Walk 261: Essendon Short Loop

2.3 miles (3.7 km) with 53m of total ascent

Essendon footpath 13

This short walk from the village of Essendon has been added to the collection following requests in our Hertfordshire Walker Facebook group for more walks that are less than three miles long. It is one of several routes that start and finish in Essendon, and it follows paths that feature in some of our other walks but walked in a different direction and combination.

You will cross a golf course using public rights of way including walking across four fairways, so anyone who is nervous about flying golf balls should probably give this one a miss.

Although this is a short walk in terms of distance, the total ascent is 53m, which is the equivalent of climbing 18 flights of stairs.

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 261: Essendon Short Loop
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Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
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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.

From Essendon Village Hall head W along School Lane

1: With your back to Essendon Village Hall (location - https://w3w.co/dock.trend.corn), turn right then head W along School Lane for 125m until you reach High Road, the B158 (location - https://w3w.co/loads.return.regard).

Cross High Road, turn left, then head SSE along the pedestrian pavement for 65m looking out for a footpath on the right (location - https://w3w.co/games.ants.birds), see image below.

Turn right on Essendon footpath 13

2: Turn right on Essendon footpath 13 then head WSW, with the cricket pitch on the right, for 135m until you reach a gate (location - https://w3w.co/dined.native.reef), see image below.

Go through the gate then continue on Essendon footpath 13

Go through the gate then continue on Essendon footpath 13, still heading WSW and downhill, for 90m until you reach a footpath on the right (location - https://w3w.co/coach.start.give), see image below.

Turn right on Essendon footpath 17

3: Turn right on Essendon footpath 17 then head NE and uphill for 120m to a gate (location - https://w3w.co/reap.slip.cone), see image below.

Go through the gate then head NW

4: Go through the gate then head NW for 90m, with the hedgerow on your right and field on the left, still on Essendon footpath 17, until you reach another gate (location - https://w3w.co/battle.shade.buck), see image below.

Go through the gate then head NE

5: Go through the gate, still on Essendon footpath 17, then head NE for 120m until you reach two gates, one on the right (location - https://w3w.co/goad.films.sunset) which leads to the parish church of St Mary the Virgin and one on the left (location - https://w3w.co/clown.bricks.gives), see images below.

The church of St Mary the Virgin, Essendon

Continue through the gate on the left, see image below.

Continue, still on Essendon footpath 17

Continue, still on Essendon footpath 17, for 40m until you reach West End Lane (location - https://w3w.co/adding.into.dreams), see image below.

Turn left on West End Lane

6: Turn left on West End Lane then head WNW for 30m looking out for a footpath on the right (location - https://w3w.co/carry.hobby.tune), see image below.

Turn right on Essendon footpath 5

Turn right on Essendon footpath 5 then head NE for 360m.

Continue on Essendon footpath 5

Continue until you reach Essendon Hill (location - https://w3w.co/sports.news.dared), see image below.

Cross Essendon Hill then take the footpath on the opposite side

7: Cross Essendon Hill then take the footpath on the opposite side of the road (location - https://w3w.co/wash.pardon.camp).

Head ENE, still on Essendon footpath 5, for 200m. This section usually has livestock grazing and dog owners are asked to keep their pets under control.

Essendon footpath 5 crosses a livestock field

Please don't feed the horses; they have regular meals

Continue across the livestock field heading ENE for 175m until you reach a gap in the hedgerow leading to a gate (location - https://w3w.co/chat.stray.glue), see image below.

Go through the gap and then the gate

Go through the gap and then the gate then continue heading ENE for 35m until you reach the first fairway on the golf course (location - https://w3w.co/faster.train.showed), see image below.

Look right to check for any golfers then head NE

8: Look right to check for any golfers then, if it's safe to cross, head NE across the fairway for 90m (see the orange arrow on the image above). Continue until you reach a track (location - https://w3w.co/hiking.gather.sands).

Continue heading NE along the track, still on Essendon footpath 5, for 100m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/rinse.beats.themes), see image below.

Cross the junction then head E, now on Essendon footpath 2

9: Cross the junction then head E, now on Essendon footpath 2, for 155m until you reach a track (location - https://w3w.co/begun.scare.jobs), see image below.

Cross the track then continue for 20m to a fairway

10: Cross the track then continue for 20m until you reach another fairway (location - https://w3w.co/blues.acting.elaborate). Look right to check for any golfers then, when it's safe, continue heading E for 155m until you reach another track (location - https://w3w.co/moons.cafe.slope), see image below.

Look left to check for any golfers then continue heading E

Look left to check for any golfers then, when it's safe, continue heading E, still on Essendon footpath 2, for 50m until you leave the golf course then reach a footbridge (location - https://w3w.co/enter.friday.singer) leading to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/pack.crazy.skins), see image below.

Turn right on Little Berkhamsted bridleway 26

11: Turn right on Little Berkhamsted bridleway 26, which is also Bedwell Avenue, then head S for 390m until the bridleway branches off to the right of a group of quarry buildings (location - https://w3w.co/stars.stole.gates), see image below.

Continue heading S, now on Essendon bridleway 25

12: Continue heading S, now on Essendon bridleway 25 for 150m until you cross a junction (location - https://w3w.co/fried.decide.mass), see image below.

Continue heading S, still on Essendon bridleway 25

13: Continue heading S, still on Essendon bridleway 25, for 350m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/guilty.noise.mason), see image below.

Turn right on Essendon bridleway 4

14: Turn right at the junction on Essendon bridleway 4 then head W and uphill for 180m until you reach the golf course clubhouse (location - https://w3w.co/fled.kind.tricks), see image below.

Turn right at the clubhouse still on Essendon bridleway 4

A vintage Renault refreshment van called ‘Mollie’ is usually parked at this junction. According to the golf club 'Mollie' is open every day during the summer months and serves hot or cold drink, snacks, sausage rolls and draught beer. You can see Mollie in the photograph above. Management at the golf club say members of the public are also welcome to visit The Courtyard Kitchen Restaurant.

15: Turn right at the clubhouse then head NNW for 45m, still on Essendon bridleway 4, then follow the bridleway round to the left, see image below.

Continue still following Essendon bridleway 4

Continue still following Essendon bridleway 4 as it heads W for 125m until you reach the final fairway (location - https://w3w.co/enhancement.packet.paying), see image below.

Look left to check for golfers before continuing

16: Look left to check for golfers before continuing, now heading NW, for 80m across the fairway, still on Essendon bridleway 4, until you leave the golf course (location - https://w3w.co/seats.terms.garage), see image below.

Continue heading NW and uphill still on Essendon bridleway 4

17: Continue heading NW and uphill still on Essendon bridleway 4. It was along this stretch that we met a group of hardworking volunteers from Hertfordshire's Countryside Management Service who were working on the bridleway, see image below.

Volunteers from Hertfordshire's Countryside Management Service

Continue on Essendon bridleway 4 for 250m until you reach School Lane (location - https://w3w.co/keeps.decreased.sailor).

18: Turn left on School Lane then head W for 60m back to the start of the walk.

If you enjoyed this walk please consider joining our Hertfordshire Walker members-only Facebook Group where you can share photos and comments on your walking experiences.

Interactive map

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