Countryside - walks

Great Wood, Northaw

This 120 hectares country park located off the B157 road near Cuffley is excellent for walkers, for whom there are specially marked trails. Its visual beauty, unspoilt appearance and atmosphere of peace and quiet make it an ideal place to visit. The wood is made up of mainly Oak, Birch and Hornbeam with areas of Ash, Sycamore and Sweet Chestnut and there is a variety of flora and fauna.

Facilities in the wood include a car park, toilets and way marked trails. The walks are often wet and muddy so be advised to wear sensible clothing. Dogs must be kept under strict control. Please clean up after your dog and use the red dog bins provided in the car park.

The gates open at 8am daily (except Christmas Day). Closing times are 5pm in the winter (1 November - 31 March) and 6pm in the summer (1 April - 31 October).

The wood was declared a site of Special Scientific Interest in 1953 and as a Country Park in 1968. In order to maintain the diversity of species that the woodland contains it is necessary to carry out woodland management, which primarily involves selective thinning of trees and coppicing areas of hornbeam. If these traditional techniques were not used, many of the species naturalists come to see, would not exist in the wood.

When visiting Northaw please follow the countryside code and do not pick any flowers, keep noise to a minimum and keep dogs under close control.

Mardley Heath

Ninety acres of open heath and woodland parts of which were once devastated for gravel extraction the area is now the subject of a heathland restoration project which is being carried out by Welwyn Hatfield Council and the Countryside Management Service. A team of voluntary rangers helps protect the area.

It is now a favourite with walkers and horse riders. There is a marked walk and bridleway as well as a picnic site. At the right time of the year the heath comes alive with a beautiful display of bluebells. Muntjac deer have also been seen in the area. 

Stanborough Reedmarsh Nature Reserve

Highly recommended for bird watchers this seven-acre reserve is located in the corner of Stanborough Park on the edge of Welwyn Garden City. It is leased by the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust for management as a nature reserve. There is a nature trail that follows the river Lea through the reserve. A trail guide is available from the Park shop. 

Sherrardspark Wood

This 200 acre wood is near to Welwyn Garden City town centre and is recognised as one of the finest examples of natural sessile oak and hornbeam plantations in Britain. It is easily accessible with woodland walks of varying lengths.

The wood is used regularly by residents to stroll or walk their dogs. It is owned and managed by Welwyn Hatfield Council who have produced a management plan to safeguard this priceless amenity for future generations.

The Nature Conservancy Council, now English Nature, designated the woods as a Site of Scientific Interest in 1986.

The disused railway line, which now forms a walk through the wood, is a remnant of the old branch railway line to Luton that closed in 1965.

Ayot Greenway

The track bed of the old Luton branch line also forms the Ayot Greenway which is a country walk covering three miles of the Lea Valley from Ayot Green to Sheepcote Lane near Wheathampstead. 

The branch line existed for 100 years and ran alongside the main line from Hatfield before branching off through Sherrardspark Wood, under the Great North Road and into Ayot Station. This station was destroyed by fire in 1948 and never rebuilt. The County Council purchased a two and a half mile stretch of the line in 1978 and now manage it as an area for countryside recreation.

Alban Way

A six-mile walkway and cycle track that follows the route of the old railway line from Hatfield to St Albans. It takes the walker from the centre of Hatfield across country to the Abbey railway station in St Albans. It is the perfect way to escape the busy roads to ride or stroll. The cycle route was extended in 1998 and it will eventually form part of the national cycle network that is supported by the Millennium Commission. 

The Commons Nature Reserve

The Commonswood Nature Watch manage this area of land off Howlands, Welwyn Garden City, which was acquired by Welwyn Hatfield Council in 1997 and has now been designated as a local nature reserve. The reserve has signed entrances and marked paths and is the home to an abundance of wildlife and rare habitats.