Walk 172: Breachwood Green North-East Loop

6.1 miles (9.8 km) with 161m of total ascent

This is a lovely walk that takes in parts of three other routes in our collection but walked in reverse and creating a wholly different experience. It is so good we even considered doing it the following day. We had a lovely pint at The Plough in Ley Green at the halfway point.

The walk crosses Kingswalden Park, where there are an estimated 300 oak trees, many about 400 years old. One is called the Domesday Oak because it is thought to be more than 1,000 years old. This walk across the rolling Chiltern Hills (be ready for some steep up and down) starts and finishes at The Red Lion in Breachwood Green, where we have enjoyed refreshments on previous walks. You will hear the sound of air traffic taking off and landing at nearby Luton airport, but it's worth putting up with for the views across open countryside that this walk offers.

Directions

Map for Walk 172: Breachwood Green North-East Loop
(click here or on the map for larger version)
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.

King's Walden footpath 15 at the start of the walk

1: With your back to The Red Lion pub (location - https://w3w.co/unsightly.regret.monk) turn left then head N on Chapel Road for 120m until you reach the second footpath on the right (location - https://www.redlionbreachwoodgreen.co.uk/), see image above.

2: Turn right on King's Walden footpath 15, then head NE for 50m to a gate where you turn left and head N for 90m to another gate (location - https://w3w.co/conceals.graphic.mavericks), see image below.

Follow King's Walden footpath 15 across the field (see line of yellow arrow)

3: Go through the gate then head NE and uphill for 120m (following the line of the yellow arrow in the image above) until you reach a post in the middle of the field (location - https://w3w.co/rigid.pulled.agency).

* This is a slightly different route from that shown on the OS map, which has King's Walden footpath 15 heading E then N to reach point 4. The OS map then has King's Walden footpath 14 heading NE across the field before turning SE along the side of Watkin's Wood. Rather than trample through the crop we followed the well-trodden route between the marker posts. See map below which shows the OS route for King's Walden footpath 15 in blue and the OS route for King's Walden footpath 14 in red. The route we took, following a path already worn through the crop, is in green.

The well-trodden detour between points 3, 4 & 5
We followed the green line, the OS map follows the blue and red lines
Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors

King's Walden footpath 14 heading ENE across the field

4: When you reach the marker post in the middle of the field turn right on King's Walden footpath 14 and head ENE for 200m until you reach Watkin's Wood (location - https://w3w.co/runways.grass.mainframe).

King's Walden footpath 14 leaving the woodland then heading downhill

5: Continue heading NE with Watkin's Wood on the left and Lord's Wood on the right for 210m then, as you emerge from the woodland, head downhill for 230m until you reach Lilley Bottom Road (location - https://w3w.co/feuds.putter.landscape).

Head NE and uphill on King's Walden footpath 14

6: Cross Lilley Bottom Road and continue heading NE and uphill, still on King's Walden footpath 14, for 400m until you reach Garden Wood and a junction (location - https://w3w.co/blissful.pickup.scratches).

Turn left at the junction then head N on King's Walden footpath 19

7: When you reach the top of the hill turn left at the junction then head N on King's Walden footpath 19 for 490m until you reach Church Road (location - https://w3w.co/stack.workflow.marriage).

Turn left on King's Walden footpath 24 then head NW

8: Turn right on Church Road then follow it NE for 190m until you reach a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/roofs.extremes.escalated). Turn left on King's Walden footpath 24 then head NW for 310m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/pulses.lavished.pranced).

King's Walden footpath 22 bends left along the edge of Tache Wood

9: Turn right on King's Walden footpath 22 then head NE for 85m before the path bends left (location - https://w3w.co/sleeps.plantings.royal), see image above, then heads NW along the edge of Tache Wood for 250m until you pass a dilapidated barn on your right. Keep heading NW for 100m until the path bends to the right (location - https://w3w.co/eyepieces.talent.chatted), see image below.

The point where King's Walden footpath 22 bends to the right

10: Follow King's Walden footpath 22 round to the right then head N for 260m until you reach King's Walden Lane (location - https://w3w.co/saunas.challenge.richest).

Turn left at the junction then head NE for 280m to another junction

11: Turn right on King's Walden Lane then take the lane on the left when you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/print.rails.exploring). Head NE on School Lane for 280m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/umbrellas.sprinkle.cowering) where you turn right then take the first footpath on the right (location - https://w3w.co/prowess.fatherly.synthetic).

King's Walden footpath 26 heading SE

12: Take this path, King's Walden footpath 26, then head SE for 230m until you reach Plough Lane (location - https://w3w.co/crank.windpipe.pool).

The Plough pub which served me an excellent pint of real ale

* At this point you could turn right and head SW along Plough Lane for 60m to visit The Plough pub (location - https://w3w.co/slope.soothing.laughs). The beer garden has some wonderful views over the rolling Hertfordshire countryside.

King's Walden footpath 26 crossing Plough Lane and continuing SE

13: If you choose not to visit The Plough, turn left on the lane then head NE for 10m until you reach a path on your right. Take this path and head SE, still on King's Walden footpath 26, for 280m until you reach Parsonage Lane (location - https://w3w.co/serves.socialite.destiny).

King's Walden footpath 26 heading SE

14: Cross Parsonage Lane then continue heading SE, still on King's Walden footpath 26, for 580m until you reach Whitehall Lane (location - https://w3w.co/rewriting.useful.lease). There are some good views to the left along this stretch.

Whitehall Lane heading SE

15: Turn right on Whitehall Lane, which is a track at this point, then head SSE for 340m until you reach Whitehall Road (location - https://w3w.co/darkens.reporters.buzzing).

King's Walden footpath 34 heading W

16: Turn right on Whitehall Road then head WNW for 80m until you reach a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/fallen.query.ruled), see image above. Take this path, King's Walden footpath 34, then head W for 420m until you reach a junction at a gate standing alone and unemployed in the field (location - https://w3w.co/burden.after.rinse).

Turn left at the lonely unemployed gate on King's Walden footpath 23

King's Walden footpath 23 heading SE across parkland

17: Turn left at the gate on King's Walden footpath 23 then head SE across parkland for 880m until you reach Miserable Lane at Frogmore (location - https://w3w.co/dwarf.vocab.apricot).

Head S and SW on Miserable Lane for 700m

18: Turn right then head S and SW on Miserable Lane for 700m until you reach Lilley Bottom Road (location - https://w3w.co/tailwind.ivory.attitudes).

19: Turn left on Lilley Bottom Road then head SE for 120m until you reach a lane on the right (location - https://w3w.co/sonic.supposed.lines). Take this lane then head SW for 230m until you reach a footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/develops.winded.slept).

St Paul's Walden footpath 17 heading ESE

20: Turn left on St Paul's Walden footpath 17 then head ESE for 90m until the path bends right and heads SSW for 380m to reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/replenish.quit.trials). There were two fallen trees blocking the footpath when we did this walk on 8 April 2022. We have reported it to the Hertfordshire County Council Rights of Way team.

Keep right at the junction, now on St Paul's Walden footpath 18

21: Keep right at the junction, now on St Paul's Walden footpath 18, then head SW for 100m until you reach a lane (location - https://w3w.co/column.elite.resonated).

22: Turn left on the lane then head S for 60m to a junction (location - https://w3w.co/automatic.handfuls.newsstand). Keep right at the junction then head SSW along Chapel Row for 180m until you cross Low Hill Lane (location - https://w3w.co/blushed.compliant.glades) then continue for 45m until you reach Bendish Lane (location - https://w3w.co/blanket.neckline.historic).

Take the footpath on the right just after the barn

23: Turn right then head SW for 45m to another junction (location - https://w3w.co/overused.masterful.glad) where you turn left then head SSW for 30m looking out for a footpath on the right (location - https://w3w.co/trace.bedrock.lads) just after a barn. See image above. (You follow the yellow arrow and turn right on the footpath where the arrow stops).

St Paul's Walden footpath 24 heading W

24: Take this footpath, St Paul's Walden footpath 24, then head W, SW, then NW for 370m until you reach Dane Street (location - https://w3w.co/scare.ditched.snowy).

St Paul's Walden footpath 20 heading NW back to the starting point

25: At Dane Street turn left then head SW for 10m looking out for a footpath on the right (location - https://w3w.co/incline.sharp.upward). Follow this path, St Paul's Walden footpath 20, NW for 860m until you reach the junction of Lower Road and Oxford Road in Breachwood Green (location - https://w3w.co/across.toxic.juicy). Head W on Oxford Road to return to the starting point.

Interactive map

Regular users of this site will notice that this walk covers some sections of three other walks in this series but walked in reverse. They are:

• Walk 152: Breachwood Green North Loop
• Walk 153: Breachwood Green South Loop
• Walk 107: Preston West Loop

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