10 miles (16 km) with 252m total ascent
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| Bridleway 10 often a blaze of wild rose in June |
Directions
Note: This walk crosses over a golf course
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| Walk 67: Kentish Lane Loop Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors There is an interactive map at the end of these directions |
Directions
1:From The Woodman in Wildhill (location - https://w3w.co/shots.sculpture.turkey) turn left on Wildhill Road and head W for 110m until you meet West End Lane where you turn right and head NNW for 740m following the lane as it dips and then climbs to a right-hand bend. Continue round to your right and head ENE following the lane as it then turns left and then heads N. Look out for a byway sign on your right (location - https://w3w.co/fake.loaded.moss). This is a Essendon BOAT 14, (byway open to all traffic).
2: Take this path and continue through Home Wood and Harefield Wood for 1.1km. At first you will be heading E and then NE. After half a mile you will see footpath 16 going off to your right. Ignore it and continue along the BOAT as it heads N, dipping and climbing up to a footpath on your left just opposite a white-topped footpath marker post. This is Essendon footpath 13 (location - https://w3w.co/retail.vets.wire).
3: Turn left here and follow the footpath WNW for 420m along the edge of the field until you reach The Candlestick on West End Lane (location - https://w3w.co/sleeps.quarrel.racing).
4: At The Candlestick turn right on West End Lane for 90m as it heads N and then NE. Just before the houses on your left you will see a bridleway on your left (location - https://w3w.co/mint.slang.foster). This is Essendon bridleway 10. Take this path and head NNW and then N. A great time to do this walk is in late May and June when the hedgerow along this route is rich in wild rose. Continue down this path for 890m until you reach a footpath on your right (location - https://w3w.co/teams.mutual.oddly). This is Essendon footpath 8.
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| Bridleway 10 just before meeting footpath 8 (point 4) |
6: Here you turn left and follow West End Lane uphill heading E for 630m towards Essendon. When you reach the outskirts of the village, look out for a footpath on your left before the first house on the left. This is Essendon footpath 5 (location - https://w3w.co/flies.snow.player).
7: Take this path and head NE for 360m over the fields to the B158 Essendon Hill (location - https://w3w.co/young.rainy.just).
8: Cross the road and take the footpath immediately opposite (location - https://w3w.co/track.ending.fell). This is still Essendon footpath 5 which now heads ENE and E across Essendon golf course for 400m until you reach a footpath, Essendon footpath 2 (location - https://w3w.co/summer.modern.locals). Continue heading E for 390m crossing the golf course and emerging via a footbridge leading to Bedwell Avenue (location - https://w3w.co/demand.backed.sheep).
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| Footpath 2 across Essendon golf course, see point 8 above |
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| The route to footpath 4 signposted to Ashfield Farm (point 9) |
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| The bridge on bridleway 19 shortly before the climb up to Breach Lane |
12: Immediately after leaving the churchyard on Church Road, take the footpath on your left. This is Little Berkhamstead footpath 9. Continue along this path heading ENE for 310m with fields on your right and the hedgerow on your left and follow it as it swings to the right (location - https://w3w.co/modern.boom.tidy) and heads SSE just before woodland. You are now on Little Berkhamstead footpath 10.
13: Continue along the path heading SSE for 320m as it dips and then climbs. At the point where the path swings to the right you take the left fork, cross a brook (location - https://w3w.co/from.star.shop) and climb up to woodland. Continue until you come to the end of a small thicket on your left and where a path on your left (location - https://w3w.co/went.roses.books) heads downhill into Buck's Alley Woods. This is Little Berkhamstead footpath 11.
14: Enter the woods, turn right and follow Little Berkhamstead bridleway 23 as it heads SE, S, SE, and then SW, dipping and then climbing for 690m. After a footbridge continue S until the path bends to the left at the point where another footpath heads to your right (location - https://w3w.co/solar.fields.fault). This is Little Berkhamstead footpath 14.
15: Take this footpath and head SW for 450m crossing a a couple of fields before emerging on Epping Green (location - https://w3w.co/habit.fakes.oldest). At this point you could turn right for refreshments at The Beehive pub/restaurant.
16: Turn left on Epping Green and after 30m take the bridleway on your right. This is Little Berkhamstead bridleway 22. Take this bridleway for 250m SW along a tree-lined avenue. At the fork by a large brick wall, take the left-hand option and continue for 570m, first along the lane (it looks private but it's not) until it becomes Hatfield footpath 91 (location - https://w3w.co/monkey.sugar.tower). Take this path and head S across fields to Tylers Causeway (location - https://w3w.co/space.swing.again).
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| The junction of bridleway 22 and footpath 9 |
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| Bullrushes on the small pond to the right of footpath 90 |
19: After the byway turns to the right and heads N you will see a path going off to your left. Ignore this and continue N for until you reach Tylers Causeway (location - https://w3w.co/sounds.silent.trap).
20: Here you turn left for 90m and, immediately after Birchwood Cottages on your right take Cucumber Lane (location - https://w3w.co/thinks.tennis.like) and head NW for 440m.
21: When you reach woodland and Cucumber Lane veers right, take the footpath on your left (location - https://w3w.co/cried.logic.leave). This is Hornbeam Lane, Essendon bridleway 18, and is a magnificent avenue of trees through Nine Acre Wood. Continue along this bridleway for 1.2km. You will pass a large house on the left and stables on the right. Continue along this lane until you reach the last house on your left where you will see a footpath on your left (location - https://w3w.co/trucks.limbs.tube).
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| Footpath 18, Hornbeam Lane leading from Cucumber Lane to footpath 20 |
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| The path mentioned in point 22 goes to the right of the bush |
This part can be overgrown with nettles in the summer, so pick up a stick to brush them aside. Here you turn right on Essendon footpath 19 and head NW for 210m until you reach the B158 at the top of Wildhill Lane (location - https://w3w.co/blocks.recent.ample). Turn left here and continue down the left-hand side of the B158 and head SSW for 300m looking out for a footpath sign on your right (location - https://w3w.co/smiled.pets.cube).
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| The penultimate gate on footpath 85 leading to The Woodman |
Nice, straightforward and fairly easy walk along clear paths and tracks. Good views, wildlife and very few people made a good half-day. I started at Essendon to get to the Woodman for lunch. Only unsatisfactory bit was the slightly unnecessary detour to point 5 in order to come back to West End Lane. I know its a a walk on the lane but that section offered the least. I only did 8 miles according to my phone but....
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteThe route, which I created on MapHub, is 10.1 miles long (16.3km). If you download the GPX file that is included in the directions and open it in either Komoot or the OS app you will find they confirm that distance. I am puzzled as to why your phone recorded only 8 miles, perhaps it failed to log a section because of a poor signal? That sometimes happens on my wife's phone. However, if you followed the entire route you will have done 10.1 miles. I created the extra leg across the field at point five for two reasons. Firstly that someone had asked for a 10-mile walk in that particular area so I tried to create one for them. And secondly in order to avoid walking along the lane (we prefer to use footpaths and bridleways when possible). I hope that section didn't spoil the walk for you. Thanks for taking the time to give feedback.
David
Thanks David, it was very enjoyable! There was a block of 'no service' so maybe that explains the difference
DeleteAh, that's good to know. It happens to us from time to time. Thanks for the update. David
Delete