Broxbourne Circular Walk

24.3 km (15.1 mi), with 325m ascent/descent. For a shorter walk or an Alternative Ending, see below Walk Options.

After winding its way out of Broxbourne along a canal and through a park, this walk ascends through the Spital Brook valley into Broxbourne Woods National Nature Reserve, an assortment of varied, ancient and wild woods, serrated by a plethora of streams. A circuitous route linking up separate woods follows age old trails, paths and green lanes through a magnificent and diverse woodland setting. While broadly following a well signposted trail through the Nature Reserve, the walk often diverts from it to take more interesting directions. Most of the distance and the ascent are covered before lunch, but the lunch pub serves food all afternoon, so a leisurely pace is entirely possible.

There are plenty of signed and unsigned paths in the woods, thus following the detailed written directions is essential, and a map and a compass are recommended.

A Shortcut just before lunch cuts out 0.9 km (0.6 mi).
An Alternative Ending at Bayford Station cuts 5.5 km (3.4 mi) and 60m ascent/103m descent but adds 340m to the tarmac count. It leaves an 18.8 km (11.7 mi) walk with 265m ascent/descent. [!] Bayford is served by a different train company. See ticketing details below under 'Travel'.

Broxbourne Station, map reference TL 374 072, 7 km south east of Hertford, and 30m above sea level. Bayford Station, map reference TL 315 082, 5 km south of Hertford, and 73m above sea level. Both are in East Hertfordshire. The station is on the Liverpool Street to Cambridge North or Hertford East lines with four trains an hour every day, journey time between 25 and 33 minutes. It is also serviced by trains from Stratford, with up to four trains per hour taking from 25 minutes. Trains stop at Tottenham Hale (connect from the Victoria Line).
Bayford Station (an Alternative Ending) is on the Moorgate to Hertford North and Stevenage line (two trains per hour), with a journey time of 47 minutes weekdays and 50 on weekends.
Broxbourne is within the Oyster Pay-As-You-Go area (but outside the numbered zones), as is Bayford. A Hertford (All Stations) return ticket covers both stations. This should be the cheapest option for the short walk.

Saturday Walkers’ Club: Take the train closest to 9.30 hours.

After the walk, please leave a comment, it really helps. Thanks!

You can also upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are:

National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234

Oct-21 Thomas G