walking & cycling Ideas for getting out & about +EYTO THE MAP from Welwyn Garden City The Ayots • Take Bus 366 to Wheathampstead (20 mins; Mon – Sat only); 0UB !YOT 'REEN 7AY TRAFFIC FREE 2ESTAURANT • Walk back to Welwyn Garden City via Ayot Green Way (6 miles) 3UPERMARKET !YOT 'REEN 7AY ON ROAD from St Albans #YCLE 3HOP #YCLE 2OUTES COUNTRY LANE OR MINOR ROAD • Take the 304 or 320 bus to Wheathampstead (20 mins). Change on to the 904 taxi bus to Ayot St Lawrence 4OURIST #YCLE 2OUTES TRAFFIC FREE )NFORMATION (10 mins; Sundays only); Return to Wheathampstead by foot on paths across Lamer Park Golf Course. 2AIL 3TATION 2IVER Cross Codicote Road and use underpass to reach Sheepcote Lane. "UILDING "US 3TATION • Explore Devil’s Dyke and return to Wheathampstead via Marford Road, return to St Albans by bus. #AR 0ARK ,AKE Cycle Safety !RTS #ENTRE &OOTPATH ROUTE NORMALLY MARKED BY SIGNS AND WAYMARKS WITH A YELLOW ARROW Consider wearing a helmet & bright or fl uorescent clothing during the day. Wear -USEUM "RIDLEWAY ROUTE NORMALLY MARKED BY SIGNS refl ective clothing and use lights at night AND WAYMARKS WITH A BLUE ARROW and in poor visibility. 4OILET On traffi c free sections be considerate "RIDLEWAY "YWAY OPEN TO ALL TRAFFIC ROUTE NORMALLY MARKED BY SIGNS to other users, and use a bell to warn .ATIONAL #YCLE .ETWORK AND WAYMARKS WITH A RED ARROW #YCLE 2OUTE walkers of your approach.
-INOR 2OAD ROADS USED AS A PUBLIC PATH (ILL ROUTE NORMALLY MARKED BY SIGNS AND WAYMARKS WITH A BLACK ARROW
&IELD 4RACK
0ARK 2AILWAY POINT /PEN ACCESS LAND -AIN 2OAD pedal
2ESIDENTIAL -OTORWAY
Hertfordshire Rural Transport +ILOMETRE +ILOMETRE Partnership -ILE -ILE SCALE APPROXSCALE E A PPROX
The Ordnance Survey mapping data included within this publication is provided by Hertfordshire County Council under licence from the Ordnance Survey in order to fulfi l its public function to provide information relating to its activities, services and plans. Persons viewing this mapping should contact Ordnance Survey copyright for advice should they wish to licence Ordnance Survey mapping for their own use. Such mapping is based upon Ordnance including The Ayot Greenway between Survey material with the permission of Her Majesty’s Stationery Offi ce © Crown copyright 100019606 2007. Cartography, photography*, leafl et design and cycling by Stephen Wragg - Wragg Art House: www.wah.co.uk Welwyn Garden City *all photos by Stephen Wragg except: veteran cyclists at Shaw’s Corner - with thanks to The National Trust © WAH 2007 and Welwyn Roman Baths legionary - with thanks to Hertfordshire County Council. & Wheathampstead Explore,E Discover & Enjoy! Quiet Lanes Want to know more? The Quiet Lanes project was developed by the Walking & cycling TheT Ayots Countryside Agency to preserve the character • For the Welwyn Hatfi eld area contact ThereT is some great countryside in of country lanes and encourage walkers, Pedal Point: Tel: 01707 357551 cyclists and horse riders to ‘share with care.’ www.welhat.gov.uk/pedalpoint HHertfordshire for you to discover. This leafl et Ayot St Peter Rd, School Lane, Whitehill and • For the St Albans & Wheathampstead area ccovers the area around the Ayots between Waterend Lane all form part of the Quiet contact St Albans City & District Council: Lanes network in the parish of Ayot St Peter WWelwyn Garden City and Wheathampstead. Tel: 01727 866100, www.stalbans.gov.uk linking footpaths, bridleways and cycle tracks. QQuiet Lanes, many footpaths and bridleways • The Countryside Management Service has Want to explore further? a series of local maps for walks & cycle rides: iincluding the Ayot Greenway make this area There are a number of other free publications Tel: 01727 843067, www.hertsdirect.org.uk/cms iideal to explore by foot and bicycle. covering old railway lines in the area • Rights of Way: including the Cole Green Way (WGC - Hertford Tel: 01992 555555, www.hertsdirect.org.uk/row WWhy not leave the car at home and take the & Ware) and Alban Way (Hatfi eld - St Albans). Public Transport bbike on the train to Welwyn Garden City? Cycling Discovery maps also show some great YYou can cycle through Sherrardspark Woods rural rides in Hertfordshire. • Bus information, timetables & fares: Tel: 0870 608 2 608, www.intalink.org.uk oon the Ayot Greenway to explore the area. Take the taxi bus - and get half • 904 Taxi Bus: Harpenden Taxi’s: price entry to Shaw’s Corner! A three year improvement programme on the Tel: 01582 822822 To make it easier to get to the Ayots by public • First Capital Connect rail services serving ggreenway was completed in summer 2007 transport a taxi bus operates three times a Welwyn Garden City, Harpenden & St Albans: day on Sundays and Bank Holidays between tto provide a good surface throughout for all www.fi rstcapitalconnect.co.uk April and October. This service connects with uusers. The path now provides a link directly • National Rail Enquiries: local bus services at Wheathamsptead from iinto Wheathampstead village centre. Tel: 08457 48 49 50, www.nationalrail.co.uk St Albans and Harpenden. Just call the taxi TThis leafl et shows you what you can see and bus operator 20 minutes before its scheduled Local attractions departure time and it will pick you up. • Shaw‘s Corner, Ayot St Lawrence: vvisit in this beautiful area from historic houses Journey time between Wheathampstead and Tel: 01438 820307, www.nationaltrust.org.uk aand churches to ancient woodlands and old Ayot St Lawrence is only 10 minutes. • Welwyn Roman Baths: rrailway lines. What’s more these places can Through ticketing is available from St Albans. Tel: 01707 271362, www.hertsmuseums.org.uk aalso be accessed without the car. Bus services to Wheathampstead serve • Lemsford Springs Nature Reserve: St Albans City station making it easy to go Tel: 01727 858901, www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/herts by train from London and the north. Ask for the “Plus Bus” add on at your railway station • Stanborough Lakes, Welwyn Garden City: to include the bus and taxi bus fares. What’s Tel: 01707 327655, www.stanboroughpark.com more, on production of your ticket you can • The Howard Centre, Welwyn Garden City: get half price entry into Shaw’s Corner at Tel: 01707 320026, www.howard-centre.co.uk Ayot St Lawrence. Pick up the 904 taxi bus leafl et for more details including things to do, places to eat and fare information. Alterntively contact Intalink for information. Described by former residentident George Bernard Shaww aas a Great North Way “twelfth century village where the last thing of real importanimportancenc NCN Route 12 to was perhaps the Flood.” You can now visit the authorauthor’sr’s Stevenage, Letchworth, Baldock Codicote Rd B197
residence at Shaw’s Corner (veveteran cyclist in the gardens, A1(M) beloww), discover the old churchhurch ruins or visit the ‘new’ 1818th Ruined century church reminiscentiscent of a classical GreeGreek temple left. Church New St Albans Road Great North Rd Ayot St Lawrence & Shaw’s Corner Church Ayot St Lawrence B656 Ford Old Welwyny Kimpton Road Fulling Mill Welwyn was of stratestrategicc Blackmore Shaw’s Corner ThisThT route forms part of the National National Trust importance because of itsts CycleCy e NNetwork as Route 12 which will Lane End location in thee MimrMimram Vallealley eventuallynt linknk London with Peterboroughroug Link Rd and beybeyond! TheeA Ayots section runs aloalong attracting settlerss frofrom as the old railwrailway line thrthrough Sherrardsparkherrard early as the Ironon Age.Age. LLaterte High St Woods, Quietie Lanes througho Ayot St Peter Old Welwyn the Romanss sesettledtt ed in theheh area and countrytr lanes towardsrds Codicote. The buildingbu thetheir villasll and bathath 323 mile routeutee ththrthroughout Hertfordshireertf is Codicote Road houses.ouses. An example off wwhich A1000 can beb sseen underneathneath the B651 nowo open fromomm PoPPotters Bar to Letchworth.etc A1M at tthehe WWelwynn RomRoman PickPicic up informationor and a free mapp ffrom Baths. Contactntaac 017077 271362 true localocalal outletss inincluding tourist informationio Lamer Lane Bride Hall Lane forffoor more informationnfo . In the N centres and Pedal Point. 17th117 centurnturyry Welwyn became School Lane Roman Gustardwood The Great North Way Baths an importantimporta staging post on Common thehe Great North Road.
Hall Farm Lane
Gustardwood School Lane
Ayot St Peter Road Hertford Road
Lamer Park London Rd Digswell Golf Course A1000
Site of old Church
Station Rd
White Hill Ayot St Peter Ayot St Peter Church Bessemer Digswell Park Road This is an exceptionept onnal exampple B197 Codicote Road Church of an Arts andd CCraftss churchch built in 1875,, tthe site ofo thehe Digswell It is bbelieved that the villageag name oro iginates from Way Lake ‘wet hhomestead’, being situatedtu on thhe River Lea earlier churchh ccan be seeeenen a Bessemer with itstst wawater meadows. Mentionede d asa fafar back as little way to thehe northh wherewhe 1060, todaytoda the villavillage is centredntr arrouund the High The Ayot GGreenway links Welwynwynwy Gardenen Cityity onlyo the churchyardhy remainsremains. Road VIADUCT Street wwithth its pubs, smsmall shopsop andndd the impressive with Wheathampstead.h Ideal forr walkingg and Ayot Green Way 13th-14th4 centuryturury churcchurch of St HeHelelenns photo beloweloww. cycling, this predominantly traffific c free rooute Homers wood follows the former railway line thatha rann to LutonLuton. A1(M) Wheathampstead Take a picnic to Robinsonssons WWood oor explorexplore one Thiss 200 acreac woodd isi recorecognisedco se ass oneo e of Way B653 Hill of the many footpaths off the greenway.e thet efi fi nestest exampless oof naturalat l ssessilesil oaoak Wright Ayot Green Way Lane Digswell Cory B653 Lower Luton Ayot Greenway and hhornbeam wooodlandod nd in BrBritain.ain TheThereere
Road Green Way Green Ayot are many walks too cchoosechoosoose fromro incincludingcludu g Mount Rd Ayot Little Road the oldd railway r linelinnee whicwhich cacan be exexploredplor Underpass Rectory fromom Campus West,West, BBrockswoodsw LaLane oor thetht e Robinson’s Wood Ayot Green Way B19719797 at Ayot Green.Green.n. Thiss pappath is susuitablebl forfof High St Picnic Area Ayot Green ccyclists,cyyclists,ycli wawalkers and wheelchairs.heeleeelchairsrs Church River Lea Sherrardspark Woods Sherrardspark Waterend Lane Woods Ayot Green Way Church St B651 Datingng baback possibly to 40BC, when the area was populatedted bby the Catuvellauni tribe, these massive Marford Road Sheepcote Lane earthworksearthworks proprobably formed the protective Welwyn Shire enclosurere to theirtheheirir pprincipal settlement. Legend Great North Rd Park says the tribe was ddefeatdefeated by Julius Caesar at Garden City Brewhouse Hill Wheathampstead this very spot. The twoo ditches, Devil’s Dyke on the west, The Sladl on the east, had an originalo depth River Lea Digswell Road Fromom thee footpathf youu can Brockswood Lane steps of 13 metreses and were discovered ini 1932. steps Bessemer Way Beechyde Lane admiree the mansion bbuilt in Devil’s Dyke 1760 sett in a magnififi centc parkk Dyke Lane National Trust Devil’s Dyke & The Slad Green Way with a fi ne vistasta acrossro the lake.laka Ayot The B195 Bridge Road Slad Council Brocket Hall Offices Belgic Oppidum Built soon after WoWorldrldd WWarWa One, the townn waasa theth secondond Dept. Wheathampstead Marlford Rd Store Bridge Road East of Ebenezer Howwardrd’sd’ss GardenG Cities. The conceptco ce t bebehindh A1000 Local Nature Reserve Brocket Russellcroft Rd Hall the Garden City wass too memmerge the best of toowno anandnd ccountryry Road Parkway -> and help easesee LLonddon’sdoonn overcrowdingg.. The fi rstrs hohouses <- Parkway Howard Valley Centre B653 were occupied ini 19920.. PartsPa of the originnaal settlementettlemeem can Coleman Green Lane be viewed by takingt ng thhe Great North Way downdow HanHandsidendside Hydeway Handside Lane John Bunyan’s Lane.ne. You can alsalsos shoop ata thet Howard Cenntren re or goo boaboatingoating Welwyn Garden City Coleman Cottage at Stanbororrough LakLakeses to the south off theth town centre.ntr (remains of) Station Green Broadwater Road B651 Welwyn Garden City
Parkway ->
<- Parkway
B197 Nomansland Fromromom the old millill yoyou can takeke B195 a pleleasant walkk thrthrough the Longcroft Lane Mill Cromer Brocketcket estate,esta or in the other A1(M) Nomansland Common Turmore directionirection alongalo thehe River Lea NomanslandNoma is a great place to explore on foot or sit Hyde Lemsford to StanboroughStanboro Lakakes. See back andnd watch the local cricketers during the summermerer Dale Nomansland alsoso LemsfordL SSpringss nature months. Historicallyist y ththe common was used for horsorserse River Lea Common reseservee - see innside foror info.fo. racing,rac grazing andd prpprizee fi ghghting, now fl ying modeloddel Lemsford Great North Way Springs NCN Route 12 to Stanborough aircraftrcra or kites are a momore commonom sight. Lemsford Nature Reserve Hatfield, St Albans, London