From the car park turn left along the High Street and left again at The Red Lion pub into Cappell Lane. Pass St Andrew’s Church and opposite Warrax Cottages on the left look out for a public footpath signposted ‘Wareside’.
Turn right here, the Hertfordshire Way, and keep ahead along the narrow bridleway ignoring a footpath on the right heading into woodland. The path ascends and then crosses arable land. Over to your left is Easneye Wood. Keep ahead at the path crossing and at the next footpath sign continue to the left of Young Wood.
At a fingerpost turn right, now leaving the Hertfordshire Way, along a footpath that descends, passes a farmhouse and bears right. Cross a footbridge over the River Ash and turn right along a track which bears right at a brick bridge. Keep ahead to cross the River Ash once more over a railed bridge.
Immediately after the bridge turn left through a metal farm gate, then across pasture and pass to the right of Mardocks Mill before going through another gate. The path now follows the course of the meandering river. Go through a gate and across more pasture.
Just before another gate with an adjacent stile, turn sharp right uphill to pass to the left of a copse. Go over a stile in the field’s top left corner and then take the cross-field path that passes to the right of Thistly Wood. Once over an earth bridge, keep to the right of the woodland and go through a hedge gap. Continue across the next field, over two footbridges and through another hedge gap, to a track.
Turn right along this byway and when it meets another track turn right between farm buildings. At a finger post, leave the byway and turn right along a footpath.
Where the path arrives at a field, bear right along its edge for a few paces and then head left along a cross field path. Go through a hedge gap and a redundant gate, then turn right and almost immediately, bear left across the field towards woodland. Pass to the right of Black Bushes wood and left of a pond and keep ahead, initially following a row of telegraph poles. The grassy path becomes enclosed with paddocks to your left.
Where the path curves right towards Little Briggens, turn left through a hedge gap and along the left edge of a field. Ignore the footbridge in the corner but follow the field edge right to another footpath sign in the direction of Stanstead Abbotts by some houses. At the next footpath junction bear diagonally right and at the brow of the hill you will see the church spire over to your right. The path passes houses and arrives via steps at Chapelfields. Turn left and then right down Abbotts Way and at the end, turn left along Cappell Lane. At the mini roundabout bear right to retrace your steps to the start.
Stanstead Abbotts is a fertile area, bordered on three sides by the River Stort, the River Lea and the River Ash. Beans, barley and wheat grow in the London Clay soil in vast fields and there are superb views for almost the entire walk. Malt: what goes where During the Middle Ages the county... of Hertfordshire was heavily forested and the land surrounding Stanstead Abbotts was no exception. Charcoal production became popular and lasted until the end of the 18th century, after which barley took over. Being so close to the navigable River Lea and fertile growing areas meant that the town was ideally placed to transport the grain to London’s breweries. Packhorses also played a role as they were used to move it to the local malting towns of Hertford and Ware. Today, just one malting, French & Jupps, remains in Stanstead Abbotts. Home and away In the 19th century the Buxton family commissioned Alfred Waterhouse to build them a home in Stanstead Abbots. Waterhouse was no ordinary Victorian architect. He was probably the most lucrative of all and designed Manchester Town Hall, as well as London’s monumental Natural History Museum. The result was an impressive mansion where the family lived until the 1950s. In this time the house had many uses: during and after World War II it became an orphanage and was later used as a location for the film Blue Murder at St Trinians (1957). The Buxtons were Christians, and Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton was a man of great integrity and social conscience. When the ailing William Wilberforce left him to oversee the Emancipation of Slaves Bill he played an important part in the Abolition of Slavery Act, 1833. He was brother-in-law to Elizabeth Fry, the penal reformer, and both of them were commemorated on the back of the English five pound note. The Buxton family also paid for the erection of St Andrew's Church in Cappell Lane when 12th-century St James' Church, located a mile (1.6km) away at Stanstead Bury, was thought to be too far from the town centre. Fittingly, the house is now a college for missionaries and is the largest of its kind in Europe.
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.
From the car park turn left along the High Street and left again at The Red Lion pub into Cappell Lane. Pass St Andrew’s Church and opposite Warrax Cottages on the left look out for a public footpath signposted ‘Wareside’.
1 of 8
Turn right here, the Hertfordshire Way, and keep ahead along the narrow bridleway ignoring a footpath on the right heading into woodland. The path ascends and then crosses arable land. Over to your left is Easneye Wood. Keep ahead at the path crossing and at the next footpath sign continue to the left of Young Wood.
2 of 8
At a fingerpost turn right, now leaving the Hertfordshire Way, along a footpath that descends, passes a farmhouse and bears right. Cross a footbridge over the River Ash and turn right along a track which bears right at a brick bridge. Keep ahead to cross the River Ash once more over a railed bridge.
3 of 8
Immediately after the bridge turn left through a metal farm gate, then across pasture and pass to the right of Mardocks Mill before going through another gate. The path now follows the course of the meandering river. Go through a gate and across more pasture.
4 of 8
Just before another gate with an adjacent stile, turn sharp right uphill to pass to the left of a copse. Go over a stile in the field’s top left corner and then take the cross-field path that passes to the right of Thistly Wood. Once over an earth bridge, keep to the right of the woodland and go through a hedge gap. Continue across the next field, over two footbridges and through another hedge gap, to a track.
5 of 8
Turn right along this byway and when it meets another track turn right between farm buildings. At a finger post, leave the byway and turn right along a footpath.
6 of 8
Where the path arrives at a field, bear right along its edge for a few paces and then head left along a cross field path. Go through a hedge gap and a redundant gate, then turn right and almost immediately, bear left across the field towards woodland. Pass to the right of Black Bushes wood and left of a pond and keep ahead, initially following a row of telegraph poles. The grassy path becomes enclosed with paddocks to your left.
7 of 8
Where the path curves right towards Little Briggens, turn left through a hedge gap and along the left edge of a field. Ignore the footbridge in the corner but follow the field edge right to another footpath sign in the direction of Stanstead Abbotts by some houses. At the next footpath junction bear diagonally right and at the brow of the hill you will see the church spire over to your right. The path passes houses and arrives via steps at Chapelfields. Turn left and then right down Abbotts Way and at the end, turn left along Cappell Lane. At the mini roundabout bear right to retrace your steps to the start.
Stanstead Abbotts is a fertile area, bordered on three sides by the River Stort, the River Lea and the River Ash. Beans, barley and wheat grow in the London Clay soil in vast fields and there are superb views for almost the entire walk. Malt: what goes where During the Middle Ages the county... of Hertfordshire was heavily forested and the land surrounding Stanstead Abbotts was no exception. Charcoal production became popular and lasted until the end of the 18th century, after which barley took over. Being so close to the navigable River Lea and fertile growing areas meant that the town was ideally placed to transport the grain to London’s breweries. Packhorses also played a role as they were used to move it to the local malting towns of Hertford and Ware. Today, just one malting, French & Jupps, remains in Stanstead Abbotts. Home and away In the 19th century the Buxton family commissioned Alfred Waterhouse to build them a home in Stanstead Abbots. Waterhouse was no ordinary Victorian architect. He was probably the most lucrative of all and designed Manchester Town Hall, as well as London’s monumental Natural History Museum. The result was an impressive mansion where the family lived until the 1950s. In this time the house had many uses: during and after World War II it became an orphanage and was later used as a location for the film Blue Murder at St Trinians (1957). The Buxtons were Christians, and Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton was a man of great integrity and social conscience. When the ailing William Wilberforce left him to oversee the Emancipation of Slaves Bill he played an important part in the Abolition of Slavery Act, 1833. He was brother-in-law to Elizabeth Fry, the penal reformer, and both of them were commemorated on the back of the English five pound note. The Buxton family also paid for the erection of St Andrew's Church in Cappell Lane when 12th-century St James' Church, located a mile (1.6km) away at Stanstead Bury, was thought to be too far from the town centre. Fittingly, the house is now a college for missionaries and is the largest of its kind in Europe.
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.
