Walking The Hertfordshire Way through the Chilterns

Near Flamstead

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.

Beyond the stunning rural vistas, the Hertfordshire Way is a journey through history and charming local life. The route intentionally keeps mostly to the quiet countryside but thoughtfully incorporates visits to a handful of attractive, historic villages and two major centres: the county town of Hertford and the ancient city of St Albans, with its stunning cathedral and Roman heritage. Along the path, you'll encounter a mix of landscapes, from the fringes of the Chiltern Hills near Tring, to the wide views around Royston, and the peaceful valleys further east.

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. The part of the trail that runs through the Chiltern Hills National Landscape (formerly “AONB”) is much shorter and runs from Markyate to Berkhamsted.

Point to Point: Walking the Hertfordshire Way in the Chilterns

Start: River Lea crossing near Wheathampshead, AL4 8NJ
Finish: River Colne crossing near Garston, WD25 9AW
Distance: 81.5 km (51 miles)
Elevation change: + 874m / - 893m. Net -19m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Maps:
- St Albans & Hatfield Map | Hemel Hempstead & Welwyn Garden City | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 182
- Chiltern Hills North Map | Aylesbury, Berkhamsted & Chesham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 181
See individual section posts linked below for other links.

Walking the Hertfordshire Way in the Chilterns in 15 walks

If you’re not up for a 82 km walk in one go, you can take in the Hertfordshire Way in the Surrey Hills in 15 walks of between 8 and 14 km each. We chose this option, completing all 15 sections over 4 years from 2021 to 2025. The advantage of this option is exploring more of the villages and side paths close to the route.

As the complete Hertfordshire Way is a circular route you can walk it in either direction. The roundels on the route show whether you’re heading clockwise or anti-clockwise on either side of the footpath posts. For our short walks linked below we did a mix of clockwise and anti-clockwise and I’ve indicated the direction in the list below. If want to complete them in a consistent direction you’ll need to reverse the route for some of them.

Each number refers to a circular walk below. Base map: Esri Topo via RideWithGPS

Section 1: Coleman Green and Wheathampstead

  • Start & Finish: East Lane Car Park, 13 East Lane, Wheathampstead, St Albans, AL4 8SB

  • Distance: 9.1 km (5.7 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 99m

  • Hertfordshire Way section covered: Hammonds House Farm to the River Lea: 4.15 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Clockwise

Section 2: Sandridge and Heartwood Forest

  • Start & Finish: Nomansland Parking, Ferrers Lane, St Albans, AL4 8EG

  • Distance: 12.3 km (7.7 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 106m

  • Hertfordshire Way section covered: Chilwickbury to Hammonds House Farm: 5.5 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Clockwise

Section 3: St Albans and Childwickbury

  • Start & Finish: Verulamium Car Park, 39 St Michael's Street, St Albans, AL3 4SW. Alternative parking and public transport options in St Albans

  • Distance: 14.3 km (8.9 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 122m

  • Hertfordshire Way section covered: Redbournbury to Childwickbury: 10.6 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Clockwise

Section 4: Redbourn and Redbournbury

  • Start & Finish: Free car park on West Common, Redbourn, St Albans, AL3 7ND

  • Distance: 9 km (6 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 74m

  • Hertfordshire Way section covered: Redbourn to Redbournbury: 4 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Clockwise

Section 5: Flamstead and Redbourn

  • Start & Finish: Free car park on West Common, Redbourn, St Albans, AL3 7ND

  • Distance: 11.4 km (7 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 98m

  • Hertfordshire Way section covered: Flamstead to Redbourn: 4.2 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Clockwise

Section 6: Flamstead and Markyate

  • Start & Finish: Flamstead Recreation Ground, St Albans, AL3 8BS

  • Distance: 12 km (7.5 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 135m

  • Hertfordshire Way section covered: Babies Wood to Flamstead: 4.3 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Clockwise

Section 7: Great Gaddesden and Gaddesdon Row

  • 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 Babies Wood: 4 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Clockwise

Section 8: Great Gaddesden and Ashridge

  • Start & Finish: Hemel Hempstead Garden Centre, Piper's Hill, Great Gaddesden, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3BY

  • Distance: 9.3 km (5.8 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 153m

  • Hertfordshire Way section covered: Great Gaddesden to the Ashridge Estate: 4 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Clockwise

Section 9: (Ashridge Boundary Trail Route 2) Ashridge Golf Club and Moneybury Hill

  • Start & Finish: Ashridge National Trust Car Park, Aldbury, Berkhamsted, HP4 1LU

  • Distance: 8.2 km (5.1 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 94m

  • Hertfordshire Way section covered: Pitstone Common to east of Ashridge House: 4.9 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Clockwise

Section 10: Aldbury & Ashridge

  • Start & Finish: Tring Station, Tring, HP23 5QR

  • Distance: 7.8 km (4.8 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 138m

  • Hertfordshire Way section covered: Pitstone Common to Tom’s Hill: 6.15 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Both



Section 11: Cow Roast and Berkhamsted Common

  • Start & Finish: Free parking by the Cow Roast Recreation Ground, Tring, HP23 5RE

  • Distance: 11.9 km (7.3 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 140m

  • Hertfordshire Way section covered: Tom’s Hill to Berkhamsted Common: 3 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Anti-clockwise

Section 12: Berkhamsted Castle and Common

  • Start & Finish: Berkhamsted Station, HP4 2AJ

  • Distance: 10.4 km (6.5 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 119m

  • Hertfordshire Way section covered: Berkhamsted Common to Berkhamsted Castle: 4 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Anti-clockwise

Section 13: Berkhamsted and Bourne End

  • Start & Finish: Berkhamsted Station, Station Approach, Berkhamsted, HP4 2AR

  • Distance: 11.9 km (7.3 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 144m

  • Hertfordshire Way section covered: Berkhamsted to Bushfield Road: 5.8 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Anti-clockwise

Section 14: Boxmoor to Kings Langley

  • Start: Hemel Hempstead Station, London Road, Hemel Hempstead, HP3 9BQ

  • Finish: Kings Langley Station, Station Road, Kings Langley WD4 8LF

  • Distance: 12.8 km (7.9 miles)

  • Elevation change: +154m / - 175m. Net -21m

  • Hertfordshire Way section covered: Bovingdon to Kings Langley: 10 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Anti-clockwise

Section 15: Kings Langley to Aldenham

  • Start: King’s Langley Station, Station Road, Kings Langley, WD4 8LF

  • Finish: St. John The Baptist Church, Church Lane, Radlett, Watford, WD25 8BE

  • Distance: 10.4 km (6.5 miles)

  • Elevation change: +126m / -119m. Net +7m

  • Hertfordshire Way section covered: King’s Langley to Aldenham: 10.4 km

  • Hertfordshire Way Direction: Anti-clockwise

Back to Chiltern Walks Index
Richard gowerTrek, National Trust, Hertfordshire, EnglandComment