Hertfordshire Walker: Walk 89: Welwyn North NE Loop

Walk 89: Welwyn North NE Loop

Rolling hills, cute villages, loads of pubs

7 miles (11.2 km)

The path between points 6 and 7 below
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

This is an excellent walk that goes through deep woodland, across open fields, has sweeping views over rolling Hertfordshire countryside, passes through several cute villages with interesting pubs, has an really good restaurant at the halfway point, and the whole walk can be done via pubic transport starting and finishing at Welwyn North station.

Directions

Map for Walk 89: Welwyn North NE 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

1: Leave Welwyn North station via the car park on the west side and take the footpath through to Woodside Road. Turn right and then right again down Warren Way. Keep walking north-east along Warren Way, then take a right turn, also down Warren Way, and continue until you reach a footpath on your right (Welwyn Footpath 54).

The permissive path mentioned in point 2 below
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

2: When you reach a footpath crossing, continue straight along a permissive path cut through the woodland. The landowner has put up a nice sign inviting walkers to use the permissive path which reads: “Take nothing but photographs; leave nothing but footprints”.

The railway cutting mentioned in point 3 below
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

3: The path joins an official footpath (Welwyn Footpath 53) where you turn left and continue north until you come to the top of the railway cutting. Here you turn right and then take the first footpath on your left (Welwyn Footpath 29) and continue heading north-east with the railway on your left in a cutting.

4: Continue heading north passing a large air vent on your left. This is a ventilation shaft for the tunnel below. Continue until you reach another vent on your right. Walk past this vent then veer to your right.

The ventilation shaft mentioned in point 4 above
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

5: Turn right at a large tree and then take the footpath on your right (Welwyn Footpath 27) and follow it south-east. Continue along this path as it leaves the woodland and continues south-east with a fence on your left and fields on your right.

The footpath on the right mentioned in point 5 above
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

6: At the gate turn left and head north on the bridleway (Welwyn Bridleway 26) and continue along this bridleway until you reach a footpath crossing.

7: Continue heading north on the bridleway (Woolmer Green Bridleway 24) until you reach Robbery Bottom Lane.

Robbery Bottom Lane heading east mentioned in point 8 below
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

8: Continue north on Robbery Bottom Lane and take the first right turn and head east-north-east, still along Robbery Bottom Lane until you reach White Horse Lane.

9: Cross White Horse Lane and take the bridleway immediately opposite (Woolmer Green Bridleway 9). Continue heading north-east along this bridleway until you reach Datchworth Green.

Woolmer Green Bridleway 9 mentioned in point 9 above
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

10: There are a couple of pubs in the village if you want a break. The Plough is an excellent real ale pub. No frills, just good beer. Across the road is The Tilbury which has a great menu. There is also a coffee shop and a village store.

The Tilbury mentioned in point 10 above

Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

At the road crossing continue east along Watton Road looking out for a byway open to all traffic (BOAT) on your right (Datchworth BOAT 19). There is no pavement on this short stretch of lane, so walk against the traffic on the right hand side of the road until you reach the byway on the right.

Datchworth BOAT 19 heading south mentioned in point 10 above
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

11: Head south on this BOAT, also known as Back Lane. Ignore the first footpath on your right. The path enters woodland.

12: Shortly after entering the woodland turn right on the first footpath (Watton-At-Stone Footpath 27) and follow the path as it heads south-west until it meets Bramfield Road.

Watton-At-Stone Footpath 27 mentioned in point 12 above
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

13: Turn left on Bramfield Road then take the first turn on your right along Coltsfoot Lane. Here you pass The Horns restaurant and pub.

The Horns mentioned in point 13 above

Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

14: Ignore the first footpath on your left and continue along Coltsfoot Lane for about of a third of a mile look where you take a footpath on your left opposite Coltsfoot Farm (Datchworth Footpath 17). Follow this path south-west until you reach Whitehorse Lane in Burnham Green. There is the White Horse pub in the village if you want refreshments.

The White Horse mentioned in point 14 above

Image by Hertfordshire Walker released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

15: Turn left on Whitehorse Lane and head south, then turn right on Harmer Green Lane heading west. Continue along Harmer Green Lane looking out for a footpath on your left (Welwyn Footpath 34).

16: Take this footpath and head south-west until you reach Pennyfathers Lane.

17: Cross Pennyfathers Lane taking the bridleway opposite (Welwyn Bridleway 50) and continue heading south-west. This bridleway becomes a footpath (Welwyn Footpath 34b) and drops down to New Road.