Walk 242: Smallford North Loop

4.5 miles (7.3 km) with 24m total ascent

Colney Heath footpath 14 between points 6 & 7

This is a perfect walk if you are getting your car serviced along Hatfield Road and need to kill a few hours while the mechanics are doing their stuff. The route starts and finishes at what was Smallford Station on the former Hatfield to St Albans railway line, now The Alban Way. There is free car parking at the site (at the time of writing - August 2023). Along the way you will cross livestock fields and a farmyard where there are signs asking dog owners to keep their pets on a lead.

We tested this route in early August when there were nettles and brambles at several points along the way. So it might be worth wearing long trousers or taking a stick or secateurs to help deal with any overgrown footpaths.

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 242: Smallford North Loop
Click on the map above for a larger version
Map created on MapHub - copyright details here
Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors
There is an interactive map embedded at the end of these direction

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 information sign close to Smallford Station
Click on the image for a larger version

1: From the car park off Station Road, Smallford (location - https://w3w.co/solve.heats.scouts) head S (away from the road) until you reach The Alban Way - where once steam trains would travel between Hatfield and St Albans. On your right will be the platform for Smallford Station (location - https://w3w.co/depend.line.alone). Turn left on The Alban Way then head E and under the bridge for 30m until you reach a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/beans.ship.festivity), see images below.

Turn left on The Alban Way head E under the bridge

Turn left on the footpath on your left after the bridge

Turn left on the footpath then head NNE for 80m until you reach Wilkin's Green Lane on the right. Turn right on Wilkin's Green Lane then head ENE for 85m until you reach a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/hardly.ideal.before), see image below.

Turn left on Colney Heath footpath 12

2: Turn left on Colney Heath footpath 12 then head NNW for 460m until you reach Hatfield Road (location - https://w3w.co/global.body.beyond), see image below.

* The Three Horseshoes pub (location - https://w3w.co/learns.dips.grass), the Notcutts Garden Centre cafe (location - https://w3w.co/cubes.hopes.entry), and the Smallford Farm Shop Cafe  (location - https://w3w.co/lines.editor.dating) are a short detour left along Hatfield Road.

Cross Hatfield Road then follow Colney Heath footpath 15

3: Cross Hatfield Road then head NNW on Colney Heath footpath 15 for 240m until the footpath reaches a bend (location - https://w3w.co/copies.achieving.pulled). Here attention is needed because it could be easy to take the wrong path. I have added a satellite image map below with the route in orange to help.

The route (in orange) described in the directions below

Cross the track to continue on Colney Heath footpath 15

4: Follow Colney Heath footpath 15 at the bend as it heads to the right, crosses a track, then bends left (location - https://w3w.co/rust.advice.vivid) to continue heading NNW (see orange line on the map of route above). Then follow Colney Heath footpath 15 NNW for 165m, with a playing field and a new housing development on your left, until you reach another bend (location - https://w3w.co/tune.data.hoot), see image below.

Head NE with the hedgerow on the left and fields on the right

5: Here you leave Colney Heath footpath 15 then head NE for 320m ignoring the first footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/rams.loves.clouds) and continuing, with the hedgerow on the left and field on the right, until you reach a gap in the hedgerow on the left (location - https://w3w.co/happen.river.equal), see image below.

Turn left on Colney Heath footpath 14

6: Turn left on Colney Heath footpath 14 then enter Ellenbrook Fields (location - https://w3w.co/head.fend.jets), see images below.

The sign at Ellenbrook Fields
Click on the image for a larger version

Walk past the sign and continue on Colney Heath footpath 14

Continue heading NW on Colney Heath footpath 14 for 420m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/payer.flags.study), see image below.

Follow Colney Heath footpath 14 as it bends right then left

7: This is another spot where attention is needed. Follow Colney Heath footpath 14 as it bends right at the first fork then, 5m further on, bends left at the second (location - https://w3w.co/buddy.gave.tapes), see orange line on the map below.

The route (in orange) described in the directions above

Continue heading NW on Colney Heath footpath 14 for 260m until you reach a track and a bridge over a quarry conveyor belt (location - https://w3w.co/incomes.claim.socket), see images below.

Turn left on the track ...

... then turn right over the bridge then left after the bridge

8: Turn left on the track then turn right to cross the bridge over the conveyor belt. Once over the bridge turn left, still on Colney Heath footpath 14, then head SWS for 120m until the path bends right (location - https://w3w.co/cross.urban.summer). At this point the footpath you are on crosses the parish boundary and you continue on Sandridge footpath 52.

Follow Sandridge footpath 52 NW and W for 250m passing farm buildings on the right and continuing until you reach a farm road (location - https://w3w.co/thin.films.causes), see image below.

Turn left on the farm road, which is still Sandridge footpath 52

9: Turn left on the farm road, which is still Sandridge footpath 52, then head W for 160m until you reach a footpath sign on the left (location - https://w3w.co/dress.stops.attend), see image below.

Turn left, still on Sandridge footpath 52

10: Turn left, still on Sandridge footpath 52 then follow the path WSW first through woodland and then parallel to a lane for 240m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/powder.input.firmly) see image below.

Turn right at the junction then cross Coopers Green Lane

11: Turn right at the junction to reach Coopers Green Lane (location - https://w3w.co/aspect.decreased.strict), see image below.

Cross Coopers Green Lane then follow Sandridge bridleway 48

Cross Coopers Green Lane then head NW on Sandridge bridleway 48 for 190m until you reach a farmyard (location - https://w3w.co/loaded.glue.aspect), see image below.

Turn left through the farmyard on Sandridge footpath 49

12: Turn left through the farmyard on Sandridge footpath 49. If you have dogs you are asked to put them on a lead along this stretch.

Sign at farm asking for dogs to be put on a lead

Head SW through the farmyard for 60m to a gate (location - https://w3w.co/basis.study.tanks), see image below.

Go through the gate still on Sandridge footpath 49

Go through the gate then head WSW on Sandridge footpath 49 for 120m until you reach a metal gate leading to an arable field (location - https://w3w.co/task.occurs.wants).

Go through the metal gate then continue on Sandridge footpath 49

13: Go through the metal gate then keep left and head SW, still on Sandridge footpath 49, with the hedgerow on the left and field on the right for 40m until you reach the end of the hedgerow and cross an open field (location - https://w3w.co/farms.twig.bake), see image below.

Cross the arable field still on Sandridge footpath 49

Cross the arable field still on Sandridge footpath 49 heading SW for 350m until you reach House Lane (location - https://w3w.co/cared.strain.spins).

14: Cross House Lane then turn left and head S for 90m until you reach Sandpit Lane, with the roundabout on your left (location - https://w3w.co/every.reason.reds). Cross Sandpit Lane then take Sandridge bridleway 51 opposite (location - https://w3w.co/remain.couches.volume) see image below.

Head S on Sandridge bridleway 51

15: Head S on Sandridge bridleway 51 for 474m until the bridleway you are on crosses a parish boundary (location - https://w3w.co/appear.orange.email) and becomes Colney Heath bridleway 3, see image below.

Sandridge bridleway 51 approaching the parish boundary

Continue on Colney Heath bridleway 3 for 500m as it passes through the grounds of Oaklands College and reaches a junction (location - https://w3w.co/lunch.fixed.trials), see image below.

Continue heading SW, now on South Drive

16: Continue heading SW, now on South Drive for 405m until you reach Hatfield Road (location - https://w3w.co/green.finest.doors).

* The Speckled Hen pub (location - https://w3w.co/oppose.remind.layers) is 300m to your right along Hatfield Road.

17: Cross Hatfield Road, turn left, then head E for 70m until you reach Colney Heath Lane on the right (location - https://w3w.co/wipes.decay.poem).

Turn right on Colney Heath Lane then head SSW for 155m to a mini-roundabout (location - https://w3w.co/tables.souk.fall). Turn left, still on Colney Heath Lane, then head SE for 145m until you reach a footpath on the left just before a bridge (location - https://w3w.co/counts.trains.giant), see image below.

Turn left on the footpath just before the bridge

18: Turn left on the footpath just before the bridge then follow it SE 30m until you reach The Alban Way (location - https://w3w.co/grab.until.spring). Turn left on The Alban Way then follow it W for 1.8km until you reach Smallford Station on the left (location - https://w3w.co/clip.invite.vote), see image below.

Turn left after Smallford Station and return to the starting point

Turn left after Smallford Station and return to the starting point.

Interactive map

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