, the nearest being 'Standon Hadham Road opposite the old almshouses' location - https://w3w.co/contracts.croaking.figs) and 'Standon High Street Post Office' (location - https://w3w.co/painters.spite.crackling). These stops are served by the number 386 bus. There are other bus stops in Standon served by the numbers 36, 36A, 331, and 831. You can check bus times at Intalink.

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 170: Standon East Loop
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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 The Star pub (location - https://w3w.co/transcribes.remotes.trickles) turn left then head N along High Street for 240m to Stortford Road (location - https://w3w.co/currently.walks.locked).

Turn left on Stortford Road then head W for 160m crossing the River Rib and continuing until you reach Station Road on your right (location - https://w3w.co/outbursts.jigsaw.winks).

Turn right on Station Road then head NW for 370m until you reach Meadow Walk on the right (location - https://w3w.co/spenders.logic.stuffy).

Standon footpath 12 after it passes between the houses on Meadow Walk

2: Turn right on Meadow Walk then head ENE for 50m looking out for a footpath between the houses on the left (location - https://w3w.co/diverting.allowable.intent). This is Standon footpath 12 which you follow as it heads first NE, then turns left to head N between the River Rib on your right and what was the route of the old Buntingford Branch Line on your left.

The path comes closest to the River Rib at point 3

3: After 560m the path comes closest to the bank of The Rib, which is a nice spot for a pause (location - https://w3w.co/outdone.together.rucksack). Look out for herons and buzzards. Continue along Standon footpath 12 for 100m until you leave the wooded area at which point the path becomes Braughing footpath 35 (location - https://w3w.co/beaker.resolves.herds) which you follow for another 450m until you reach a footpath crossing (location - https://w3w.co/matchbox.truck.hired).

Braughing footpath 19 heading ESE across the River Rib

4: Turn right on Braughing footpath 19 then head ESE following a cobbled track crossing the River Rib (location - https://w3w.co/vaccines.spectacle.rescue).

Continue on Braughing footpath 19 for 200m until you reach a cottage on the left and another bridge (location - https://w3w.co/sticky.cattle.excellent).

Braughing footpath 19 after the second bridge

5: Cross the second bridge then turn immediately right, still on Braughing footpath 19, passing a gate (location - https://w3w.co/broadens.appoints.explores) then continuing for 780m to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/exhales.remains.scatters).

Braughing footpath 19 crosses a field, but we took a detour

6: When you reach the junction, where a farm track crosses your way, the route should be straight on to the right of the hedgerow and then climb across the field heading NE, E then SE for 360m to point 7 (see image above).

7: From point 7 (location - https://w3w.co/october.enforced.hothouse) you would turn right on Braughing bridleway 16 then head S and downhill for 200m to point 8 (location - https://w3w.co/rollover.smarting.trespass).

However, when we tested this walk at the end of March 2022 Braughing footpath 19 had not been reinstated across the field following planting. So, because there were no obvious indications as to where the path should be, and because we didn't want to trample the crop, we decided to take a detour using the farm track (see image below), heading S for 200m to a bend (location - https://w3w.co/idealist.vintages.pulp) then heading E for 290m to pick up the route at point 8. Interestingly, when we got to point 8 there was a sign showing that the second part of the detour is a permissive path.

Map showing the detour we took in orange

We informed the Hertfordshire County Council Rights of Way (ROW) team about this and they have written to the farmer asking him to reinstate the path so that the detour is not needed.

Standon bridleway 3 heading SW from point 8

8: Head SW now on Standon bridleway 3 then S for 990m until you reach Stortford Road, the A120 (location - https://w3w.co/geologist.atomic.mule).

9: Turn right on Stortford Road then, walking along the pavement, head WSW for 120m until you reach an access lane called Half Acres on your left between cottages (location - https://w3w.co/awards.reclaim.purifier).

Follow this lane S for 100m until it becomes Standon footpath 4 (location - https://w3w.co/campsites.smoker.cross).

Continue on Standon footpath 4 heading SSE then S. After 160m you will reach a bench with a view (location - https://w3w.co/panthers.printers.contracts), see image (courtesy of Chris Dowsett) below.

Bench alongside Standon footpath 4
Image courtesy of Chris Dowsett

Continue on Standon footpath 4 for 300m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/policy.comply.digitally).

10: Turn right at the junction, now on Standon footpath 5, then head W for 40m until you reach Hadham Road (location - https://w3w.co/proves.camps.nails). Keep to your right on Hadham Road then head straight and W for 220m until you reach a footpath on your left between cottages (location - https://w3w.co/flickers.dart.cardinal).

11: Turn left on Standon footpath 24 then head S for 360m until you reach a gate leading into woodland (location - https://w3w.co/writers.attic.niece). There will be a track to the local sewage works on your left. Keep heading S through the woodland for 130m, still on Standon footpath 24, until you reach a left hand bend (location - https://w3w.co/panting.chest.enclosing) at the edge of the woodland.

12: Turn left then head ESE for 270m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/stables.sharpens.pipeline).

13: Turn right, still on Standon footpath 24, and head S for 380m until you reach a junction  (location - https://w3w.co/desks.blows.under).

Turn right on Standon bridleway 19 then head W

14: Turn right on Standon bridleway 19 then head W for 530m ignoring a path on your left (location - https://w3w.co/fund.pack.robot) and continuing until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/nails.slope.gone).

15: Turn right on Standon bridleway 30 then head N for 970m until you reach Paper Mill Lane (location - https://w3w.co/ballpoint.gates.cascaded).

High Street Standon at the end of the walk

16: Turn right on Paper Mill Lane then head E for 310m until you reach High Street Standon (location - https://w3w.co/freezers.mouse.blossom) where you turn left and head N back to the starting point.

There are two pubs and a bakery on Standon High Street. The pubs are The Star (location - https://w3w.co/protected.submerged.final) and The Bell (location - https://w3w.co/jingles.enthused.path), and Days Bakery (location - https://w3w.co/cubed.rhino.spaces) which is situated between the two pubs.

If you enjoyed this walk you might want to join our friendly Facebook group where fellow walkers are sharing photographs and experiences after following our walks in the Hertfordshire countryside.

Interactive map

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