Watling Chase Timberland Trail
16 km / 10 miles
Herts
The Watling Chase Timberland Trail crosses the heart of the Community Forest’s area, going northwards to Smallford. This area has long been a transport corridor between London and the north for stagecoaches, travellers and drovers, with Roman Watling Street, that connected Londinium to Verulanium (St Albans) and was originally a sort of Roman M1, now the route of the A5 on the western skyline, and London Colney a stop on the old coaching route.
The Trail includes Shenley Park and near London Colney it meets and follows the upper Colne river valley and the Tyttenhanger lakes left from gravel extraction alongside the Colne's current course.
Near Shenley it is coincident with the Hertfordshire Way. From Smallford, the Alban Way, which is also a cycle way, follows a disused railway to provide a link to St Albans, or to Hatfield.
For a longer walk, it could be combined with the London Loop section that also starts at Elstree station and crosses the course of Watling Street and is mostly within the designated area of the Watling Chase Community Forest, and heads west to Hatch End where trains link back to St Albans.
A free leaflet for the Trail may be downloaded from the weblink below.
Details:
| Path Type: | Paths Marked on OS mapping | |
| Waymark: | Tree and name in green | |
| Attributes: | Easy; River | |
| Start: | TQ190963 - Elstree station, Herts  |
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| Finish: | TL198072 - Smallford, Herts |
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| Open Date: | 2005 | |
| Web Sites: | Watling Chase Timberland Trail |
Publications, Badges and Certificates:
| Leaflet: | Watling Chase Timberland Trail (Hertfordshire County Council - 2005) |
Maps: |
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| Purchase Ordnance Survey Maps (path is named on OS maps): | |
| OS Landranger: | 166, 176 |
| OS Explorer: | 173, 182 |
| OS Explorer Active: | 173, 182 |
Connected Paths:
| Paths Marked on OS mapping: | Hertfordshire Way; London Loop |
| Other Paths: | Hertsmere Way; London Countryway; London Green Belt Way; Queen Eleanor Crosses Way |
| Anytime Challenges: | Gerald Colton Way; St Alban's Way |
Downloads:
| GPS Exchange Format Route File: | Watling Chase Timberland Trail GPX Exchange Format Route File | Login to Download (Members Only) |
| MemoryMap Route file: | Watling Chase Timberland Trail Memory Map Route File | Login to Download (Members Only) |
| Tracklogs Route file: | Watling Chase Timberland Trail Tracklogs Route File | Login to Download (Members Only) |
Route Profile:
| 16.3 Km (10.1 miles) 135 m (443 ft) ascent 134 m (440 ft) maximum height |
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