19km Grandeur & Industry: Journey Through Country Estates, Canals & Castles

📏 Key Info:
• Distance: 12 miles (19km)
• Grading: Intermediate
• Ascent: 220m
• Hiking time: 5 to 6 hours
• Cost: £30 plus Eventbrite fee they charge including the guided hike and return train travel, click “Get Tickets” to join.
• Payments are refundable upto 7 days in advance, after that they are non refundable and non transferrable.
• Toilet Breaks: On the train, nature (woods/bushes) during hike, and at the end pub
📍 Meeting Point
• Liverpool Street station. Meet in front of the Information point in the centre of the station - MAP & PHOTO
• Time: Meet 8:40am, leave 8:55am for the 9:08am train
• Return: 6:27pm arrival back in London (you’re committed until then)
🌟 Highlights
• Walk the River Lea canal with its elegant Georgian gazebos and riverside lawns
• Pass Hertford Castle and its serene castle grounds
• Roam the landscaped vistas of Panshanger Park — grand lakes, avenues, and parkland
• See the Panshanger Orangery, an elegant relic of the park’s stately past
• See the Great Oak of Panshanger — Britain’s largest maiden oak, believed to have been planted by Queen Elizabeth the first nearly 500 years ago
• Follow the leafy Cole Green Way, a tranquil path along a former Victorian railway
• Finish in Hertford’s historic centre for Georgian architecture, cafés, and pubs
🥾 Hike Description
This route is less rural than our usual hikes and leans into heritage, grandeur, and past glories: riverside gazebos, castle lawns, and stately parkland. It’s a graceful day that trades wild hills for elegant landscapes and centuries of story-soaked architecture — a walk through England’s cultivated beauty and historic refinement.
We begin by following the River Lea Canal, where ornamental gazebos and overhanging willows frame the water — a genteel Georgian scene that sets the tone for the day. From the river, we head to Hertford Castle, tracing ancient streets to its green, sheltered grounds and the mellow brick remnants of medieval power softened by time. Once a royal palace, the castle served as a residence for Queen Elizabeth I and famously housed Parliament during the Great Plague of London in 1563, when it fled the capital for safety.
Leaving town, our route follows the Cole Green Way, a leafy, level greenway along a disused Victorian railway line that leads us through tranquil countryside and quiet woodland glades toward the grand parklands beyond. The route is rich in gentle charm — bridges, hedgerows, and old rail cuttings now reclaimed by nature — guiding us smoothly into the open beauty of Panshanger Park.
Here, lakes, lawns, and tree-lined avenues showcase the design and symmetry of a great English estate. The park’s vast landscape invites slow wandering — pausing to admire the elegant Orangery and the mighty Great Oak, said to have been planted by Queen Elizabeth I herself nearly five centuries ago. We end the day back in Hertford’s historic centre, with time to unwind among its riverside pubs, cafés, and handsome Georgian streets — the perfect close to a day devoted to England’s elegant past.
🧭 Guide:
• Leader: GRAHAM
• Contact (hike day only): 07796 098487
🍽️ Food:
• Bring a packed lunch
• Pub visit after the hike (drinks optional)
🎒What to Bring
• Hiking boots/shoes
• Water (2 litres minimum)
• Packed lunch
• Waterproofs (jacket and trousers)
• Hat and gloves if cold
• Train tickets are arranged – just meet us at the meeting point
⚠️ Safety
Your guide is a trained hike leader and Outdoor Activity First Aider
❓ Want to Know More?
• New to Our Trips? (perfect for first-timers, answers “what to expect”)
• About Us (who Outdooraholics are, credibility, history)
• FAQs (covers common queries)
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