Chiltern Walks: Great Gaddesden and Gaddesden Row
Crossing the River Gade at Great Gaddesden
Start & Finish: Hemel Hempstead Garden Centre, Piper's Hill, Great Gaddesden, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3BY
Distance: 9.1 km (5.7 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 116m
Hertfordshire Way section covered: Great Gaddesden to the Babies Wood: 4 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Hertfordshire Way, Chiltern Way
Other routes touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway
Pubs / Cafes on route: Hemel Hempstead Garden Centre cafe at the start and end
Map: Chiltern Hills North Map | Aylesbury, Berkhamsted & Chesham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 181
Links: Great Gaddesden, Gaddesden Row, River Gade, Gaddesden Place
The Hertfordshire Way offers an incredible opportunity to circumnavigate one of England's home counties, revealing its hidden charms and surprising variety. This circular long-distance footpath, stretching around 273 km (170 miles), guides walkers through the county's most picturesque landscapes, proving that green spaces are never far, even in this area close to London. We walked the Chilterns part of the Hertfordshire Way in 15 sections over a couple of years. We used my “Greater Chilterns” definition that takes the trail from the River Lea near Wheathampstead to the River Colne near Garston. This route is one of those 15 circular walks.
The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.
For this walk we parked at Hemel Hempstead Garden Centre off Piper’s Hill (road). It’s for customer parking but if you visit the cafe or buy something from the shop and come back before closing time they’re unlikely to mind. The actual start of the walk is at the corner of Piper’s Hill (road) and Church Meadow (road). Just to the south-west of this corner you’ll find a small lane on the left heading in a south-easterly direction. Follow this to cross over the River Gade and the B440 Leighton Buzzard Road. Be very careful on this road as the crossing is on a corner and cars can pass by very fast.
Once over the B440 follow the Chiltern Way in a north-easterly direction through the grounds of Gaddesden Place. If it looks familiar to you it’s because it’s been the location of many films and TV series. Stay on the Chiltern Way until you reach the small hamlet of Gaddesden Row. Shortly after Gaddesden Row leave the Chiltern Way to follow a path heading in a north-westerly direction along the left hand edge of Newland’s Wood and Babies Wood to join the Hertfordshire Way at Beechwood Lane. Be careful here as it’s also the corner of a Hertfordshire Way junction where you have 2 options to follow it. Take the left hand option to follow it in a westerly direction along Dean Lane.
About half-way along Dean Lane take the footpath on the left to keep on the Hertfordshire Way in a southerly direction to Jockey End. Take a left onto Gaddesden Row (road) then a right to follow the Hertfordshire Way in a south-westerly direction back to Great Gaddesden. Again, be careful when crossing back over the B440. After crossing back over the River Gade you’ll reach Church Meadow (road). Follow this in a southerly direction to return to the start.
