Circular walks in three rivers
The South Oxhey Circular Walk
| Distance: | The walk is 4km (2.5 miles). |
|---|---|
| Time: | Approximately 1 and a half hours. |
Route
This route winds through the ancient and beautiful Oxhey Woods, and out on to the hills of the old golf course, where there are views for miles around.
Starting point and getting there
The route can be joined at a number of points, and most people living in South Oxhey should be able to walk to it. If you are coming from further afield the area is well served by buses and Carpenders Park Station is less than 10 minutes away. If you need to come by car, please use one of the car parks in the town centre, rather than residential streets.
Finding your way
In Oxhey Woods there are many paths that are not marked on the map so look out for the special green and white discs to show you the route of the circular walk. These are attached to wooden posts and lamp posts all along the route. You will also see some yello arrows, these denote public footpaths.
You can still see many old trees on the South Oxhey estate such as this walnut tree on Hayling Road. The trees date from the time when the area was part of the Oxhey Place estate, once owned by the abbots and monks of St Albans, and later by the Blackwell family (of pickle fame).
Wild service trees are unusual in Hertfordshire, but you may see some in Oxhey Woods. Look out for their distinctively shaped leaves.
The ancient brick and flint chapel, built in 1612, is tucked behind All Saints Church. It is normally closed to the public, but a look outside is well worth a few minutes’ detour.
The beautiful hornbeam tree is found throughout Hertfordshire, and is a common sight on the streets of South Oxhey as well as in the woodlands. Hornbeam wood is very hard and was traditionally used for chopping boards, cogs in mill wheels and clogs. After the trees had been cut down new shoots would grow up and used ten to fifteen years later. This type of woodland management or coppicing prolongs the life of trees and is also very beneficial to birds and animals. Bluebells and other wildflower flourish as there is plenty of sunlight reaching the woodland floor. You will notice that little else grows on the forest floor in areas that have not been coppiced because of the lack of light.
Rights of Way symbols you might see
|
Yellow arrows indicate footpaths for pedestrian use only |
| Blue arrows indicate bridleways for horse riders, cyclists and pedestrian use only |
| Red arrows indicate Byways Open to All Traffic (BOAT) for horse riders, cyclists and pedestrians and may be legally used by other wheeled vehicles |
| Black arrows indicate Roads Used as Public Paths (RUPP) for horse riders, cyclists and pedestrians and may be legally used by other wheeled vehicles |
Maps
This map is based on Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office © Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Hertfordshire County Council 100019606 2004.
The Ordnance Survey mapping included within this web-site is provided by Hertfordshire County Council under licence from the Ordnance Survey in order to fulfill its public function to provide information relating to its activities, services and plans. Persons viewing this mapping should contact Ordnance Survey copyright for advice where they wish to license Ordnance survey mapping for their own use.
See the Ordnance Survey site for more information.
This is is one of a series of walks through the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) supported by the Chilterns Conference.
Please be considerate in the countryside - keep to footpaths, especially through crops, and leave farm gates as you find them.
