Brookmans Park Newsletter - Woodland, footbridges, and the Cartland estate

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Woodland, footbridges, and the Cartland estate

Environment - Walks

Walk Two - 5 km (3.2 miles)

Walk Two This short walk circles Camfield Place, the country estate of the late Barbara Cartland. It starts and ends at the Woodman pub in Wild Hill and takes you through five woods, down tree-lined footpaths, across a footbridge, and down quiet country lanes. At one spot, when you are on top of the hill in Harefield Wood, there is a across the valley to Camfield Place. The journey ends with the option of a pint at the Woodman at Wild Hill.

Follow the red dots on the map above. The map above is only a sketch and not to scale. A key has been added to help people follow the maps. There is an alternative route with green dots if you want to walk the first bit up the road instead of across the first muddy field. To help you with this walk you might want to buy an Ordnance Survey Explorer E182 map for St Albans & Hatfield or click on www.streetmap.co.uk, or www.multimap.com and print the resulting pages. If you would like to comment on any of the walks for the benefit of others, please use the forum discussion thread on the walks.

If you are going to end up drinking in the Woodman, you can park in the pub car park, if not, park in the lane near the pub.
Park your car towards the top of the car park and on your left you will notice an aluminium bachelor gate just beyond the beer garden where the car park widens.

Enter the field and walk diagonally across the field heading slightly to the right. This is the only muddy part of the walk. You will notice a step stile ahead. Cross it and enter a field, usually sown with Rape. Head straight across this field to the edge of woodland.
Here you cross another step stile and, keeping the wood on your left, walk along the edge of the field. You will notice a small pond on your left. After 200m you reach the corner of the field.
Keep going round to your right and after a short while, about 150m, you will notice a step stile in the hedgerow, on the left, leading through into Kentish Lane. This might be hidden by undergrowth.
You need to cross the road here and turn left, walking northeast along Kentish Lane.
Continue walking towards the bend and Wild Hill Road, the turning for Wild Hill. Here you need to cross Kentish Lane again, because the footpath ends on the right hand side of the road and continues on the left. Again take care because this is a blind bend. It might be worth crossing earlier.
Walk along the footpath on the left hand side of Kentish Lane for 200m before taking a track on the left opposite Hornbeam Lane. This track is signposted the Hertfordshire Way.
After 100m this track turns right at a footpath 'T' junction and continues through Duncan's wood and opens out into a field. Here there is a wonderful panoramic view of a small valley enclosed in woodland and formed by two brooks, the Essendon Brook and Wild Hill Brook.
Your way continues forward along a sheltered track across the fields until you come to a footpath crossroads. Ahead is a small track down to a bridge over Essendon Brook and this is well worth a visit, but your way is left along the edge of the woodland keeping the river on your right.
Keep going north east along this path for approximately 200m and you will come to a small footbridge crossing Wild Hill Brook. Keep going straight and climb out of the valley heading for Harefield Wood straight ahead.
Your path merges with a bridleway at the top of the hill and you turn sharp left and follow this path round for another 400m until you reach the lane linking Wild Hill and West End. As you walk, keep looking to your left, across the fields and the valley, and you will see the late Barbara Cartland's home, Camfield Place, perched high on the distant hill. There is a picture of it halfway down this page from the Barbara Cartland site.
When you reach the lane, turn left and walk along the road as it winds, first right and then left, down the hill into the village of Wild Hill.
Turn left and the Woodman is on your right.