Walk 246: Lemsford West Long Loop

4.9 miles (7.9 km) with 98m of total ascent

Hatfield footpath 59 crossing the River Lea at point 20

This is a lovely walk over rolling countryside. You will cross the River Lea four times, pass a Grade II listed chimney that is said to have been part of a house where John Bunyan lived, and you will cross a golf course with excellent views of the Brocket Hall estate from a Grade II* listed bridge.

The walk starts in the village of Lemsford then heads west to Coleman Green before looping back via Cromer Hyde. There are alternative starting points at pubs at point 10 and point 18 in the directions.

We had wanted to explore this loop for some time and were able to add it to the collection after finding a track that links two public rights of way and avoids having to walk alongside a busy road. However you will have to cross the B653 Hatfield to Wheathampstead Road twice, so please take care if you are walking with small children or in a large group.

This walk includes some of the same rights of way as Walk 193: Lemsford West Loop, but those that are repeated are walked in reverse, and this new route branches out further to the west to reach Coleman Green.

Parking

Parking is difficult in Lemsford, but the management at The Sun pub/restaurant at the start/finish point told me that walkers are welcome to park in the pub's car park if they are buying refreshments before or after the walk. Please check with The Sun by calling 01707-322247.

You can also park at The John Bunyan pub/restaurant at point 10 in the walk and start the route from there. Management there told me that walkers are welcome to park in their car park if they are buying refreshments before or after the walk. Please check with The John Bunyan by calling 01582-832037. The John Bunyan asks walking groups who intend to eat at the pub to let them know in advance so they can meet your catering requirements.

The Crooked Chimney pub/restaurant at point 18 in the walk told me that it also allows walkers to use their car park if they are buying refreshments before or after the walk. Please check with the pub on 01707-397021 to make sure this has not changed.

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 246: Lemsford West Long 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 below these 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.

As you face The Sun turn right then head SW

1: As you face The Sun pub/restaurant (location - https://w3w.co/retire.daisy.shell), with your back to the River Lea, turn right then head SW for 65m until you reach a road leading to a bridge and a footbridge on the right (location - https://w3w.co/reform.rang.bands), see image below.

Turn right, then cross a footbridge over the River Lea

Turn right, then head NW for 75m crossing a footbridge over the River Lea and continuing to a footpath junction (location - https://w3w.co/backed.cycle.funded), see image below.

Take the right fork at the footpath junction

2: Take the right fork at the footpath junction then follow Hatfield footpath 57 NW across the Brocket Hall golf course for 550m. You will cross several fairways so take care to look both ways. Continue until you reach a footpath junction (location - https://w3w.co/scarcely.rocky.film), see image below.

Keep heading NW, and still on Hatfield footpath 57

3: Keep heading NW, and still on Hatfield footpath 57, with fir trees on the left and the golf course on the right. Continue for 280m until you reach a metalled track (location - https://w3w.co/sleepy.shades.crate), see image below.

Cross the metalled track then continue heading NW

4: Cross the metalled track then continue heading NW, still on Hatfield footpath 57, (see the orange arrow on the photograph above).

Follow Hatfield footpath 57 as it heads NW for 520m until you leave the golf course and enter woodland (location - https://w3w.co/lace.throw.case), see image below.

Enter the woodland, still on Hatfield footpath 57

5: Enter the woodland and continue heading NW, still on Hatfield footpath 57, for 245m until the footpath drops down to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/cases.enable.whips), see image below. Just before this junction the footpath you are on crosses a parish boundary and becomes Wheathampstead footpath 13.

Turn left at the junction on Wheathampstead footpath 15

6: Turn left at the junction then head SW on Wheathampstead footpath 15. After 70m you will cross the River Lea and will pass an interesting flint and brick structure on the right, see image below.

Continue as the footpath climbs a hill

Continue, as the footpath climbs a hill and crosses another parish boundary (location - https://w3w.co/shark.being.cloth) where it becomes Hatfield footpath 97. Follow this footpath for 395m until you reach a disused lay-by off the B653 (location - https://w3w.co/races.clues.glitz). Turn right in the lay-by then head NW until you reach a path on the right just before the road (location  - https://w3w.co/assure.vital.pipes), see image below.

Follow this path NW for 60m until you reach a fork

7: Follow this path NW for 60m until you reach a fork with a path leading off to the left leading to the B653. Take this left-hand fork to reach the road just to the left of a yellow crash barrier (location - https://w3w.co/twist.avoid.lawn), see image below.

Cross the B653 with care - traffic travels at speed along this stretch

8: Cross the road with care. Traffic travels at speed along this stretch. Once across the road turn right then follow the path behind the crash barrier (location - https://w3w.co/kicked.skips.became), see image below.

Continue following the path downhill to a junction

Continue following the path downhill to a junction. I have created a closeup of the route map showing this section of the walk, see below.

The route between points 7 & 9

When you reach the junction (location - https://w3w.co/drop.crops.exit) turn left, see image below.

At the junction turn left on a byway

You will now head SW on a BOAT (byway open to all traffic). This is an interesting byway because it follows a parish boundary for its entire 1.5km length and therefore has two names; it is both Wheathampstead BOAT 3 and Hatfield BOAT 56. It is also an enchanting holloway where you can just sense the history of bygone ages and you walk between the twisted trees. It's easy to imagine bumping into a character from a Hardy or Dickens novel along this stretch.

The byway that is both Wheathampstead BOAT 3 and Hatfield BOAT 56

When you reach the end of the BOAT look to your right and you will see the Grade II listed site that is John Bunyan's Chimney (location - https://w3w.co/filled.tigers.album). It's worth stopping here for a while to take a look.

John Bunyan's Chimney from the front

John Bunyan's Chimney from the side

The information board at John Bunyan's Chimney
Click on the image for a larger version

10: After visiting the monument turn left on Coleman Green Lane then head SW passing The John Bunyan pub on the right (location - https://w3w.co/shut.slide.bucks), see image below.

The John Bunyan pub

Continuing heading SW along Coleman Green Lane for 160m until you reach a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/feels.divisions.line), see image below.

Turn left on Sandridge footpath 39

11: Turn left on Sandridge footpath 39 then follow it SE for 35m to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/latest.each.being) where you continue to head SE, now on Hatfield footpath 48, with the hedgerow on the right and field on the left, see image below.

Continue heading SE on Hatfield footpath 48

Continue heading SE on Hatfield footpath 48 until you reach gap in the hedgerow at the corner of a field (location - https://w3w.co/glory.slang.trips), see image below.

Go through the gap then head SSE still on Hatfield footpath 48

12: Go through the gap then head SSE, still on Hatfield footpath 48, for 80m until the path crosses an arable field (location - https://w3w.co/festivity.basket.study), see image below.

Cross the arable field, still on Hatfield footpath 48

When we tested this walk on 6 October 2023 the path had not been reinstated after being cultivated, but walkers had trodden a route across the field.

13: Cross the arable field, still on Hatfield footpath 48, heading SSE for 330m until you reach woodland and a junction (location - https://w3w.co/fields.reward.prefer), see image below.

Don't enter the woodland but turn left and walk NE along the edge

14: Don't enter the woodland but turn left and walk NNE along the edge on Hatfield footpath 52 for 160m until the path crosses a field (location - https://w3w.co/pardon.party.cycle), see image below.

Cross the field, still on Hatfield footpath 52

15: Cross the field, still on Hatfield footpath 52 and now heading NE, for 295m until you reach a gap in the woodland (location - https://w3w.co/eating.worth.leave).

Go through the gap then continue across an arable field

16: Go through the gap then continue across an arable field, still on Hatfield footpath 52 and still heading NE, for 355m until you reach Cromer Hyde Lane (location - https://w3w.co/stores.mimic.scrap). This field had not been reinstated following recent cultivation (03/10/2023) but walkers had trodden a route. See the orange arrow on the photograph above.

Turn right on Cromer Hyde Lane

17: Turn right on Cromer Hyde Lane then follow it in an easterly direction for 855m until you reach the B653 (location - https://w3w.co/scale.herb.chips). It was along this stretch that we met a young deer and gently ushered it into the undergrowth.

Young deer on Cromer Hyde Lane

18: When you reach the B653 you could turn right for refreshments at The Crooked Chimney pub/restaurant (location - https://w3w.co/leader.frost.bend). If not, cross the road then take the footpath on the other side (location - https://w3w.co/reject.stand.moons), see image below.

Follow Hatfield footpath 59 ENE until you reach an ornate bridge

Follow Hatfield footpath 59 ENE for 505m until you reach an ornate bridge over the River Lea (location - https://w3w.co/amused.pouch.liability), see image below. This is Paine Bridge, a Grade II* listed structure.

Brocket Hall viewed from the bridge over the River Lea

19: Cross the bridge then head ENE for 25m until you reach a fork (location - https://w3w.co/level.index.fool), see image below.

Take the right fork, Hatfield footpath 65

Take the right fork, which is Hatfield footpath 65, then head SE for 70m, ignoring a golf track on the right, before keeping right at a fork (location - https://w3w.co/deep.chest.loops) still on Hatfield footpath 65, see image below.

Take the right fork and follow Hatfield footpath 65

Continue along Hatfield footpath 65, and still heading SE, for 330m until you reach a large tree (location - https://w3w.co/reject.shunts.across) and a golf green on the right, see image below.

Keep left of the tree then continue heading SE on Hatfield footpath 65

Keep left of the tree then continue heading SE, still on Hatfield footpath 65, for 135m until you reach the junction you passed at point 2 in the walk (location - https://w3w.co/move.book.sung). From there retrace your steps over the River Lea and back to Lemsford.

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Interactive map

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