Walk 82: Kimpton North Short Loop

5 miles (8 km) with 104m total ascent

Footpath along walk 82 the Kimpton N Short Loop

If you want a walk over open fields with great views of the rolling Hertfordshire countryside, then this route is ideal. It starts in the village of Kimpton, heads north to the outskirts of Whitwell, then returns following a circular route. The walk follows well-marked paths and is mostly along remote tracks apart from the start and finish in Kimpton and a short stretch as you pass Whitwell.

Directions

Map for Walk 82: Kimpton North Short Loop
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Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
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There is an interactive map below the 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.

Park in the village of Kimpton. There is free parking (at the time of writing in August 2018) along the High Street, the B651.

1: Head N along Church Lane Kimpton (location - https://w3w.co/fuels.wakes.logs) keeping to the left of the church as the lane becomes an alley which bends to your left (location - https://w3w.co/dozed.lists.sticks).

Continue heading N on Kimpton footpath 21 to a wooden gate (location - https://w3w.co/author.trout.rock).

Go through the gate, cross the lane, and go through another gate into the field. Keep walking N along with the field on your right and the hedgerow on your left.

Go through the two wooden gates and head north along the footpath

2: At the end of the field go through another gate (location - https://w3w.co/launch.trail.cliff) and continue NW with the hedge on your left and the field on your right. Follow the path as it crosses a field heading for Horsley Wood.

Cut through the edge of Horsley wood and across another field towards Holt Farm. You are now on St Paul’s Walden footpath 20. Keep to the path to the left of the farm and head for two wooden stiles that cross a farm track. After crossing the track, head for a stile (behind the tree in the picture below) which leads to a lane (location - https://w3w.co/spider.arrow.trendy).

Cross the stiles and head for another stile behind the tree

3: Turn right on the lane and head NE for 230m, past Holt Farm house and on until you reach some cottages on your left (location - https://w3w.co/report.cloud.system). Just past the cottages you will see a footpath sign on your left for St Paul’s Walden restricted byway 19.

4: Take this path and head NW for 860m with the hedgerow on your left and the field on your right. Continue as the path heads N, then dips and climbs to a gap in the hedge (location - https://w3w.co/menu.drape.solo).

5: Go through the gap and take the second (not the first) right following a purple arrow on a white sign attached to the tree and heading N for 440m until you reach a junction.

Turn right at the tree with the purple arrow

6: At the junction (location - https://w3w.co/goose.beeline.equality) turn right and head E along Long Lane, which is also St Paul's Walden UCR1 (unmetalled unclassified county road) and is part of the Chiltern Way. Continue heading E then ESE for 1.2km until you reach Horn Hill (location - https://w3w.co/wanted.boss.depend).

Head E along the Chiltern Way

7: When you reach Horn Hill turn left, cross the road, and continue heading NE for 290m towards Whitwell village (there is a short stretch without a pavement) until you reach Hill View on your right (location - https://w3w.co/rubble.last.sock).

8: Turn right on Hill View and then take the path on your left just after number 11 Hill View (location - https://w3w.co/lunch.gained.exit). Follow this path, St Paul's Walden footpath 28, towards the recreation ground. Continue heading NE for 200m with the houses on your left and the park on your right until you reach the car park (location - https://w3w.co/snaps.letter.yours).

9: Turn right in the car park (don't leave the car park - if you end up on the road you have gone too far) and follow St Paul's Walden bridleway 34 for 130m as it heads SSE with houses on your left and fields on your right and continue until you reach a footpath crossing (location - https://w3w.co/play.watch.pushed).

* At this point you could turn left take a detour to Whitwell village to visit The Bull Inn (location - https://w3w.co/storm.played.latest) or Emily's Tea Shop (location - https://w3w.co/riches.grand.starts).

Poppies between points 9 & 10
Photograph courtesy of Deborah Rose, taken 26 June 2021

10: When you reach the footpath crossing take the path on the right, St Paul's Walden footpath 27, as it heads S across fields. Continue along this footpath for 440m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/limes.window.seated).

At this point you continue heading SW (to the right of the communications tower in the picture below) now on St Paul's Walden footpath 30.

Follow the track heading towards the communications tower

Continue heading SW. The footpath goes through a gap in the hedge and then climbs slightly diagonally to your right.

When you reach the hedgerow at the top of the hill go through the gap between the trees (location - https://w3w.co/serve.relate.hears), see image below. Then follow the path to the right of the clump of trees in the middle of the field (location - https://w3w.co/pepper.loaf.fried). Your path has now become Kimpton footpath 24. Continue straight heading SW down to the B651 (location - https://w3w.co/bind.mason.aside).

Go through the gap between the trees and head to the right of the clump of trees

11: When you reach the B651, cross it and follow the footpath (Kimpton footpath 30) signposted to Parkfield Sports Ground (location - https://w3w.co/types.fear.wounds). Keep on the path with the houses on your left and the track on your right until you meet the path you took at the beginning of the walk (location - https://w3w.co/cling.summer.mile). Turn left and retrace your steps back to the start.

Follow the footpath sign until you reach the path you took at the start

At the end of the walk there is the option of visiting The Boot Inn on High Street (location - https://w3w.co/piper.solar.famous). There is also Budgens close to the start/finish point which serves hot food and drinks. And in Whitwell there is Emily's Tea Shop (location - https://w3w.co/pirate.insert.good), The Bull (location - https://w3w.co/storm.played.latest), and The Whitwell Stores (location - https://w3w.co/miss.burst.jolly).

Interactive map

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