Walk 3: Water End Loop

A walk past the North Mymms swallow holes

3 miles (5 km)

The footbridge at point 4 in the directions below
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons

A gentle circular walk from Brookmans Park or Welham Green to visit the swallow holes at Water End. There is a pub at the start and finish and one at the halfway point. The walk involves some lane walking but is mostly along footpaths through local woodland and across fields.

Directions

Map for Walk 3: The Water End Loop
Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker

Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors

For KML and GPX details, see the interactive map below the directions

This walk can be accessed from both Brookmans Park or Welham Green. If you are walking from Brookmans Park, please follow the directions below.

If you are starting and finishing in Welham Green, head SE down Station Road. 80m after the Bulls Lane junction take the footpath on the right, North Mymms footpath 8, and head SW for 630m until you reach point 9 in the directions below where you can joint the walk in a clockwise direction retracing your steps from point 9 on your return.

1: If you are starting the walk at Brookmans Park, head N along Station Road towards Welham Green.

2: Just before you reach Bradmore Lane there is a path on the left, North Mymms footpath 9, which doubles back on the way you have just walked to take you S, parallel to the railway track. 

3: Continue along this route for 580m until you reach a bridge crossing a brook, which is usually dry, but which can be flooded after heavy rain. Immediately after the bridge turn right and enter a field owned by the Royal Veterinary College. A footpath, North Mymms footpath 11, has been fenced off to the S of the brook. Follow that path for 300m with the field on your left and the hedge on your right as you head W until you reach the end of the field.

4: At the corner of the field you will see a stile on your right leading to a bridge crossing the same brook. Cross this bridge and, once on the other side, look out for a footpath gate on your left. Go through this gate and continue through Brick Kiln Wood with the brook running on your left and the wood on your right for 580m. The path soon opens out with fields on your right. Keep the hedge and brook to your left and continue. Ignore the first footpath on your left and keep heading W until the path swings to the left. At this point you join a raised walkway which continues along a boardwalk to the concrete footbridge over Mimmshall Brook. Cross the bridge.

5: When you reach Warrengate Road turn right and walk N to the hamlet of Water End. After 580m you will reach The Woodman Inn on your right

Here you have an option of taking the footpath on your right immediately before The Woodman Inn, North Mymms footpath, and visiting the swallow holes (see the yellow route on the map above). If you take this option follow the path round over the swallow holes climbing through the woods at the other side to reach an open field.

At the open field turn right, follow North Mymms footpath 8 round to the right with the field on your left and the hedgerow on your right. Head for the SW corner of this field and cut through the hedgerow to reach Bradmore Lane. Here you turn left and follow the lane to Station Road where you turn right, cross the railway bridge and return to Brookmans Park.

The swallow holes at Water End
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons

The swallow holes at Water End
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons

If you don't take this shortcut through the swallow holes, continue walking NW past The Woodman Inn until you reach Swanland Road. Here you turn right and walk along the cycle path and footpath past the garages.

7: Ignore the first footpath on your right and take the second, North Mymms footpath 30. Turn right and walk E for 210m keeping the hedge on your right and the field on your left. Ignore the footpath that crosses your way and continue heading to a way marker in the corner of the field.

Turn left at the marker post where the path swings to the left
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons

8: Here you turn to your left and continue to follow the path NW for 70 with the fields on your left and hedgerow on the right until you reach another way marker and a footpath to your right, still North Mymms footpath 30. Go down this path, through the hedgerow and woodland, cross a bridge over the stream, and emerge in the open field.

9: Here you have two options depending on whether you started the walk in Brookmans Park or Welham Green.

Brookmans Park: If you are heading back to Brookmans Park, turn right on North Mymms footpath 32, and, keeping the hedge on your right and the fields on your left, following the path round to the SSW for 500m to Bradmore Lane where you turn left on Bradmore Lane and follow the lane W for 830m to Station Road where you turn right to return to Brookmans Park.

Welham Green: If you are returning to Welham Green turn left at this point, cross a footbridge, and then head NE on North Mymms footpath 8 for 630m until you reach Station Road, where you turn left to return to Welham Green.

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