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The Harcamlow Way

The Harcamlow Way is a 141 mile figure of eight walk from Harlow on the Hertfordshire-Essex border to Cambridge and back again. The route is waymarked and runs through the rural countryside in eastern Hertfordshire, western Essex and southern Cambridgeshire. In Hertfordshire, the route passes near Stanstead Abbotts, Puckeridge, Braughing and Patmore Heath.

The route of the Harcamlow Way was established in the 1970s by the West Essex Ramblers Association. The walk is mainly on tracks and green lanes within what is now known as The Hundred Parishes. The Hundred Parishes is an area of about 450 square miles comprising over 100 separate rural parishes, numerous ancient villages, over 6,000 listed buildings and many historic conservation areas. The Hundred Parishes Society was formed in 2012 by a group of local historians with the support of a number of community groups and other organisations – including CPRE – and registered as a charity soon after. The Society’s aim is to encourage people to learn about the area‘s character and history and to appreciate its heritage first-hand, including by walking through the area.

The original guidebook to The Harcamlow Way is long out of print. However, travel writer Phoebe Taplin has published two books that together include coverage of the Way: ‘Harcamlow Way 1 – Scenic Walks in Hertfordshire and Essex’ and ‘Harcamlow Way 2 – Country Walks Around Cambridge’. You can find out more on the Long Distance Walkers Association website, where you can also see a route map and download GPX files of the route.

waymark for the harcamlow way

attractive farmland with lush crop and woodland in the distance
View from the Harcamlow Way near Stanstead Abbotts CPRE Hertfordshire