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Walk 57: Chapmore End Loop

5.2 miles (8.4 km) with 84m total ascent


Photograph of a stile over a stone wall on Walk 57: Chapmore End Loop
 
An undulating circular walk through woodland, a nature reserve, along a pretty river, across parkland, and with great views across the Hertfordshire countryside. There is a pub, The Woodman, and a cafe, The Butterfly Tearoom, at the start and finish point in Chapmore End.

Directions


Map for Walk 57: Chapmore End Loop Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors Note: There is a larger, more-detailed map embedded at the end of these directions
Map for Walk 57: Chapmore End Loop
Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors

There is an interactive map at the end of 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: Park in the village of Chapmore End (location - https://w3w.co/flying.whips.blank). Refreshments are available at The Woodman pub and the Buttercup Tearoom. Check opening times to avoid disappointment.

Head SW along Chapmore End from The Woodman pub for 330m until you reach a sharp left bend in the road (location - https://w3w.co/hogs.pardon.snake). Here you go straight ahead along a byway, Bengeo Rural BOAT 22 (byway open to all traffic) and continue SW for 230m. This byway, also known as Gypsy Lane, bends slightly, and eventually reaches a five-way split (location - https://w3w.co/snail.pile.river).

2: Here Gypsy Lane heads WSW for 320m towards Flowerash Wood on your right where the byway turns SSW for 180m to a junction in the tracks (location - https://w3w.co/beam.spend.score).

3: When you reach the junction take Bengeo Rural bridleway 12 and head SW for 300m passing Bardon Clumps (woodland) on the right. Here the track becomes Hertford restricted byway 8 and continues SW for 160m dipping down into the old quarry and then climbing up the other side. The track then forks to the right (location - https://w3w.co/trick.loss.paying) and becomes Hertford bridleway 7 and continues SW for another 120m until it reaches Sacombe Road (location - https://w3w.co/copy.probe.gangs).

4: Cross the road and enter the Waterford Heath Community Nature Park directly opposite and follow the path to your right, heading NW, W, NW, and then NE for 340m. Look out for some wooden steps on your left. Go down the steps. At the foot of the steps turn right and follow the path until it reaches Bullsmill Lane (location - https://w3w.co/rising.heave.saying).

5: Turn left and walk along the lane for 230m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/bulb.smiles.badly), here you turn right and head NNE along another lane for 200m until you reach a footpath at the point where the lane bends to the right (location - https://w3w.co/trick.thus.wool).

6: Take the footpath, Stapleford footpath 3 and head NNE for 140m passing Bushmill on the left before reaching a junction in the track (location - https://w3w.co/phones.neck.logic). Here you take the left turn and continue on Stapleford footpath 3 as it dips down to the River Beane. Follow this footpath for 1km as it heads first NNW, then NNE and then NNW again before reaching Church Lane (location - https://w3w.co/owls.lungs.onions).

7: Turn right and head E for 55m before turning left on Clusterbolts (location - https://w3w.co/snows.cases.device). Continue heading NNE along Clusterbolts for 170m until you reach the last house. To the left of the house you will see a path and a sign hidden in the hedgerow which reads "Hertfordshire Way" (location - https://w3w.co/pasta.nets.giving).

Take this path, Sacombe footpath 18, and head NNE, N, and NNE for 1.2km with the River Beane on your left. This is a pretty path which follows the river until it reaches a stile and a wooden gate (location - https://w3w.co/dunes.leaps.mash), see image at the top of this page. Go through the gate and continue across parkland and through a metal gate until you reach a gravel road (location - https://w3w.co/moves.erase.influencing) close to a bridge.

8: Turn right on this gravel road, which is also Sacombe footpath 15, and follow it S for 800m until you reach woodland and a junction in the tracks (location - https://w3w.co/zebra.blog.puzzle). Continue straight, heading S for 530m, still on Sacombe footpath 15, passing Southend Farm on your right and ignoring footpaths and tracks on your right and left and continue until you reach Church Lane (location - https://w3w.co/crop.trains.magma).

9: Turn left at the junction and take Sacombe footpath 19 following it E for 270m crossing a field and emerging to the right of a house on Stony Hills (location - https://w3w.co/ground.forest.tuck).

(This path is interesting in that it has three parish names along its short stretch. It starts off as Sacombe footpath 19, but after 50m becomes Stapleford footpath 11, and then for the last 50m becomes Bengeo Rural footpath 15. Which suggest that three parishes meet along the way. )

10: Turn right heading S and then SW along Stony Hills for 120m until you reach a bridleway on your left just before woodland on your left (location - https://w3w.co/jazz.rises.flash). Take this track, Bengeo Rural bridleway 2, and follow it heading ENE then ESE with the woodland on your right and fields on your left until it opens up at the end of the woodland at a point where a path goes off to your left. Ignore that path and continue heading SE for 150m to a junction in the track (location - https://w3w.co/memo.copper.rocks).

11: Here you continue heading SW, now on Bengeo Rural footpath 9 with the hedgerow on your left and the field on your right until you return to Chapmore End (location - https://w3w.co/hurry.ruler.loving).

Turn left in the village to reach The Woodman and the Buttercup Tearoom.

Interactive map




10 comments:

  1. Enjoyed the walk as did our Lurcher (plenty of off lead opportunities). Descriptions a little vague compared with other walks here. Instructions 3, 4 & 12 were particularly hard to find, a map and compass are recommended.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jason, this was a tough walk to describe as the paths are so close. If you have any suggestions of better wording please email me via the site and I will edit the walk to make it clearer. Sorry you had a problem.

      Dave

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  2. We just did this walk today.with the frost everywhere, it was extra magical. And Chapmore End hamlet is lovely (and very easy to park). A
    In dummary, another great walk. We wil be back in summertime. The walk along the river Beane must be even more enchanting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Claire, so glad you enjoyed it. We love that walk. You have reminded me that we need to revisit it. Thanks for the feedback.

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  3. Lovely walk and lovely hamlet. We will return in summer to enjoy the river walk.

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  4. We did this walk years ago and I agree that the instructions are hard. We got lost at point 4 and found ourselves going backwards and forwards and then fighting through brambles on the other side of Sacombe Rd to get onto Waterford Heath. Interestingly, we did your Waterford Heath North loop yesterday, which covers some of the same ground, using a printed out version of the walk with pics, and found no difficulty. The pics are really useful (and I also had a version of the walk on Komoot as a back-up).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Liz, yes, photos do help. We didn't take many with the earlier walks. Also, having the GPS files is a real benefit. They make it so much easier, particularly at points where it's hard to describe the turns (such as deep in woodland where it all looks the same and there are few landmarks). Glad you enjoyed it. David

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    2. PS, I would love it if you could move the search bar up to the top of the site... I have to scroll a long way to find what I am looking for. Or maybe arrange the walks alphabetically. So glad you organise this site, we are a group of U3A walkers, and know a lot of walks anyway, but it's great to have such a resource to fall back on.

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    3. Great idea, I have moved the search box towards the top of the left-hand column on the website and added a 'search' page accessible from the main top navigation for mobile users. I have left a search box at the bottom of the page, too. Regarding alphabetical listing, it's probably easier to enter the name of a town, village or hamlet in the search box because that will reveal every walk where the place you are looking for is mentioned.
      David

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    4. Fantastic David, thanks a lot

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