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On the unusually warm, sunny Thursday last week, I and my partner took advantage of the weather to go walking in Hertfordshire. We really like its low, wooded hills, and this was such a nice walk that we thought other people might be interested too. As on many previous occasions, we took the train north from Ally Pally, and got off at our favourite station, Bayford – a couple of stops beyond the edge of zone 6, and the last stop before Hertford North (takes 25 mins). You step off the train into the countryside, with not a house in sight – ten minutes walk up the road to the left takes you to the picturesque village of Brickendon, with its large village green and good pub, with Broxbourne woods beyond. A shorter walk from the station up the road to the right takes you to Bayford, with its little pond and green (see pic).

We decided to walk from Bayford to Hertford, and get the train back from there (only took a couple of hours). First stop was the garden of the Bakers Arms for lunch (well, there wouldn’t be another on the route we were going!) – perfectly cooked vegetables, and a  glass of McMullens sent us on our way in mellow mood.  

We carried on down the road to the church, then joined a footpath which took us up into some occasionally fenced fields, and then left us to our own devices (see pdf for details of the route we chose).

Round a field of sunflowers and maize, with a pheasant feeding-enclosure to our right (the blue thing marks it in the pic on the right), we walked down into the valley of the River Lea – which has shrunk to a charming stream by this point.

Then a few yards beyond the river was a bridleway – almost a road – running parallel to it. Phew!  It was easy from here on. 

The path went round behind a farm marked 'Roxford' on the map (footpath signpost here!), and uphill and away from the river towards the Cole Green way – a former railway track from Welwyn to Hertford. This is like our Parkland Walk, but like many wide footpaths in Hertfordshire, the trees on either side of it meet over your head. Lovely and cool on a really hot day, but on this day we preferred the autumn sunshine, so were quite pleased that it was only a short walk into Hertford, under the huge viaduct taking the current railway line to Hertford North.

Then headed for a welcome cup of tea before getting the train back. The only unattractive part of the walk was the 15mins or so out of Hertford to Hertford North station – but you could get a bus, I guess.

Part of this walk is described in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire walks, Pathfinder guide 54, compiled by Brian Conduit (walk no. 9).