Parking and postcodes

Car park image generated with Microsoft AI

A walker posted on our Hertfordshire Walker website suggesting that we use postcodes for the start of the walks and include tips on where to park.

I thought I should copy my reply here so that other users of our free walks understand our reasoning.

We don't use postcodes because they often cover a wide area and are not accurate in terms of pinpointing a specific spot. For example, our home postcode stretches for 650m and includes 87 houses

Instead we use the far more accurate What3Words references for all starting points as well as for important junctions along the way. These can be used with satnav in the car or on a smartphone. They will guide walkers to an exact spot.

As for parking, we always mention where there are public car parks close to the start of a walk if they exist, but we never recommend parking spots alongside local residential roads. This is because parking restrictions might be introduced after the walk has been published and we wouldn't want people following our advice and then getting a parking fine. We sometimes mention if there is permitted parking on a major road but always expain that the parking was free at the time of writing so that people know to double-check that is still the case.

In the past, local residents have complained when we have recommended free parking in a residential road. Since then we have stopped suggesting such parking spots. We wouldn't want anyone to have their car damaged.

So our policy is to publish an accurate What3Words reference for the start of the walk, mention a public car park if one exists, but leave it to the walker to find a space to park as close as possible to the start of the walk.

We don't include any walks in the collection where we have been unable to find a parking spot or where there isn't a public transport option. If we haven't been able to find a place to park, or get there by train or bus, we are not able to map or test the walk.

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