Walks from Welwyn
Hertfordshire · South East England
MapSet out on beautiful walks directly from the centre of Welwyn.
Alternatively, view walks near Welwyn by train.
Welwyn Circular via Ayot St Lawrence
Rolling Hertfordshire countryside, landscaped parkland, arable fields, picturesque village and Gothic church ruin.
Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Knebworth to Welwyn
Gently undulating woodland, open fields, deer park, golf course, nature reserve and formal garden city streets.
Time: 7h (5h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Welwyn to Hertford
The rest of the walk is stunning, varied, and very enjoyable. A varied route through Hertfordshire, beginning on dull town streets and an industrial estate before reaching Panshanger Park with its meadows, woods, the River Mimram and a lake, then an undulating cut-through into Hertford. Paths are mostly good and mud-free and but narrow with a camber and several kissing gates; one stretch on Panshanger Lane has no pavement. The permissive paths through Panshanger Park are safe and quiet; long-horned cattle graze in some meadows, and wildlife includes spoonbills. No village halfway, but shops at either end and benches by the lakes.
Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Lunch: No facilities midway; shops at either end.
Warnings: A quarter urban. A short stretch on Panshanger Lane has no pavement and only a poor verge on a curved road; take care. A footbridge over the railway at both ends involves stairs.
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Harpenden to Welwyn
Lovely views over the Lea Valley; Excellent views over the rolling countryside. A route through some nice scenery, following an old railway path (the Ayot Greenway) on compacted grit, plus a river walk, rolling hills and farmland, with the lovely Sherrardspark Wood near Welwyn. Largely free of mud thanks to sand and gravel over chalk; hills, narrow paths and kissing gates and steps. Follows the Ayot Greenway, a former railway bed, with views over the Lea Valley; passes Sherrardspark Wood; there is a picnic spot en route.
Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Lunch: Plenty of food and drink at both ends; Wheathampstead has a Tesco Express, cafes and pubs, and a farm cafe at Croft Farm (check opening hours).
Warnings: The roads at Ayot Green can flood after heavy rain.
Walk details: Slow Ways.