Bluebell Woods from Welwyn Garden City (7 miles / 11.5km - Moderate, Booking Required)

This walk is for up to 30 people, including the leader.

Join us for a moderate-grade mid-length walk which visits five woods known for bluebells, an Arts & Crafts church and a disused railway line to the west of Welwyn Garden City. The route is mainly through woodland, farmland and villages and has some moderately steep slopes.

Setting off from the Campus West car park on the edge of Welwyn Garden City’s town centre, we’ll start by exploring Sherrardspark Wood, a large woodland nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest. Entering the woods via Roundwood Drive, we’ll follow a loop which takes us up to the northern part of the woods (where bluebells may be found), down to a cowslip meadow and past a beech avenue known as “Monk’s Walk”, then past tall Scots pines to reach a junction of woodland paths named Six Ways. After a snack stop here, we’ll leave the woods and cross over to Ayot Green.

Next we’ll follow part of the Ayot Greenway, a rail trail which runs along a section of the former Hatfield to Dunstable railway line. This takes us along the top of an embankment with views through trees to the fields below. We then turn northeast and along the edge of Saul’s Wood. Reaching Ayot St Peter, we’ll pass the village church built in 1875 in the Arts & Crafts style. We then proceed past Gregg’s Wood and through Rectory Wood. In each of these little woods we’ll hope to see a carpet of bluebells. 

Cross-field paths and country lanes then bring us to the grounds of Ayot Montfichet, a grand 15th-century house with an unusual entranceway for ramblers! After leaving the estate we walk through Little Hocketts Wood (another good spot for bluebells) then Ayot Little Green, before returning to the main Ayot Green. Here we can have a packed lunch break. Finally we head into Sherrardspark Wood again and follow another section of the Ayot Greenway back to our start point.

After the walk there is the option of a pub stop in Welwyn Garden City town centre.

Dogs are welcome on a lead.

For information about walking with the group, including our dog policy, please visit the Stag Walkers website.

Booking your place: Please book your place using the free Meetup website/app. Join the Stag Walkers Meetup group and click the 'Attend' button on the event page.

Please do not turn up for a walk without booking, as places are limited.

If the walk is fully booked, click 'join waitlist' to get a place if one becomes available and please check back regularly as you will likely get a place. The waitlist gives priority to single bookings so if you wish to bring a guest, we recommend booking separately.

Unless you opt in to further communications, we will only use contact information you provide to get in touch about the walk.