We’re a Ramblers group aimed mainly at people in their 20s, 30s and slightly older, offering led walks and social events across Herts, Beds and south Cambs.
This walk is for up to 25 people, including the leader.
A moderate-grade walk through rolling countryside, woodland and historic parkland, including visits to Welwyn village, Danesbury Park and its beautiful fern garden, and a traditional country pub.
The route is mostly on rural paths and includes some moderate slopes.
Starting in the village of Woolmer Green just south of Knebworth, we’ll walk along ‘Twin Foxes’ (a street named after notorious poachers the Fox twins - look out for the identical busts at the entrance) then take a tree-lined bridleway towards Harmergreen Wood. Below our feet as we walk through the woods is the East Coast Main Line railway; we’ll pass two large ventilation shafts for the railway tunnels and might hear the strange sound of air blowing through the vents if trains travel through as we pass.
Emerging from Lockleys Wood into arable farmland, we’ll dip into a valley and out again along a path between the fields. From the brow of the hill we can spot the railway viaduct at Digswell behind us and the vineyard at Lockley Farm on the slopes below.
We then pass under the A1(M) and the Welwyn bypass on our way to old Welwyn. In the village we can see a cottage where Anne Van Gogh once lived and was visited by her brother Vincent; there is a bronze bust of the artist by the River Mimram. We’ll pause by the river for a tea break and a chance to use the community toilets at the nearby White Hart pub.
Next we walk through Singlers Marsh nature reserve (a flood plain for the Mimram) and past Fulling Mill, which was once one of many watermills along the river. Then we come to Danesbury Park, formerly the park of Danesbury House and now a nature reserve of grassland and mature trees. Here we find the restored Victorian Fernery, somewhat hidden away on the site of an old chalk pit: a wonderful garden of various ferns and many other plants, with an artificial rock grotto, a rustic bridge and several benches where we can sit and enjoy our packed lunch.
After lunch we’ll head through the hamlets of Pottersheath and Rableyheath, taking quiet country lanes to reach our pub stop at The Robin Hood & Little John. We can enjoy a drink in the large beer garden before the final mile and a half of our walk takes us back under the motorway and through the woods at Mardley Heath, following a part of the Stevenage Outer Orbital Path (STOOP) to return to Woolmer Green.
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: First Floor, 10 Queen Street Place, London EC4R 1BE.
Woolmer Green Village Hall car park, near Knebworth, Herts SG3 6XA. Free parking. Please car-share if possible to allow space for other users, or use public transport: accessible by Arriva bus 301 to The Red Lion pub from Stevenage / Knebworth or St Albans / Hatfield / Welwyn Garden City or approx 1 mile walk from Knebworth railway station. If the car park is full, there is possible free parking two minutes’ walk away on London Road, near The Red Lion, 26 London Rd, Woolmer Green SG3 6JP (please park considerately and not in the pub car park).
