The Hertfordshire Way
The Hertfordshire Way is a 195 mile circular route along public rights of way entirely within the county of Hertfordshire. The route is divided into 16 legs. It starts in Royston, moves west to Tring, then south to Kings Langley, and east to Bishop’s Stortford before turning northwards to finish in Royston. Because it’s circular, of course it’s possible to start and finish anywhere along the route.
The official Hertfordshire Way guidebook describes the route in counter clockwise direction but it is also waymarked in the clockwise direction. The route passes through a variety of Hertfordshire landscapes, mostly in open countryside but also including a number of attractive and interesting villages. The county town of Hertford and the historic city of St Albans are the only large towns on the route.
The Hertfordshire Way was first conceptualised in 1994 and fully waymarked in 1998 by a dedicated group of volunteers. The Friends of the Hertfordshire Way continue as an active group today, leading guided walks each month, replacing waymarks and clearing obstructions along the route, and updating and publishing the guidebook. The Friends of the Hertfordshire Way are a friendly group and are always happy to have newcomers join in. Find out more on The Friends of the Hertfordshire Way website.
CPRE Hertfordshire has a special relationship with the Friends of the Hertfordshire Way. Our then-Chairman Elizabeth Hamilton and several CPRE Hertfordshire volunteers walked the entire route in 2012 to raise funds for CPRE. In the following year, CPRE Hertfordshire’s special Peterkin Award was presented to Bert Richardson for his instrumental role in creating The Hertfordshire Way. And for over a decade, two of our CPRE Hertfordshire volunteers have also volunteered as ‘Leg Wardens’ maintaining sections of The Hertfordshire Way in their spare time.
