Hertfordshire Walker: Walk 233: Northaw Great Wood Blue Trail

1.45 miles (2.33km) with 43m of total ascent

A sign post along the blue trail in Northaw Great Wood

The blue trail at Northaw Great Wood is ideal for those who want a shady walk with easy access from a car park. It loops inside the longer yellow trail and circles the shorter red trail. All three trails are signposted but not all forks are marked, which is why we have created separate walks for all three with GPX navigation files which you can use to follow the routes on a compatible mobile device.

There is a large car park (location - https://w3w.co/lunch.wounds.jelly) and you will need to have £1 in change for the parking fee honesty box. There are toilets next to the car park but there are no refreshment facilities or any pubs or cafes within easy walking distance. You will find picnic tables and benches along all three trails, and visitors are encouraged to take their rubbish home for environmental reasons.

Northaw Great Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The 223.6-hectare (553-acre) was once part of a huge Norman wood with mostly birch, oak and hornbeam. The historic woodland is managed by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council with help from volunteers who belong to Friends of Northaw Great Wood.

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 30-second video of the route (below). The video is created using the free version of Relive.

Directions

Map for Walk 233: Northaw Great Wood Blue Trail
Click on the map above for a larger version
Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors
There is an interactive map at the foot of this page

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.

The map and GPX navigation file on this page are for the blue trail which is 1.45 miles long and involves 43m of total ascent. We have also created a map and GPX navigation files for both the yellow trail, which is 2.75 miles, and the red trail which is 0.75 miles.

The honesty box (location - https://w3w.co/desks.prone.mass) for the £1 parking fee is in the wall of the green building (see image below).