Best walks to or from Rickmansworth

Rickmansworth Station to Watford High Street Station

A level, mostly off-road route following the Ebury Way (a disused railway line) and parks for around 90 percent of the way, with only about 150m of busy road and quiet roads otherwise. The Ebury Way follows the Colne River; good surface, tarmac in places and gritted in others and with shallow mud and puddles in wetter months. Almost all cycle paths. Follows the Ebury Way; passes nature reserves, with detours possible to Croxley Common and the Aquadrome. A cycle hub at Croxley Green roughly halfway has seating, toilets and snacks.

7km.

Two single lanes of fast-moving traffic to cross by Oxhey Park near the Watford end; the route can feel quiet and some may find it uncomfortable alone. Can be muddy.

Refreshments, seating and toilets at the Watford and Leavesden Cycle Hub roughly halfway.

Documented by Slow Ways — download GPX route

Gerrards Cross Station to Rickmansworth Station

A scenic, varied route starting through woods, then alongside lakes and the Grand Union Canal, with field and woodland sections in between. Some woods are steep in places and the canal walking is easy and beautiful. Several stiles. Ongoing HS2 works add diversions and length to the route. Bury Lake has benches for watching wildlife.

12km.

After rain the section leaving the canal towards West Hyde can flood to above mid-calf depth, and the woodland near the HS2 works gets very muddy. A short section runs alongside a busy road on a bark-mulched verge.

Documented by Slow Ways — download GPX route

Rickmansworth Station to Northwood Station

A mostly traffic-free route on level ground, split between pavements in quiet residential and private-estate streets and unlit off-road footpaths alongside the Metropolitan line and golf courses. The footpath surface is hard-packed soil that can be muddy and flooded after wet weather and with uneven tree roots and embedded stones; estate pavements are a rough mix of grass and gravel. Not accessibility-friendly. An alternative to the RicNor route, avoiding the Moor Park golf course. Connects to the London LOOP. The route passes through the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin.

Easy: 5km, flat terrain.

A short section near the London Road dual carriageway by Rickmansworth is busy but has a decent pavement; the off-road footpaths are unlit and inadvisable after dark. The path before Westbury Road can flood badly.

Documented by Slow Ways — download GPX route

Hemel Hempstead Station to Rickmansworth Station

A lovely, varied walk through open fields, narrow woodland paths, wide shady tracks, gritted park paths, lime-tree avenues, riverside grassland and villages, with rolling hills and valley bottoms. Generally good underfoot but with mud, roots, uneven surfaces and many steps and including one steep flight with a handrail. Holy Cross Church near Sarratt is worth a pause.

15km. Moderate ascents.

At the Hemel Hempstead end, a footbridge over the railway and the A41 has very steep steps either side that one walker considered dangerous; the Grand Union Canal towpath is an easier, more accessible alternative.

Documented by Slow Ways — download GPX route

Chorleywood Station to Rickmansworth Station

A direct route, half across Chorleywood Common and half along long, quiet, leafy residential streets with pavements. Chorleywood is hilly but most of the walk is fairly flat with short, gradual climbs. A small but steep set of stairs at the start (avoidable) and regular steps where the path crosses sloping driveways.

4km.

A short stretch passing under the M25 has no pavement on a busy but wide road. A small steep set of stairs at the start, avoidable via a longer route.

Documented by Slow Ways — download GPX route