Watton-at-Stone

Six woods in Hertfordshire I arrived at Watton-at-Stone station just after 9.30am.

The November morning had been overcast but the sun was promising to make an appearance. I felt good as I made my way along quiet roads and bridleways towards the first wood of my hike.

The countryside looked and smelt young and vibrant as the morning clouds began to clear, it was impossible not to whistle a happy tune as I walked.

The idea was to head southwards towards the town of Cuffley which stands on the very outer edge of the London.  The walk would take in six woods of varying sizes.

I also intended to use the hike as an opportunity to find some new wild camping locations for Spring 2014, never too early to start looking!

Bramfield Woods

The entrance to Bramfield woods
The entrance to Bramfield woods

I found the entrance to Bramfield wood a couple of miles south of Watton.  It’s a lovely piece of woodland, I saw horse riders and a couple of dog walkers and not one trace of litter, wow, a really good sign.

Park Wood

Park wood
Park wood

I passed through the village of Bramfield and crossed a muddy field to Park wood. This was another gorgeous wood and again no litter, I strolled slowly under the trees, no one else was about, just the odd daft Pheasant flapping in terror at my approach.

River Mimram
River Mimram

Leaving Park wood I crossed the lovely River Mimram and headed on south towards Bayford. This section of the walk was wood-less and I managed to get lost, which is always somewhat embarrassing and always frustrating..

A friendly horse near Bayford
A friendly horse near Bayford

Once back on the right path I stopped to chat to a friendly looking horse.

Fallen tree on path
The aftermath of the previous week’s stormageddon

Occasionally I found my path blocked by trees blown down in the storms of the previous week.

Bayford Wood

Entrance to Bayford wood
Entrance to Bayford wood

At last I reached Bayford wood.  I stood at the entrance for a while, stunned by the beauty of the wood in her autumn colours.

Stream running through Bayford wood
Stream running through Bayford wood

A small stream ran through the wood, I was very tempted to leave the footpath and venture deeper into the trees but time was against me.  I’ll have to come back another day (or night!).

Blackfan Wood

Blackfan wood
Blackfan wood

The route to Blackfan wood from Bayford wood (less than half a mile as the crow flies)  follows a road and I didn’t fancy that.  I checked the map and noticed that a only couple of fields stood between me and Blackfan.  Time for a quick bit of trespass!

I hopped over a gate and walked quickly across the fields, I felt somewhat exposed in my bright red jacket.  Finally I reached the barbed wire fence that ran between the fields and Blackfan wood.  I gingerly stepped over the fence and slipped on the muddy surface, tearing a gash in my trousers.  Oh well, I was over the fence though and otherwise unharmed.

I can’t remember that much about Blackfan wood but I’m sure it was lovely.

Wormley Wood

Entrance to Wormley wood
Entrance to Wormley wood

I was starting to tire by the time I reached Wormley wood.

Tea break in Wormley wood
Tea break in Wormley wood

I found a bench in the middle of the wood, took my brew-kit out and made a wondrous cuppa tea. I sat there for half an hour or more and not a single other person passed my way. Just me, the trees, the breeze and the birds.  Perfect.

Derry’s Woods

Entrance to Derry's wood
Entrance to Derry’s wood

Wormley wood blends into Derry’s wood at some point, I was tired by this and didn’t pay that much attention to my surroundings, which is a shame as I’m certain Derry’s wood has much to offer.

Cuffley

I let Derry’s wood and arrived in Cuffley after a mile or so of road-walking.  London was only a few miles to my south, dusk was falling, the train station was a welcome site.

Hertfordshire, a county of many fine woods and these are only six of them.

14 thoughts on “Six woods in Hertfordshire

  1. Nice review.
    I’m doing the same at the moment.
    Sniffing around for some good wild camping areas to do a bit if survival and bushcraft practice.
    Found a nice 150acre woodland just 20 mins up the road to me I didn’t know existed!!!

  2. I always enjoy reading your posts, thank you for this one. What was your total milage for the day? (I am determined not to be caught out by the early nights this winter, so am trying to be sensible about the distance I set myself each day. This looks so lovely though, I’m loathe to wait until next summer to walk it.) Thanks. Louise

    1. Glad you enjoy the posts, that means a lot to me. My total mileage for this walk was between 18-20 miles (including getting lost!). Best to start early in winter time, though starting early on walks is what I generally like to do anyway.

  3. Such gorgeous woods! I love the brew kit – I’ll have to see if I can find one similar here in the US…and then talk my husband into carrying it. The bridge is beautiful, and makes me want to take a trip to your part of the world to walk those trails. Too bad a plane trip would almost certainly be involved, and I don’t fly.

    1. Hi Geri, thanks for stopping by. The brew kit is actually very light and doesn’t take much to carry, it’s the milk and water that make up the weight. The bridge and river were gorgeous, I imagine the view hasn’t changed much in the last couple of hundred years.

  4. Lovely read, that. The nervousness at trespassing is something Eddie Landscapism has mentioned in the past too. When I was growing up in the countryside, I thought nothing of traipsing through whatever field or wood was ahead of me. Now though: even in Scotland where it’s possible to roam responsibly almost anywhere, I still have a pang of fear of when entering some places, especially the grounds to (both former and active) estates…

    1. Hi Kieron, thanks for stopping by and am very happy you enjoyed the post. Yes, I tend to feel nervous when trespassing but always feel great afterwards, I usually summon-up the spirit of Just William who was a serial trespasser. I do envy hikers in Scotland and the access you have to land.

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