Enchanting Churches, Stately Homes & Ancient Woods of Hertfordshire

📏 Key Info:
• Distance: 12 miles (20km)
• Grading: Intermediate
• Ascent: 190m
• 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, at the lunch stop, and at the end pub

📍 Meeting Point
• Location: Kings Cross station. Meet in front of the main ticket office - MAP
• Time: Meet 8:30am, leave 8:50am for the 9:06am train
• Return: 5:22pm arrival back in London (you’re committed until then)

🌟 Highlights
• Pass through Welwyn Garden City, a pioneering example of the Garden City Movement
• Walk through the serene Sherrardspark Wood, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest
• Stroll past Brocket Hall, a Grade I-listed neo-classical stately home with historic ties to Prime Ministers
• Walk alongside the River Lea, one of the UK's rare chalk streams
• Trace the route of the Ayot Greenway, a former Victorian railway line
• See the haunting ruins of the Old St Lawrence Church
• Step into the world of George Bernard Shaw at his National Trust home – Shaw's Corner
• Wander through Ayot Green, a charming and historic English hamlet

🥾 Hike Description
Our hike begins in Welwyn Garden City, created in 1920 as part of the Garden City Movement. With its tree-lined boulevards and neo-Georgian charm, the town was designed as a pioneering blend of nature and architecture. Leaving its planned streets behind, we step into Sherrardspark Wood, an ancient woodland of oak and hornbeam trees teeming with wildlife. This tranquil and historic forest, dating back thousands of years, provides a peaceful start to our journey.

We soon reach the magnificent Brocket Hall, a Grade I-listed stately home set in 540 acres of landscaped parkland. With ties to prime ministers and royalty, its elegant architecture and sweeping grounds make it one of Hertfordshire’s most impressive estates. From here we follow the course of the River Lea, one of Britain’s precious chalk streams, its clear waters winding through meadows and woodland and supporting a rich array of wildlife.

Continuing onwards, the trail joins the Ayot Greenway, a picturesque footpath along a disused Victorian railway line reclaimed by nature. The route leads us to Ayot St Lawrence, a quiet hamlet with a fascinating history. Here we pause at the haunting ruins of the Old St Lawrence Church, derelict since the 18th century, before visiting Shaw’s Corner, once the home of George Bernard Shaw and now a National Trust property that celebrates his life and work.

Our return route takes us through fields and woodlands, passing the hamlet of Ayot Green before re-entering Sherrardspark Wood. Emerging back into the planned streets of Welwyn Garden City, we complete a hike that blends natural beauty with literary heritage and grand historic estates.

🧭 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

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