Walk 135: Shenley East Loop

5.7 miles (9.2 km) with 137m of total ascent

Shenley bridleway 38 towards the end of the walk

This walk starts in Shenley Park, which has a car park and a Cafe in the Orchard. The car park has an overflow section if it is busy. A sign states that the park is open all year round, but best check opening times on the park’s website. This walk includes a 2.2km section of another walk in our collection, Walk 133: Ridge W Loop (5.1 miles), but in this walk that shared section is walked in reverse, so you can enjoy it from another perspective. Along the way you pass two WWII pillboxes, part of the Outer London Defence Ring.

Directions

Map for Walk 135: Shenley East Loop
Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors
There is an interactive map below these directions

Those with GPS devices can download GPX or KML files for this walk. We've added What3Words location references for those who use that system. If you print these walks you might want to use the green PrintFriendly icon at the bottom of these directions to delete elements such as photographs.

The bridleway to the right after the entrance to the car park

1: Take the bridleway on the right immediately after passing the gate into Shenley Park car park (location - https://w3w.co/spoke.tight.taking). This is Shenley bridleway 38 which is also the Watling Chase Timberland Trail. Follow it as it bends left and heads ENE parallel to Radlett Lane for 370m, crossing a wooden bridge along the way, before taking a right turn to cross Radlett Lane (location - https://w3w.co/improving.memo.dash).

Shenley footpath 10 heading S off Radlett Lane

2: After crossing the lane take Shenley footpath 10, which is still the Watling Chase Timberland Trail, and head S for 650m until you reach a WWII pillbox on your left (location - https://w3w.co/tunnel.dine.secure), see image below.

A WWII pillbox on the left of Shenley footpath 10

This pill box - and another you will pass shortly - are both part of the Outer London Defence Ring.

* 100m after the pillbox you will come to a footpath on your left. If your walk coincides with pub opening hours and you fancy refreshments you could take a short detour by turning left here on Shenley footpath 11 and heading NE for 270m to The White Horse on London Road. Otherwise continue with the directions below.

Continue heading SE on Shenley footpath 10 for another 300m until you reach Woodhall Lane (location - https://w3w.co/slips.photo.loss).

Shenley footpath 10 heading SE

3: Turn right on Woodhall Lane. After 10m look to your right where you will see the second WWII pillbox (location - https://w3w.co/walks.cigar.tells), see image below.

The second WWII pillbox on the right after joining Woodhall Lane

Continue heading SW then W along Woodhall Lane for 440m until you reach a track on the left (location - https://w3w.co/silly.grab.melon), see image below.

Shenley restricted bridleway 45 leaving Woodhall Lane and heading S

4: Turn left on Shenley restricted bridleway 45 and head S, SE, the SSW for 430m until you reach a junction in the track (location - https://w3w.co/handed.spits.hype), see image below.

Go through the gate then head SE in the direction of the yellow arrow

5: Turn left, go through a gate, and take Shenley footpath 7 heading SE and uphill for 470m (follow the direction of the yellow arrow in the image above) until you reach another gate (location - https://w3w.co/headed.sailor.pens).

6: Here you have the option of staying on Shenley footpath 7 which branches to the left, or taking a permissive path. Both end up in the same place so it doesn’t really matter except that footpath 7 looks a bit boggy at the start. (Susie Jackson pointed out in our Facebook group that the public right of way was overgrown in August 2023 and the permissive path was clear and the best route to take). Whichever you take continue heading SE for 240m until you reach Green Street (location - https://w3w.co/voters.intend.artist).

7: Turn left on Green Street and head NNE for 150m looking out for a track on your right (location - https://w3w.co/quiz.twig.years), see image below.

Shenley footpath 5 heading NE off Green Street

Turn right on Shenley footpath 5 and head NE for 560m until you reach London Road (location - https://w3w.co/lifts.equal.rushed).

8: Cross London Road and turn left on a bridleway cut through the verge then head NW for 230m looking out for a track on the right (location - https://w3w.co/dusty.cubs.path), see image below. (Susie Jackson pointed out in our Facebook group that nettles blocked the public right of way in August 2023, so perhaps take a stick to push them away.)

* At this point you have a second chance for a short detour to The White Horse which is 500m further along London Road heading NW.

Shenley footpath 18 starts through a farmyard

9: Take this track Shenley footpath 18, and follow it through a farmyard, see map below.

Green line showing route through farmyard
Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS,USDA, USGS,
AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo, and the GIS User Community

At the end of the farmyard continue heading NE for 1km until you reach a junction in the track (location - https://w3w.co/drew.hush.broker), see image below.

We turned left, walking round the edge of the field to avoid trampling the crop

10: At this point the official right of way, Shenley footpath 18, continues heading NE across the crop (see light green line on map below). However when we did this walk the crop was growing and the path had not been reinstated. So, rather than trample the crop, we decided to take a detour (see orange line on map below) by turning left and heading NW along the perimeter of the field with the hedgerow on the left and the field on the right for 510m before rejoining Shenley footpath 18 at a gap in the hedgerow (location - https://w3w.co/units.friend.rotate). On the map below the dark green lines indicate the other rights of way, Shenley footpaths 20 and 22, crossing the same field. Points 10 and 11 on the map indicate the directions on this page which the detour links.

The detour mentioned in point 10 above
Map source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS,USDA, USGS,
AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo, and the GIS User Community

11: Turn left on Shenley footpath 18, cross Mimms Lane and continue, still on Shenley footpath 18 heading NW for 250m, cross a stile (location - https://w3w.co/brands.violin.adults), and continue heading NW for another 260m until you reach Rectory Lane (location - https://w3w.co/sake.agrees.fire).

12: Cross Rectory Lane and head NNW on Shenley footpath 21 for 330m until you reach a gate where Shenley footpath 21 goes off to the right (location - https://w3w.co/ages.trace.common), see image below.

Keep left then head downhill through woodland on Shenley footpath 30
Photograph courtesy of Susie Jackson

13: Here you leave Shenley footpath 21 and keep to the left heading NW, now on Shenley footpath 30, and head WNW through the woodland and downhill for 1km until you reach a wooded area followed by a junction (location - https://w3w.co/yoga.pages.cigar), see image below.

Take the right fork and follow Shenley footpath 30 to a churchyard

14: Take the right fork, still Shenley footpath 30, and continue to head WNW to a churchyard, see yellow arrow in image above. Go through the churchyard and down some steps to reach the B5378 at Shenleybury (location - https://w3w.co/wage.deed.pinks). Turn left on the B5378 then head SSE for 110m looking out for a track on your right (location - https://w3w.co/notes.bags.poet), see image below.

Shenley footpath 12 heading WSW off the B5378

15: Take this track, Shenley footpath 12, and head WSW. The first part of this track can be both muddy and messy. It looks as if people have used part of it to dump unwanted rubbish. But the untidy section is soon over. Continue on this footpath for 480m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/soda.hers.blend), see image below.

Turn left on Shenley footpath 36 and head SSE

16: Turn left on Shenley footpath 36 and head SSE across a field for 270m until you reach woodland. At this point your track enters the woodland where it becomes Shenley bridleway 36 which you follow SE for 60m at which point it becomes Shenley bridleway 38.

At this point ignore the path joining from the left and turn right heading SSW on Shenley bridleway 38 ignoring paths off to the left and right, see image at the top of these directions.

17: Follow this bridleway S through the woodland, then S and SW, with the houses on your left and the field on your right for 860m until you reach Porters Park Drive (location - https://w3w.co/return.curving.strut), see image below.

When Shenley bridleway 38 meets Porters Park Drive keep to the right

18: Here you turn right on a track (location - https://w3w.co/choice.blunt.never) that heads SE for 230m back to Shenley Park car park and the starting point.

Interactive map

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