Walk 14: The Woodman Long Loop

4.6 miles (7.3 km) with 88m total ascent

Hatfield footpath 84 between points 1 & 2

A pleasant circular walk from The Woodman, Wildhill. The route crosses fields, weaves through woodland, and passes through a shaded tree-lined valley alongside Essendon Brook before returning to the pub. This route is a combination of two shorter walks on this site, Walk 2: The Camfield Place Loop, and Walk 6: The Wildhill Loop.

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 14: The Woodman Loop
Click on the map above for a larger version
Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors
There is an interactive map embedded at the end of these directions

Those with GPS devices can download GPX or KML files for this walk. We've added What3Words 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.

If you intend to end this walk with a drink at the Woodman in Wildhill the landlord says you can park in the pub car park (location - https://w3w.co/oldest.tamed.chart). When in the pub car park you will see that the parking area splits. The lower area, just beyond a few out-buildings, leads to a gate in the SW corner (location - https://w3w.co/life.exact.rush). This is the start of the walk, see image below.

Leave the car park through a gate in the SW corner

Go through the gate and then follow Hatfield footpath 84

1: Go through the gate then follow Hatfield footpath 84 SSW across a field. This section can be boggy after rain. You will cross a wooden footbridge (location - https://w3w.co/charge.ranks.likes), see image below.

Continue through another gate and cross a second field

Continue through another gate and cross a second field before reaching a second footbridge across another section that can be boggy after rain (location - https://w3w.co/jumpy.sofa.became), see image below.

Hatfield footpath 84 heading towards the second footbridge

2: Cross the footbridge. Immediately after crossing the footbridge turn left after the first tree on your left and you will come to a gate (location - https://w3w.co/statue.jumped.charmingly), see image below.

Go through the gate then turn right

Go through the gate then turn right heading first WSW for 80m with the hedgerow on your right and the field on your left before Hatfield footpath 84 bends left then heads SW for 120m until you reach a gap in the hedge on the right (location - https://w3w.co/slam.watch.zones), see image below.

Go through the gap, then head SW and uphill

3: Go through the gap, then head SW and uphill for 240m, with the hedgerow on the right and field on the left, until the path bends left then heads across a field, see map and image below.

Route between points 2 & 4
Image created on MapHub

Follow Hatfield footpath 84 across the field and uphill

4: Follow Hatfield footpath 84 across the field and uphill for 110m until you reach woodland (location - https://w3w.co/broad.insist.dining), see image below.

Follow the footpath left then right

At the top of the hill (location - https://w3w.co/hidden.asleep.script) follow the path round to the left of the woods with the field on your left then head SSW for 265m until you reach Grubbs Lane at a gate (location - https://w3w.co/sage.spoke.units), see image below.

When you reach Grubbs Lane turn right

5: When you reach Grubbs Lane turn right then head NW for 230m until you reach a footpath on your right (location - https://w3w.co/stump.select.gates) 75m beyond Westfield Lodge on the right, see image below.

Turn right on Hatfield footpath 82

6: Turn right on Hatfield footpath 82, then head NNW across an arable field for 200m heading to the left of the pylon, see image below.

Cross an arable field heading to the left of a pylon

When you reach a second field, Hatfield footpath 82 heads diagonally NW for 230m until you reach woodland (location - https://w3w.co/badge.shovels.newest), see image below.

Hatfield footpath 82 crossing a second field

7: Keeping the woods on your right, continue NW along Hatfield footpath 82 for 190m until the track bends to the left (location - https://w3w.co/frock.answer.bleat) then continues for 80m to a farm storage area (location - https://w3w.co/woke.oven.belong), see image below.

Turn right on Hatfield footpath 81

Turn right on Hatfield footpath 81 then follow it NNW for 250m until you reach Wildhill Road (location - https://w3w.co/violin.wedge.erase), see image below.

Cross Wildhill Road then head N along Hatfield UCR1

8: Cross Wildhill Road then head N along a farm road which is also Hatfield UCR1 (unmetalled unclassed county road) with farm buildings on your left and cottages on your right (location - https://w3w.co/keep.jabs.goals).

Continue along this track, which can be can be muddy after rain, for 430m until you reach a T-junction (location - https://w3w.co/again.values.critic), see image below.

Turn right then follow Hatfield BOAT 80

9: Turn right then follow the tree-lined path, Hatfield BOAT (byway open to all traffic) 80, as it heads E. Follow this byway for 880m until you reach West End Lane (location - https://w3w.co/hosts.dots.valve), see image below. The first section of this byway can be muddy after rain.

Turn left on West End Lane

10: Turn left on West End Lane then follow the lane ENE for 150m then N for 115m until you reach a byway on the right (location - https://w3w.co/nods.wider.warns), see image below.

Turn right on Hatfield BOAT 14

11: Turn right on Hatfield BOAT 14 then head E and then ENE for 620m until you reach a footpath on your right accessed through a metal gate (location - https://w3w.co/solved.flies.shift), see image below.

Turn right on Essendon footpath 16

12: Turn right on Essendon footpath 16 then head SE for 320m with the hedgerow on your left and the field on your right until you reach a footbridge over Wildhill Brook (location - https://w3w.co/venue.lower.dogs) at the point where it meets Essendon Brook, see image below.

Cross the footbridge then continue heading SE

Cross the footbridge then continue heading SE, still on Essendon footpath 16, for 420m until you reach a footpath on your right (location - https://w3w.co/always.cross.chose), see image below.

Turn right here on Essendon footpath 15

13: Turn right here on Essendon footpath 15, then climb the hill heading SW for 480m until the footpath bends left (location - https://w3w.co/improving.beyond.mirror), then heads SE for 150m until you reach the B158 (location - https://w3w.co/desks.votes.shiny).

14: Cross the B158 then head SE down Hornbeam Lane, which is also Essendon bridleway 18, for 160m until you reach a footpath on the right immediately before a house on the right (location - https://w3w.co/shock.basis.opens), see image below.

Turn right on Essendon footpath 20

15: Turn right on Essendon footpath 20 then head SW for 80m until you reach a gate (location - https://w3w.co/woof.wide.minute), see image below.

Go through the gate then continue heading SW

Go through the gate then continue heading SW (see orange arrow on the image above) for 120m with the woodland on your left and the field on your right until you reach a gate in the corner of the field (location - https://w3w.co/wipes.sock.slave), see image below.

Go through the gate then turn right on Essendon footpath 19

16: Go through the gate then turn right on Essendon footpath 19 and head NW for 210m until you reach the B158, Kentish Lane (location - https://w3w.co/race.oppose.press).

17: Turn left on Kentish Lane, then head SSW for 295m until you reach a footpath on your right (location - https://w3w.co/smiled.pets.cube), see image below.

Turn right on Hatfield footpath 85,

18: Turn right on Hatfield footpath 85, then follow NW through the hedgerow until you reach a field, see image below.

Head NW for 120m until you reach the edge of woodland

Head WNW for 120m until you reach the edge of woodland (location - https://w3w.co/dads.wages.eating), see image below.

Follow the path NW with the woodland on the right and field on the left

Follow the path NW for 140m, with the woodland on the right and field on the left, until you reach a gate in the corner of the field (location - https://w3w.co/overnight.common.valley), see image below.

Continue through the gate, still on Hatfield footpath 85

19: Continue through the gate, still on Hatfield footpath 85, now heading NNW across an arable field for 130m until you reach a gap in the hedge (location - https://w3w.co/trials.shins.ever), see image below.

Go through the gap in the hedge then enter a field

Go through the gap in the hedge then a gate then enter a field where friendly and sometimes frisky horses graze, then head diagonally NW and downhill for 125m across a field, see orange arrow on image below.

Cross the field until you reach a gate

Cross the field until you reach a gate leading into The Woodman car park (location - https://w3w.co/clues.sugars.palms) see image below.

Interactive map

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