Brookmans Park Newsletter
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A steady drop, a steep climb and a hidden hamlet
Walk Nine - 5.5 km (3.3 miles)

This walk is rich in variety, with a good downhill stretch for striding out, a steady climb back up to Essendon and, halfway round, the quiet hamlet of Howe Green. You cross the golf course twice and pass a quarry, but don't be put off, the views are spectacular and the flora, particularly near the quarry, is rich. A user of this site has mailed suggest a warning be issued with this walk to be careful for flying golf balls and that walkers should not making a noise if someone is attempting a shot. Towards the end, the route skirts the north and west side of Essendon, via a charming path that weaves its way around the village and returns past the cricket field. A great walk for getting the heart pounding.

Follow the red dots on the map above. The green dots offer a shorter alternative. The map above is only a sketch and not to scale. A key has been added to help people follow the maps. 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.

1. Park in the village of Essendon. A good place is near the church where the walk begins.
2. Head south until you reach School Lane on your left. There is a signpost to 'School and Village Hall'.
3. Continue down School Lane until you reach the school on your right and East View on your left. Your way is down a footpath between the two.
4. Continue down the path as it opens out into the golf course. Walk straight, heading for the quarry to the north-east.
5. Leave the golf course and cross a footpath junction and a ford and climb the hill, keeping the quarry on your left, until you reach a step stile on the left. Here the path forks, with one going over the step stile and the other going stright on. You can take either as they both end up in the same place.
6. When you reach the next stile you can either cross it or walk round it to emerge in a country lane.
7. When you reach the lane, turn right and follow the lane round past Ashfield House on the left and Ashfield Cottage on the right, until the lane turns right and into Ashfield Farm.
8. At this point you will see a footpath on you left to Howe Green. Cross the stile and follow this path, keeping the hedge on your right.
9. When the hedge ends, look diagonally ahead and slightly to your left, and you will see a large new house. To the right of the house is a wooden bridge. Head in this direction.
10. Cross the bridge and go straight, keeping the house on your left, until you emerge into a country lane.
11. Turn left here and follow the lane as it weaves round to the left. Soon after a left bend and some white stone markers, you come to an old oak tree on the right and a footpath sign.
12. Cross the step stile into a field and head straight over and down the hill to a stile. You now cross a bridge made of old railway sleepers and emerge onto the lane leading to the quarry.
13. Turn right and follow the lane until it meets the Essendon - Hertford road.
14. Turn left, taking care here because the traffic can be busy. Almost immediately on your left, you will see a footpath sign and stile. Cross the stile and enter the golf course again.
15. Here the path climbs steadily up over the golf course towards Essendon church. Follow this paved path as climbs the hull until you reach the point where it skirts the left hand side of a green and reaches a fork.
16. Take the left hand fork, and immediately you come to a cinder path. Turn right and follow this cinder path round, looking out for a wooden footpath marker across the fairway.
17. Head for this marker, which points the way ahead. Follow the direction it is pointing and follow the path through the trees until it emerges in a field. Cross the field, keeping the house on your left, until you come to the road leading into Essendon.
18. If it is wet, you can turn left here and follow the lane back to the village. If it is dry, it is worth walking straight across the road and taking another footpath heading south-east and skirting the village.
19. When you enter this field, you will notice two houses on the far side. Head for the right of the house on the right and exit the field by a step stile.
20. Turn left and walk along the lane. Almost immediately on your right, you will come across a footpath with houses on your left and a fence on your right. This footpath has several bachelor gates as it twists its way round the village before opening up into a meadow. You will see the cricket ground buildings on your left as the path heads diagonally south-west and downhill into woodland.
21. When you reach the woods turn left and head back to the village, skirting the right hand side of the cricket ground.
22. This path opens out onto the main road, where you turn left and head back to wherever you parked the car.
23. If you want refreshments, the pub is on your right as you leave the cricket ground.