Walks near Romford by train
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Romford and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Romford.
St Albans Circular via Ruins of Gorhambury House (Hertfordshire)
1 hour from Romford, with one change.
Recommended
St Albans Cathedral (30 mins in)
Verulamium Roman City Walls (45 mins in)
Ruins of Gorhambury House (2h in)
St Albans (2h in)
1 lunch spot: Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (30 mins in)
6 end-of-walk rewards: the Six Bells, the Lower Red Lion, the Snug, the Boot, the Mad Squirrel Tap, or the Peahen
Warnings: A third urban.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Bishop's Stortford to Harlow (Hertfordshire)
1 hour from Romford, with one change.
Recommended
Waterway: four fifths along the River Stort Navigation.
Thorley Wash Nature Reserve (1h30 in)
2 lunch spots: the Three Tuns, or Full of Beans Cafe (2h in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Moorhen
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Reverse direction: the Saturday Walkers Club and Slow Ways (inc. GPX).
Harpenden to St Albans (Hertfordshire)
1 hour from Romford, with one change.
Recommended: Mostly fields and country lanes. Some beautiful new bluebell woods, stunning historic city streeets, commons, golf courses and parkland.
Heartwood Forest (1h30 in)
St Albans Cathedral (4h in)
St Albans (3h30 in)
4 lunch spots: Sandridge (2h in) — the Green Man (excellent; reservations recommended), Heartwood Tea Rooms (busy!), the Rose & Crown, or the Queens Head (not great)
5 end-of-walk rewards: the Lower Red Lion, the Mad Squirrel Tap, the Peahen, the Snug, or the Boot
Best months: in April (bluebell season).
Warnings: A quarter urban.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walks: the Saturday Walkers Club and Slow Ways (inc. GPX).
Kelvedon Circular via Paycocke's House and Garden (Essex)
45 minutes from Romford, with one change.
Gentle valley, river stretches, country lanes, green lanes, field boundaries, rolling Essex countryside, fields and woods.
Paycocke's House and Garden: A stunning Tudor merchant's house whose walls have more than a few stories to tell (National Trust; 1h30 in; 1h to visit).
Grange Barn: 13th-century monastic barn (National Trust; 30 mins to visit).
5 lunch spots: Coggeshall (1h30 in) — the Woolpack Inn, Bakealicious Tea Room, or the Chapel Inn; plus Lone Wolves Organics (1h30 in), or Paycocke's House and Garden tearoom (1h30 in)
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Garston to St Albans (Hertfordshire)
1 hour from Romford, with one change.
Common woodland, farmland tracks, river meadows, water meadows, quiet residential roads and historic city streets.
Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.
St Albans (3h15 in)
3 lunch spots: Moor Mill Watermill & Inn (1h45 in), the Overdraught (2h15 in), or Rumbles Fish Bar (2h15 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Horn, or the Robin Hood
Warnings: Can be very muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Rayleigh Circular via Rayleigh Mount (Essex)
30 minutes direct from Romford.
A heritage trail from the station around the historic town of Rayleigh, whose origins predate Saxon times — its name means 'a clearing of deer', it appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, and by 1222 its forests were royal hunting grounds. Takes in Rayleigh Mount and the parish church.
Rayleigh Mount: The site of a medieval castle, now a green oasis for wildlife (National Trust).
Walk details: Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership (local insights).
Rochford Circular via Rochford (Essex)
30 minutes direct from Romford.
A circular across countryside and along part of the sea wall, returning along the banks of the River Roach to the attractive historic market town of Rochford.
Rochford
Lunch: Passes a convenient pub for refreshment.
Walk details: Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership (local insights).
South Woodham Ferrers Circular via Marsh Farm (Essex)
30 minutes from Romford, with one change.
A circular with views over the River Crouch, passing through Woodham Fenn and the Marsh Farm saltmarsh nature reserve, managed by Essex Wildlife Trust.
Walk details: Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership (local insights).
Cheshunt Circular via Royal Gunpowder Mills (Hertfordshire)
45 minutes from Romford, with one change.
Flat river floodplain, gravel-pit lakes, water meadows, country park sculptures, farmland and a market town.
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Broxbourne Circular via Waltham Abbey (Hertfordshire)
45 minutes from Romford, with one change.
Flat river floodplain, towpaths, water meadows, lakeside paths, woodland strips, farmland fields and open parkland.
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Ealing Broadway Circular via Osterley Park (Middlesex)
45 minutes from Romford, with one change.
Urban green spaces, canal towpath, river Thames towpath, parks, gardens and suburban streets.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Laindon Circular via Langdon Hills (Essex)
45 minutes from Romford, with one change.
Hilly Essex countryside, ancient and modern woods, flower-rich meadows, farmland, panoramic Thames Estuary views and conservation village.
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).