Connect Hatfield with Slow Ways

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Hatfield

Hertfordshire


Slow Ways linking Hatfield and Harpenden, Hertford, Newgate Street, Potters Bar, St Albans, Welwyn Garden City

England / Hertfordshire / Hatfield

Hatfield’s six Slow Ways are 79% checked

Drawn: 6/6
reviewed: 6/6
verified: 4/6
and surveyed: 3/6

Help connect Hatfield

Many Slow Ways have several route options. Some will be better than others, or good for different reasons.

Our goal is for each Slow Way to have at least one route that is verified and surveyed. To be verified – and get its snail badge – a route needs at least three positive reviews.

Give a hike and help get a for every one of Hatfield’s Slow Ways.

Walk to Hatfield from further afield

Slow Way Route To do
Harpenden—Hatfield
Harhat one

Double check Distance 14km/9mi Ascent 131m Descent 164m
Hatfield—Hertford
Hather one

Double check Distance 13km/8mi Ascent 99m Descent 134m
Hatfield—Hertford
Hather two

Double check Distance 13km/8mi Ascent - Descent -
Hatfield—Hertford
Hather three Survey me Distance 16km/10mi Ascent - Descent -
Hatfield—Newgate Street
Hatnew one

Verify me Distance 12km/7mi Ascent 155m Descent 121m
Hatfield—Potters Bar
Hatpot one Enjoy me Distance 10km/6mi Ascent 67m Descent 87m
Hatfield—Welwyn Garden City
Hatwel one Enjoy me Distance 5km/3mi Ascent 35m Descent 26m
Hatfield—Welwyn Garden City
Hatwel two Pioneer me Distance 6km/4mi Ascent 391m Descent 451m
St Albans—Hatfield
Stahat one

Enjoy me Distance 9km/6mi Ascent 60m Descent 35m
St Albans—Hatfield
Stahat two Enjoy me Distance 9km/6mi Ascent - Descent -

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Collective progress

73% of Hatfield’s six route options are drawn, reviewed, surveyed and/or verified

10/10

drawn

9/10

reviewed

5/10

surveyed

5/10

verified

17 people have contributed to Hatfield’s Slow Ways

7 people have pledged to walk and review a route

5 people have surveyed a route in Hatfield

101km out of 107km have been walked and reviewed

266km of reviews have been shared in Hatfield

Latest Updates

A pleasant route, mostly on footpaths, and the urban parts are reaonsably quiet too. You can make it a bit shorter by continuing along Station Road between Welham Green and Brookmans Park. The path by the railway line is excellent for blackberries in the summer :)...

Kathryn

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Hatfield—Welwyn Garden City

Kathryn added Hatwel two, a new walk from Hatfield to Welwyn Garden City

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The route through Welwyn Garden City followed the main roads, and I think a quieter alternative route could be devised....

Kathryn

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But the middle is really very pleasant, I even managed to find the 'missing path' mentioned by previous reviewers (forewarned is forearmed)....

Strider

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The route was accurate, accessible and easy to navigate. Very easy going on paved paths. Mainly along the disused railway - The Alban Way, which is shaded by trees and very peaceful....

Hannah

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The Welwyn half was fairly dull, with walking essentially one main road for a long time (Broadwater / Chequers). However, once you get to Chequers, if you walk on the other side of the road than the route, it does become pleasanter (map pictured below). Though if I wanted a slightly longer but nicer walk to Hatfield, I would walk down Parkway in WGC to Stanborugh Lakes and use the route from there....

Callum

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Most of this route is on quiet tarmac or very wide byways/bridleways that are quite active from horses, motorbikes, walkers and mountain bikers....

Heather S.

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Unsurprisingly for the time of year there was mud but most was very easy to walk through outside of a few short deeper bits and puddles including large one just before you get to the candlestick pub where I ended up having to skip over stones and cling to the hedgerow to get across....

Heather S.

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For what this path is - a direct route between two reasonably populated towns - it is fine. Most of it is on easy to navigate cycle paths near the roadside with only one small stretch through the countryside. As mentioned the path directly across the field shown on maps is not visible, but a detour is easy....

Heather S.

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This was my first Slow Ways walk on a snowy December afternoon....

Heather S.

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Once we had crossed over the duel carriageway the walk took us alongside fields and used public pathways for most of the way....

Lara

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This route is the same as Hather two at the beginning and end, but goes further south for the middle section in order to avoid the hairy B158 Lower Hatfield Road 500m section. This adds 3km, but it worth it - the north-south section either side of Essendon is really nice, with wooded bits and open fields, and it's a relief to be further from the A-road....

Hannah

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In general the route is fine and more direct than Hather three, however I feel the road walking 500m stretch on the B158 is too dangerous. There is no pavement and blind corners (with no way of stepping off the road) on the B158 between Holwell Lane and the road to Letty Green....

Slow Ways Darren

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There's a 1km walk along the A414 early on, and although there's a wide pavement/cycle path so it's not dangerous, it's still walking alongside a fast, busy road....

Hannah

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Hatfield—Hertford

danravenellison added Hather three, a new walk from Hatfield to Hertford

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From the back of the station a path takes you alongside the railway before ducking left down steps, through woods and fields to Waters End before the residential streets of Welham Green....

Strider

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Easy to navigate, green, flat, good quality paths, shady, suitable for all types of wheels, interesting features, benches to rest, no cars....

Strider

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But fortified by a good lunch from the cafe next to the Pub I walked along a residential road that morphed into a farm track alongside open fields. There a short section walking on a quiet road before turning onto a wooded path, Hornbeam Lane. The path turns into a track, and past a stud farm, into a paved road....

Strider

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St Albans—Hatfield

mtormey added Stahat two, a new walk from St Albans to Hatfield

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This route is good, but I followed the plotted line religiously and it led me astray at the Hatfield end! You can't get from Branch Close onto the railway path. It could also be slightly more precise throughout....

mtormey

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It follows the Albans Way almost the entire route, which is paved, wide, flat, and separated from motor vehicle traffic....

mtormey

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A walk through the village of Welham Green takes you past a delightful pub (Sibthorpe Arms) and then through lots of alleyways until you reach a cycle path that takes you to the edge of Hatfield....

Simon

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Hatfield—Hertford

Colin Rice added Hather two, a new walk from Hatfield to Hertford

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The walk north out of Hatfield was a little tricky to follow, and the busy road just north of Hatfield was not that great....

Derick Rethans

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The natural route for walking from Hertford to Hatfield is unfortunately obstructed by the huge estate of Hatfield House. No one wants to walk along the verge of the busy A414, so walking routes have to go way to the south, or - as 'Hather One' does - to the north. Coming out of Hertford along West Street, I would recommend staying on West Street rather than following the path behind the back of the houses as the 'Hather One' route shows. The portion of the 'Hather One' route between the A414 and Howlands road in Welwyn Garden City is not clearly defined and was very muddy for most of the way. At the junction of the Cole Green Way with the A414, the route as currently shown follows the south side of the A414 for 400m, the asphalt footpath turning into a verge after 300m....

Colin Rice

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It can be very muddy in places (especially between Coleman Green and Symondshyde Farm via Titnol's Wood, where the route chosen is impassible currently due to deep mud....

BigDog

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I found it a direct, easy-to-follow, overall accessible route following the Alban Way almost the entire distance (only diverting at the very beginning and end)....

lwatson

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Slow Ways surveyed Stahat one

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It is also flat, except for the occasional walk down to a road and back up again as the original railway bridge has gone....

Derick Rethans

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Derick Rethans took this photo on Stahat one

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Lovely rural route but spoilt by the first mile or so out of Hatfield which is alongside a really noisy dual carriageway. I'm guessing there's no other choice as there is no free access through the Hatfield Estate?...

Judith Grieves

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Hatfield

danravenellison surveyed Hatfield

View facilities

There are many relics of the railway line including some raised platforms, bridges, a station house in St Albans and information boards....

Elizabeth E

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Harpenden—Hatfield

Slow Ways added Harhat one, a new walk from Harpenden to Hatfield

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Hatfield—Hertford

Slow Ways added Hather one, a new walk from Hatfield to Hertford

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Hatfield—Newgate Street

Slow Ways added Hatnew one, a new walk from Hatfield to Newgate Street

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Hatfield—Potters Bar

Slow Ways added Hatpot one, a new walk from Hatfield to Potters Bar

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Hatfield—Welwyn Garden City

Slow Ways added Hatwel one, a new walk from Hatfield to Welwyn Garden City

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St Albans—Hatfield

Slow Ways added Stahat one, a new walk from St Albans to Hatfield

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1

Hatfield, Sat 9 November

Overcast

Hatfield’s Slow Ways starting point

Grid ref

TL2326608757

Lat / Lon

51.76394° / -0.21519°

Easting / Northing

523,266E / 208,757N

Fancy stretching your legs a bit more?

If you’ve polished off all of the routes between Hatfield and its neighbours, how about walking its whole web?

This includes the great ring of routes that join its neighbours to each other!

Facilities

Users have reported that the following facilities can be found within 1km of Hatfield's meeting point

Public toilet

Wheelchair accessible toilet

Supermarket or convenience shop

Restaurant, cafe or pub

Accommodation

Accommodation for under £50 a night

Campsite

Bothy

Free wifi

Mobility scooter hire

Off-road wheelchair hire

Disabled Parking

Train station

Bus stop

Ferry

Official ‘Walkers are Welcome’ town

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