We’re a Ramblers group aimed mainly at people in their 20s, 30s and a bit beyond, offering guided hikes and social events across Herts, Beds and south Cambs.
This walk is for up to 30 people, including the leader.
A late Autumn walk of epic proportions as we visit the only city in Hertfordshire with a 14 mile loop around St Albans!
This walk will require a good level of fitness due to the length of the route, which is on a mixture of surfaced paths and rural tracks through town, farmland, woodland and open green spaces. Good quality walking boots are recommended. Please also make sure to bring refreshments to keep you going. Car sharing is advised as parking may be limited.
We’ll start outside Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, said to be the oldest pub in England, where we'll head east and join the Alban Way, a dedicated path to Hatfield that used to be a railway line, running parallel with the River Ver. We may get to see some late autumn colour here. We'll pass Smallford station, now being turned into a museum. Heading north through Smallford, we'll continue to Ellenbrook Fields, an old, abandoned airfield used by the De Havilland museum when it was an active factory to test planes. We'll take in the views of Jersey Farm and Sandridge as we arrive at Sandridge Football Club. This is where our packed lunch stop will be and a pub stop at The Queen's Head.
Our walk will continue to Sandridgebury Farm and the southern edge of Heartwood Forest, where we may see the a pony or two. We'll walk by the late film director Stanley Kubrick's Childwickbury Manor house, where his wife still lives. After this, we'll head through Batchwood, where a small area of woodland takes us to Batchwood Golf Club. To finish off the walk, we'll get to see St Albans' famous Cathedral and Verulamium Park, where there are remains of the Roman history of the city. There is an end of walk pub stop at the Ye Olde Fighting Cocks for those who wish to stay.
Dogs are welcome on a lead.
For information about walking with the group, including our dog policy, please visit the Stag Walkers website.
Booking your place: Please book your place using the free Meetup website/app. Join the Stag Walkers Meetup group and click the 'Attend' button on the event page.
Please do not turn up for a walk without booking, as places are limited.
If the walk is fully booked, please click 'join waitlist' then please check back regularly as you will likely get a place. The waitlist gives priority to single bookings so if you wish to bring a guest, we recommend booking separately.
Unless you opt in to further communications, we will only use contact information you provide to get in touch about the walk.
This is a circular walk.
The start time is when we aim to start walking and the finish time is an estimate.
Walks are graded Easy, Leisurely, Moderate or Strenuous in increasing order of difficulty. Please read the walk description to check it is within your abilities and contact the group if you are unsure.
Please:
We are a Ramblers group, non-members are welcome to try us out for three free walks before joining Ramblers as a full member.
As a charity we ask that non-members consider making a voluntary donation to Ramblers until they purchase membership. We suggest £3-4 per walk. You can donate in person or online.
The Ramblers’ Association is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Company registration number: 4458492. Registered Charity in England and Wales number: 1093577. Registered office: Stone King LLP, Boundary House, 91 Charterhouse Street, London EC1M 6HR.
Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, 16 Abbey Mill Lane, St Albans. Free Parking available at the top of Verulamium Park on King Harry Lane (w3w: roses.clown.mobile) – around a 13 minute walk from the start point. If this is full, further free street parking is available on Mayne Avenue beyond the Waitrose (w3w: garage.civic.shades) - about a 15 minute walk from the start point. St Albans City Station (for trains between London and Bedford) is a 26 minute walk away and buses 724, 725, 301 and 302 serve St. Albans city centre from Welwyn and Hatfield, or 304 from Hitchin.
