In Rothamsted Park

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Walk directions

From the Amenbury Lane car park go right into Hay Lane. Pass the Harpenden Leisure Centre and enter the park, following the path to a lime avenue. Turn right and continue along this lime avenue, ignoring all side paths and passing a cricket field on your left to reach a T-junction.

Turn right here into another lime avenue. After four trees go right, through a gate at a bridleway sign, and head half left alongside a post and wire fence, with the National Willow Collection on your right, to a hand gate in the far corner.

Look left for views of Rothamsted Park's clusters of chimneys and gables before turning left, then right to join a lane. When the road turns right towards Rothamsted Experimental Farm go left on a tarmac track and then right at a bridleway sign, the path now a grassy margin. Continue across a lane on to a path between fields and follow it as it curves left down to Knott Wood. Walk alongside the wood and, out of the field, turn left on to the Nickey Line path.

The path follows the course of this former railway line to the Harpenden Road. Cross the road, skirt to the left of the roundabout and go up the right-hand side of the A5183. Along the Chiltern Cycle Way the path regains the trackbed. Just past the gates to a caravan site go left through a gate to cross the A5183.

Go over the main road and climb some steps to a kissing gate. Continue across an arable field, with electricity poles to your left. Go through a hedge gap and straight on, then bear right. The path goes left into an overgrown green lane, shortly with a golf course to your left. Pass behind the 8th tee, named 'Ramblers Risk', and turn left along the golf course side of the hedge. Past the 9th tee turn right, the path winding through scrub. Beyond this skirt a paddock, go through a kissing gate and some pasture ahead to another kissing gate, bypassing Hammonds End Farm.

Turn left along the lane, then right on to Redbourn Lane. At the White Horse pub go left by Hatching Green, then turn right on to a footpath to the left of Flowton Grove. At the end you reach the road along the west side of Harpenden Common.

Turn left and walk past Rothamsted Research. Continue alongside West Common into Harpenden. Go along the High Street to Church Green and the parish church. From here walk south to Leyton Green. Finally turn right into Amenbury Road and the car park.

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Location

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Additional information

Terrain - Field tracks, former railway line and pavements

Landscape - Parkland, arable fields, common and valley

Dog friendliness - Lots of other dogs in Rothamsted Park; care on golf course

Parking - Amenbury Lane car park, Harpenden

Toilets en route - Harpenden Leisure Centre and St Albans Road at B652

Walks in Hertfordshire Dog-friendly walks in Hertfordshire

About the walk

Harpenden grew out of the gradual clearing of woodland for farming and settlement within Wheathampstead Manor, which was granted to Westminster Abbey by Edward the Confessor in 1060. The first reference to a parish church is in 1221 and the town probably grew up around that time. It has a striking...

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Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

As Hertfordshire is so close to London, many of its towns have become commuter havens. St Albans, less than 19 miles (30km) from the capital, has retained its distinctive character, along with many historic remains.