Walk 297: Patmore Heath South Loop

5.9 miles (9.6 km) with 92m of total ascent

The Harcamlow Way between points 4 & 5

This is our second walk from Patmore Heath, this time venturing south towards Little Hadham. We delayed publishing this route until work on the Little Hadham bypass had been completed. You will cross the new road twice and, along those stretches, will have to put up some traffic noise. But it's worth it for the lovely rolling countryside you will cross along the way. There are some wonderful stretches.

There is a permissive path at point 14 in the walk that links two public rights of way. The permissive path goes under the new A120 bypass and alongside flood defences built at the same time as the new road. There is a sign alongside the permissive path which warns walkers that: "this path will be closed for the safety of the public during maintenance work or operation of the adjacent reservoir slipway". If the permissive path is closed you won't be able to complete this loop but will have to retrace your steps.

Getting there

The walk starts at Patmore Heath (location - https://w3w.co/flaunting.toast.agrees), a Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust nature reserve with a small car park.

For those travelling by bus there are stops (location - https://w3w.co/deranged.reserved.courage) close to The Catherine Wheel pub, which is 240m W of the start and finish point. They are served by the number 20 and 27 buses. Alternatively, there are bus stops in Little Hadham (location - https://w3w.co/wound.breathing.intricate) 330m SSW of point 16 in the walk which are served by the number 20, 27, 35, 35C, 36, 36A, and 386 buses. 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 297: Patmore Heath South 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.

1: From the small car park (location - https://w3w.co/wanted.however.galloped) at the north of Patmore Heath head SE for 30m to a noticeboard (see image below) . Veer right after the noticeboard then head SSE along the Hertfordshire Way for 150m to a lane (location - https://w3w.co/upset.poorly.consented).

Turn right after the noticeboard on Patmore Heath

2: Turn right on the lane then head SW for 220m until you reach a bridleway on a bend (location - https://w3w.co/lifeboats.bottom.convert), see image below.

 Turn left on Albury bridleway 33

3: Turn left on Albury bridleway 33 then head SW for 30m to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/yield.salary.haircuts), see image below.

Turn right on Albury footpath 32

Turn right at the junction on Albury footpath 32 then head SW for 170m until you reach a road (location - https://w3w.co/clash.pacemaker.vanilla). Turn left on the road then head SE for 50m until you reach a bridleway on the right (location - https://w3w.co/cutback.intention.declares), see image below.

Turn right on Albury bridleway 17

4: Turn right on Albury bridleway 17 then head SW. This stretch is also the Harcamlow Way. Continue for 350m until you reach the River Ash (location - https://w3w.co/fuse.putts.wound), see image below.

Cross the River Ash then continue heading SW

5: Cross the River Ash then continue heading SW now on Albury bridleway 18 for 80m until the track bends to the right (location - https://w3w.co/villas.readjust.kipper). Follow Albury bridleway 18 NW for 180m until you reach a left-hand bend (location - https://w3w.co/sizing.marathons.when), see image below.

Turn left then head W with the woodland on the right

6: Turn left then head W for 310m with the woodland on the right. Continue until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/elephant.spouting.songbook), see image below.

Turn left on Albury footpath 3

7: Turn left at the junction then head SSE on Albury footpath 3 with the woodland on the right. Continue for 200m until you reach the end of the woodland. At this point Albury footpath 3 crosses an arable field (location - https://w3w.co/engraving.they.drawn), see image below.

Continue on Albury footpath 3 across an arable field

8: Continue across the arable field for 225m then follow Albury footpath 3 as it weaves through trees for 100m to a gate (location - https://w3w.co/power.alarming.conspire) leading to the churchyard of the church of St Mary, a Grade II* listed building.

Go through the gate then walk past the church

9: Go through the gate then, keeping the church on the left, head S for 60m to a lane (location - https://w3w.co/overlook.firepower.wizards).

The church of St Mary

Turn left on the lane then head ESE for 135m.

Turn left on the lane then head ESE

Continue until you reach a track on the right (location - https://w3w.co/boots.howler.mingles), see image below.

 Turn right on Albury footpath 4

10: Turn right on Albury footpath 4 then head S for 475m until you reach a junction where the track bends left and you continue straight and into woodland (location - https://w3w.co/initiated.blame.incomes), see image below.

Follow Albury footpath 4 through woodland

11: Leave the track at the junction then follow Albury footpath 4 through woodland. Head S for 100m to a clearing (location - https://w3w.co/path.behind.heckler), see image below.

Follow Albury footpath 4 in a southerly direction

Follow Albury footpath 4 around the edge of the field then continue heading in a southerly direction for 180m to a footbridge (location - https://w3w.co/editor.hears.constrain), see image below.

Cross the footbridge then cross a track

12: Cross the footbridge then cross a track to continue heading S on Albury footpath 4.

Albury footpath 4 crossing the track then heading S

Continue heading in a southerly direction on Albury footpath 4, with the hedgerow on the left, for 795m until you reach a footbridge over the River Ash (location - https://w3w.co/slowly.pulsing.romantics), see image below.

The footbridge over the River Ash

13: Cross the footbridge then turn left on Little Hadham footpath 57. Continue to a gate (location - https://w3w.co/scrapping.noodle.overlook), see image below.

Go through a gate then turn right

Go through the gate then turn right. Head SW for 60m, still on Little Hadham footpath 57, until you reach a large metal gate (location - https://w3w.co/glitz.mailers.soda), see image below.

Once through the gate turn left

14: Once through the metal gate then turn left to follow a permissive path that goes under the A120. This is the path that could be closed during maintenance work or the operation of the adjacent reservoir slipway after flooding.

The permissive path under the A120

When you reach the other side of the A120 head SE, still on Little Hadham footpath 57.

Head SE on Little Hadham footpath 57

Continue for 90m to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/linguists.dragons.bricks).

Take the left at the fork then cross a footbridge

15: Take the left fork at the junction, Little Hadham footpath 59, then cross a footbridge. Head SE for 100m until you reach new housing on the right (location - https://w3w.co/armful.commented.incursion). Head SE with the housing on your right for 205m until you reach Albury Road (location - https://w3w.co/destiny.necklaces.slimming), see image below.

Cross Albury Road then take Little Hadham footpath 38

16: Cross Albury Road then take Little Hadham footpath 38. Continue heading SE for 135m until you reach a footbridge over the River Ash (location - https://w3w.co/bleak.foal.establish), see image below.

Cross the footbridge then continue heading SE

17: Cross the footbridge then continue heading SE, still on Little Hadham footpath 38.

Continue on Little Hadham footpath 38 until you reach a church

Continue for 350m until you reach a churchyard (location - https://w3w.co/ambitions.episode.eyelash), see image below.

Head SE through the churchyard

18: Head SE through the churchyard, still on Little Hadham footpath 38.

The parish church of St Cecilia

Continue for 125m, with the parish church of St Cecilia, a Grade I listed building, on the left, until you reach a lane (location - https://w3w.co/tigers.gentlemen.exacted), see image below.

Turn left on the lane

19: Turn left on the lane then head NE for 80m until you reach a footpath on the right (location - https://w3w.co/inefficient.rivers.slept), see image below.

Turn right on Little Hadham footpath 34

20: Turn right on Little Hadham footpath 34 then head E for 375m until you reach a pond on the left (location - https://w3w.co/conspire.treaties.homes), see image below.

Follow Little Hadham footpath 34 with the pond on the left

Continue, still on Little Hadham footpath 34, and with the pond on the left, for 50m to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/camped.flickers.rosette), see image below.

Turn left on Little Hadham bridleway 35

21: Turn left at the junction on Little Hadham bridleway 35. Head N for 55m through an archway (location - https://w3w.co/sour.spreading.unhappily), see image below.

Follow Little Hadham bridleway 35 through the archway

Continue heading N, still on Little Hadham bridleway 35, for 90m to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/starters.declines.gems), see image below.

Turn right at the junction

22: Turn right at the junction, still on Little Hadham bridleway 35, then head E.

The bridleway passes between two ponds

Little Hadham bridleway 35 now passes between two ponds before turning left after 45m just before a house (location - https://w3w.co/cone.powers.roosters), see image below.

Turn left, still on Little Hadham bridleway 35

23: Turn left, still on Little Hadham bridleway 35, then head NNE - with the hedgerow on the left and fields on the right. Continue for 445m until you reach a bridge over the A120 (location - https://w3w.co/hushed.hero.skillet) see images below.

Little Hadham bridleway 35 heading NNE

Little Hadham bridleway 35 crossing over the A120

24: Once on the other side of the bridge you cross a parish boundary and you will be on Albury bridleway 10. Continue heading NNE for 240m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/germinate.quaking.homes), see image below.

Take the left fork at the junction

25: Take the left fork at the junction then head in a northerly direction through some lovely countryside for 780m until you reach a lane in Upwick Green (location - https://w3w.co/intelligible.treatment.snippets), see image below.

Turn left on the lane

26: Turn left on the lane then head NW for 290m until you reach a bridleway on the right (location - https://w3w.co/popular.ethic.shape), see image below.

Turn right on Albury bridleway 13

27: Turn right on Albury bridleway 13 then head N for 150m until you reach a track (location - https://w3w.co/longingly.modern.deprive), see image below.

Head N with the hedgerow on the left

Head N still, on Albury bridleway 13, with the hedgerow on the left and field on the right. Continue heading N for 140m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/blindfold.home.accented), see image below.

Continue heading N on Albury bridleway 13

Continue heading N, still on Albury bridleway 13, for 430m to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/name.unafraid.vesting), see image below.

Keep heading straight and N at the junction

28: Keep heading straight and N at the junction, now on Albury footpath 13A. Continue for 465m. Along the way Albury footpath 13A becomes Albury footpath 15 after a junction (location - https://w3w.co/reset.acrobats.tooth). Continue until you reach a track -. (location - https://w3w.co/camp.proved.sobbed), see image below.

Cross the track diagonally to your right then turn left

29: Cross the track diagonally to your right then turn left, still on Albury footpath 15. Follow the footpath WNW for 630m until you reach the lane you walked at point 2 in the route (location - https://w3w.co/sheet.flicked.postings), see image below.

Cross the lane then retrace your steps to the car park

30: Cross the lane then head NNW for 180m across Patmore Heath back to the car park.

Interactive map

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