Harlow Circular Walk
An easy walk through south east Hertfordshire.
Eastwick
No sign of Cher, Susan Sarandon or Michelle Pfeiffer
Nov-17 • quitenearmike on Flickr
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Dead tree
Or perhaps one of those new artistic finger posts?
Nov-17 • quitenearmike on Flickr
swcwalks swcwalk55 38641046301
Ploughed
Nobody was up for the challenge
Nov-17 • quitenearmike on Flickr
swcwalks swcwalk55 24768534298
| Length |
14 km (8.7 miles) |
|---|---|
| OS Map |
Landranger 167, Explorer 174 |
| Toughness |
1 out of 10. |
| Features | This is a fairly easy walk with the advantage of being close to London, making it ideally suited for a short winter’s day. Depending on the time of year, there are a couple of sections where the footpath is not obvious across expansive (recently harvested / fallow) fields; however there are distinctive landmarks to guide you. For lunch at Hunsdon, you have the choice of the more upmarket Fox and Hounds or the more traditional Crown Inn. Shortly after lunch you pass by Hunsdon Airfield, a former Second World War RAF base - now used for light aircraft. |
| Shortening the walk |
N/A |
| History |
Gilston dates back to 11th Century and was founded by Geoffrey de Mandeville, a Norman warlord. Its History saw Oliver Cromwell send troops to resolve troubles in the village. Having been found guilty in Gilston, Jane Wenham was famous as the last women in England to be found guilty of witchcraft and was sentenced to death. Queen Anne reprieved her sentence and ultimately resulted in the witchcraft act being changed and the death sentence being abolished for such acts. Gilston Manor was built in 1850 as a Baronial style Chateau, by John Hodgson who brought The Estate. The old Gilston Park manor house was demolished, and replaced by a sumptuous baronial home of imposing proportions. Its history has been very varied. After world war II the Estate was owned by the Guinness Family and more recently by Smith and Nephew. |
| Saturday Walkers Club |
Take the nearest (fast) train to 10.55am (before or after) from Liverpool Street. |
| Lunch | The Crown High St, Hunsdon, SG12 8NZ (07415 370860) or Fox & Hounds High St, Hunsdon SG12 8NH (01279 843999) |
| Tea | The Moorhen Burnt Mill Lane, Harlow, CM20 2QS (01279 423066) or Plume of Feathers Pye Corner, Gilston, CM20 2RD (01279 424154) Open all day Saturday and Sunday |
| Current Issues |
Housing development proposed that could entail up to 24,000 new homes. Petition started against plans for 23,000 new homes on Harlow’s border 11th January 2019 Petition calls for 23,000-home Harlow expansion to stop 7th January 2020 Campaigners furious about plans to build ‘garden communities’ on pristine land, opening the floodgates to green belt development 31st January 2020 Harlow and Gilston (Garden) Town Harlow and Gilston Garden Town expansion needs ‘genuinely pioneering’ infrastructure to support growth 25th July 2024 If this goes ahead it will have a siginificant impact on this walk.
November 2024 |
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Help Us! |
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: |
| By Train |
Out (not a train station) Back (not a train station) |
| By Car |
Start Map Directions |
| Amazon | |
| Help |
National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234 |
| Version |
Nov-24 DAC |
| Copyright | © Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml |
Walk Directions
Full directions for this walk are in a PDF file (link above) which you can print, or download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone.
This is just the introduction. This walk's detailed directions are in a PDF available from wwww.walkingclub.org.uk