Hertfordshire & North Middlesex Ramblers Area AGM & Woolmer Green Winter Woodland Walk

Join us for a morning walk, followed by lunch and our Ramblers Area Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Feel free to come along for just the walk, lunch, meeting or all of these.
 

• WALK DETAILS:
Woolmer Green Winter Woodland Walk (5 miles / 8 km, Walk grade: Leisurely)

A leisurely morning walk of just under five miles, mainly through woodland and arable farmland, with some gentle/moderate slopes.

All are welcome to join us for the walk. No booking required.

The walk starts and finishes at Woolmer Green and visits Mardley Heath Nature Reserve and Harmergreen Woods, and the villages of Oaklands and Burnham Green. The route is on undulating terrain along woodland trails, field-edge paths and residential streets.

Starting promptly at 10am from the car park at Woolmer Green Village Hall, we begin by passing under the East Coast Main Line railway then gently uphill through the woods of Mardley Heath. Mardley Heath is a large local nature reserve with a mixture of old gravel workings, heathland and ponds as well as ancient woodland. We’ll walk down some steps by the side of the South Pit then up another slope to exit the woods.

A stretch along pavement takes us down into Oaklands then up to Harmergreen Woods, a large area of mixed woodland. Within the woods we’ll pass a bench erected by North Herts Ramblers Group in 2022 and an air shaft for the railway tunnel underground; listen out for the sound of air blowing through the vent when trains pass below.

Leaving the woods, we’ll pass alongside a horse paddock then along pavement to reach Burnham Green. On the village green we can pause for a short tea break (some seating is available) and may enjoy some “trig-bagging”: an Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar can be found on the green, marking a height of 125 metres above sea level.

After our break, we’ll walk across open farmland with good views across the gently rolling countryside towards Datchworth and Stevenage. A tree-lined old path then takes us north towards Woolmer Green, where everyone is welcome to join us at the Village Hall for lunch.

Please note walking boots are recommended as some paths are likely to be muddy.

Dogs are welcome on the walk, on a lead.

Walk leader: Al Maceachern
 

• LUNCH: 

After the walk, join us in the Village Hall for lunch from 12.30 - 1.30pm. Please bring a packed lunch and (if you wish) snacks to share. Teas/coffees and soft drinks, biscuits etc. will be available. The AGM will follow at 1.30 pm.
 

• AGM: 

The AGM is a chance to find out what’s been happening across our Ramblers Area of Hertfordshire & North Middlesex. It’s also where members of our Ramblers Area elect volunteers to our Area Council and nominate delegates to Ramblers General Council (the Ramblers' national AGM).

Vacant positions on Area Council include Vice-Chair, Secretary, Rights of Way Coordinator, Publicity and Media Contact, Assistant Membership Secretary and Independent Member.

All members of the Ramblers belonging to the Area of Hertfordshire & North Middlesex , or to one of the nine groups within the Area, are entitled to vote at the meeting or to stand as a volunteer. 

After the official business we’ll hear from two special guest speakers: Joerg Kasprowski, a Ramblers Trustee, and Richard Cuthbert, Team Leader Definitive Map & Enforcement at Herts County Council Countryside & Rights of Way Service.

For full details, including the Agenda and Reports, please see Issue 68 of the Area journal 'Stile' or visit the Area website.