Walk 231: Gustard Wood West Loop

4.7 miles (7.5 km) with 67m of total ascent

Kimpton bridleway 5 approaching point 4

This lovely walk, with some excellent views south over the River Lea valley, includes sections from five other routes in our collection, so regular followers of Hertfordshire Walker might find some of the junctions familiar. However, all the paths that appear in previous routes are walked in reverse, so the views are different and the whole experience feels new. A list of the five walks is included at the foot of these directions. 

The walk crosses Gustard Wood Common, now a golf course. There is a local legend that the famous highwaywoman, the "Wicked Lady", generally believed (although only after her death) to have been Lady Katherine Ferrers, carried out highway robbery in the area in the 17th century.

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 231: Gustard Wood West Loop
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The walk starts in a small car park off Lamer Lane

The walk starts in a small car park off Lamer Lane in Gustard Wood (location - https://w3w.co/expand.hurt.bowls). The car park, which has space for about five vehicles, was free of charge at the time of writing (June 2023).

Take the footpath in the NE corner of the car park

1: From the NE corner of the car park off Lamer Lane (location - https://w3w.co/major.slams.cotton) take the path that heads N for 142m to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/afford.influencing.hips), see image below.

Turn left on Wheathampstead bridleway 101

Turn left on Wheathampstead bridleway 101 then head N for 170m until you reach Ballslough Hill (location - https://w3w.co/family.fumes.second), see image below.

Cross Ballslough Hill then continue on Wheathampstead bridleway 101

2: Cross Ballslough Hill then head NE. If you look to your right you will see The Cross Keys (location - https://w3w.co/motor.reason.doors) on the right.

The Cross Keys at Gustard Wood

Continue, still on Wheathampstead bridleway 101, for 230m until you reach Kimpton Road (location - https://w3w.co/gaps.fall.tells), see image below.

Cross Kimpton Road then turn right and head N on the left side of the road

3: Cross Kimpton Road then turn right and head N on the left side of the road for 50m until you pass a bus stop and reach a permissive path on the right across the road (location - https://w3w.co/stared.patio.moves), see images below.

Cross the road then turn left on the permissive path

The entrance to the permissive path

Cross the road then turn left on the permissive path and follow it, with the hedge on the left and the field on the right, as it heads NNW then N for 735m until it reaches a footpath junction (location - https://w3w.co/funded.kick.owner), see image below.

Keep left at the junction, now on Kimpton bridleway 5

4: Keep left at the junction, now on Kimpton bridleway 5, then head NW for 20m until you reach Kimpton Road again (location - https://w3w.co/stress.played.payer), see image below.

Cross Kimpton Road then head SW along Kimpton footpath 48

Cross Kimpton Road then head SW down what looks like a private gravelled drive but which is also Kimpton footpath 48. Continue for 210m to where the footpath bends right (location - https://w3w.co/bucked.apples.sparks), see image below.

Keep right, still on Kimpton footpath 48

Turn right, still on Kimpton footpath 48, then head NW for 370m, with the hedgerow on the right and field on the left, until you reach Porter's End Lane (location - https://w3w.co/called.hosts.proper), see image below.

Go through the gap in the hedge then turn left on Porter's End Lane

5: Turn left on Porter's End Lane then head SW for 1.1km until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/local.path.images), see image below.

Cross the junction then head SW along Mackerye End Lane

6: Cross the junction then head SW along Mackerye End Lane for 290m until you reach a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/spring.bike.thick), see image below.

Turn left on Wheathampstead footpath 32

7: Turn left on Wheathampstead footpath 32 then head ESE for 270m until the footpath bends to the right (location - https://w3w.co/sailor.mouth.tribe), see image below.

Turn right, still on Wheathampstead footpath 32

Turn right, still on Wheathampstead footpath 32, then head S for 135m until you reach Turnershall Farm on the left and a farm track (location - https://w3w.co/ranks.boats.bill), see image below.

Turn left on the farm track then immediately right

8: Turn left on the farm track then immediately right (see orange arrow on the photograph above) then continue heading S, now on Wheathampstead footpath 34, for 260m until you reach a byway (location - https://w3w.co/desk.riders.sobs), see image below.

Cross the byway then head SSW on Wheathampstead footpath 29

9: Cross the byway then head SSW for 225m on Wheathampstead footpath 29 to a bend (location - https://w3w.co/begins.voices.salon), see image below.

Keep to your right as the footpath bends right

Keep to your right as the footpath bends right then heads WNW for 80m before it bends left at a gate (location - https://w3w.co/ended.museum.stole) then heads SSW for 130m until it reaches a lane called Mackerye End (location - https://w3w.co/gown.finely.famous). Mackerye End is the name of a Grade I listed building, a large manor house built in 1665 (location - https://w3w.co/small.hammer.latter). 

10: Turn left on the lane then follow it SE for 530m to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/elbow.pound.fuzzy), see image below.

Turn right on Marshalls Heath Lane then take the footpath on the left

11: Turn right at the junction on Marshalls Heath Lane then head S for 55m until you reach a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/public.front.ritual), see image below.

Turn left on Wheathampstead bridleway 10

Turn left on Wheathampstead bridleway 10 then follow it ESE and uphill for 295m until you reach a perfectly positioned bench on the left (location - https://w3w.co/sharp.beams.expert), see images below.

The bench which has great views over the River Lea valley

The view from the bench

Wheathampstead bridleway 10 heading E after the bench

Continue, now heading E then ENE on Wheathampstead bridleway 10 for 620m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/inner.colleague.cope), see image below.

Turn left at the junction on Wheathampstead bridleway 58

12: Turn left at the junction on Wheathampstead bridleway 58 then head N for 270m until you reach a barn on the right (location - https://w3w.co/hats.milky.probe), see image below.

Turn right, still on Wheathampstead bridleway 58

13: Turn right immediately before the barn, still on Wheathampstead bridleway 58, then head E (with the barn on your left) for 35m then turn left and head N (with the barn on your left) for 115m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/tiger.transfers.vibrate), see image below.

Turn right on Wheathampstead bridleway 102

14: Turn right on Wheathampstead bridleway 102 then follow it E as it crosses a golf course. As you walk this stretch look to your left and right as you cross a couple of fairways. Continue on Wheathampstead bridleway 102 for 550m until you reach Lamer Lane (location - https://w3w.co/grows.proud.things).

15: Turn left on Lamer Lane then head NNW for 95m until you reach a footpath on your right on the other side of the lane (location - https://w3w.co/cones.mixer.penny), see image below.

Cross Lamer Lane then follow Wheathampstead bridleway 101

Cross Lamer Lane then turn left on Wheathampstead bridleway 101 and follow it N for 250m until you reach a path on the left (location - https://w3w.co/order.boots.shins) leading to a picnic table, see image below.

Turn left then follow the track back to the car park

Turn left then follow a track NW for 105m back to the car park and the start of the walk.

For those interested, the five walks that share various rights of way with this new route are:

• Walk 64: Gustard Wood Loop
• Walk 185: Wheathampstead West Loop
• Walk 209: Gustard Wood South Loop
• Walk 222: Kimpton South-West Loop
• Walk 224: Ayot St Lawrence West Loop

Interactive map

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