Hertfordshire Walker: Walking tips

Walking tips

Some suggestions for getting the best out of this site

Photograph of KEEN walking boots, Ordnance Survey maps and OS app

The list of suggestions below is to help you enjoy our walks to the maximum. They cover what you should take, how to print the pages without using too much paper, and how you can contribute to the enjoyment of others trying the walks.

Wheelchairs and pushchairs

The majority of our walks are along narrow footpaths, involve muddy sections, and cross undulating countryside. Hertfordshire County Council's Rights of Way team has done a great job replacing old stiles and wooden gates with wider, aluminium gates, but there are still parts of the county‘s network of public footpaths, bridleways, and byways that would be difficult for those attempting the walks with a wheelchair or pushchair.

Tree-friendly printing

If you want to print these directions without the pictures, just choose the first icon - the green one with the printer on - in the social share bar below. It will launch PrintFriendly, which enables you to delete the elements of the walk you don't need, thereby saving a few trees, perhaps.

Back up map

We recommend you always carry a copy of the relevant Ordnance Survey (OS) map with you so you can check against our directions and maps. We use the excellent OS app on our smartphone. OS Landranger 166 covers most of the walks on this site. If you want more detail, the OS 182 covers many of the walk, and OS 174, OS 194 and OS 193 cover the rest. But we find an annual subscription to the OS smartphone app to work out cheapest because we travel the country walking. Some might want to take a compass, too. We often refer to compass points - N, S, E, W, etc in our directions.

KML and GPX

You can use KML and GPX files with the walks on Hertfordshire Walker
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

We have added interactive maps to the bottom of all our walk pages. These have been created on MapHub and contain KML and GPX files. The files enable anyone with a GPS tracking app on their smartphone to download the files in order to help with navigation.

To download the files, click on the word 'MapHub' at the bottom right of each of the interactive maps. Then click on 'info' on the right, then on 'share', and then on 'KML' or 'GPX'. The file will then download. Go to the GPS tracker app you use for walking and import the KML or GPX files you have just downloaded.

Thanks to one of our regular visitors, Daniel, who suggested this addition to the site.

Footpath names and numbers

All footpaths in Hertfordshire have names and numbers. These include reference to the parish they are in. We are starting to include those details in the directions for our walks so that ramblers can cross-reference with the Hertfordshire County Council rights of way (ROW) map if they choose. Please be aware that the signs on the paths sometimes contain the numbers, but not always, and they never contain the parish names. Posts along the way displaying the ROW signs often have the numbers written on them, which is why we include them in the directions.

What to wear

We recommend you wear water-resistant boots for our walks. Some of the footpaths cross fields of wheat or rape, which can result in you getting wet after rain or in the early morning. Also, many paths go through long grass, which can be heavy with dew if you are starting the walks early.

We always have three pairs of boots on the go. One pair for the longer and more rugged walks we do, another pair for walks where we expect to get muddy and wet, and some lighter boots for summer walks. Between us we are currently using (in alphabetical order) KEEN, Salomon, and Scarpa.

We also recommend you wear long trousers that dry out quickly, or carry a stick to push back any nettles that encroach on the path.

Insects

There is always the risk of being bitten by an insect when walking in the local countryside. The NHS has issued some simple advice on avoiding insect bites, particularly from ticks. To reduce the risk of being bitten:

cover your skin while walking outdoors and tuck your trousers into your socks.
use insect repellent on your clothes and skin.
stick to paths whenever possible.
wear light-coloured clothing so ticks are easier to spot and brush off.

Livestock

Some of the walks go through fields where livestock graze. At certain times of the year, particularly during the spring and summer, animals may be more frisky. Please take care at all times. And if you have dogs, please obey any warning signs or requests to keep your pets on a lead.

Pubs

You will all know that many country pubs have been struggling due to the economy. As a result, some of those mentioned in these pages may have closed. So please check before setting off on your walk. Unfortunately we are unable to keep tabs on all the pubs in order to update the information.

Reporting faults

If you see any overgrown or blocked paths, broken signs, rotten footbridges or any problems with the rights of way (ROW) in any of our walks, please report them directly to Hertfordshire County Council's ROW team.

We love hearing from people who have enjoyed our walks. Please leave a comment in the box beneath every walk. You might have spotted a mistake in my directions, or you might have a suggestion to make about the route, or some other information to share about the local history or environment. All contributions are welcome. Comments are pre-moderated, so there will be a delay in your comments going live.

There are social share buttons on every walk. If you liked the ramble, please consider sharing your experience and letting others know.

About this site

You can find out who is behind this site along with some tips for preparing for the walks by visiting our about page. Information about the content that appears on the site is set out on our copyright page.