
What we’re about
HIKE - "To walk a long way usually for pleasure, especially in the country"
Our hikes are typically 8 - 10 miles (12.8 - 16 km), sometimes shorter or longer.
- Local hikes in Hertfordshire and surrounding areas
- Day hikes elsewhere in South-East England
- Hiking weekends away in England and Wales
WELCOME!
If you would like to explore the countryside of England and Wales on foot, you are welcome to join us.
Bienvenue
Willkommen
Benvenuti/Benvenute
Bienvenido
Witamy
Dobrodošli
Καλώς Όρισες
ยินดีต้อนรับ
歡迎光臨
Plus many other languages, too numerous to list.
MEMBERSHIP
To join one of our events:
- Log in to Meetup if you already have a Meetup login. If not, please see below.
- Join the South Herts Hikers Meetup Group by clicking the 'Join Us' button above. This gives you immediate free trial membership of our group and you can attend our events.
- Select an event and click 'Attend'. You should receive an email confirming your place. If the event is already full you will be put onto a waiting list.
If you don't have a Meetup login yet, you can create one easily using the login details of an existing Facebook or Google login or you can create a separate Meetup login.
To cover the costs of running this Meetup Group and other associated costs, from 1st Jan 2025, this group has introduced a monthly membership subscription of £4 per month. You only pay for months when you actually attend an event. Anyone who attends an event needs to be a member of South Herts Hikers, including guests and your membership subscription lasts for one calendar month from the date when you pay. We typically organise at least one event per month, sometimes two or three and during the month while your membership subscription is valid, you can attend other Group events (if any) with no extra charge. You can pay using cash (preferred) or Paypal (details on Meetup events)
MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA
Membership is open to anyone aged 18 or more who has an interest in hiking, regardless of gender, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs, provided they fulfil the following criteria:
- Being friendly towards all other Group members, treating other members with respect and as equals.
- Avoiding any conduct likely to discourage any other member from participating in future Group events or from organising future group events. In particular, this group is a “Grump Free Zone” especially on Group weekends away!
ETIQUETTE
These aren't rules but advice for a friendly group
- The walk leader sets the pace suitable for the slowest member, as long as we can complete the walk in a reasonable time. It is not a race to finish first nor a training event nor a non-stop work-out. We stop from time to time to regroup (for example after going through a gate), to have a rest, a drink or a snack, admire the view or take photos, etc. You may need extra clothing to put on for stops in colder weather.
- We have members of different ages and genders and we like everyone to relate to each other on an equal basis.
- We have members from different nationalities and cultures. We like to make everyone welcome and we don't quiz anyone about their background or country of origin, they can tell us if they like but this is optional.
- Conversations on a group walk or other event can often be overheard by others so we avoid discussing anything that is out of place in a friendly social group. This would include avoiding heated debates or any discussions about controversial or unpleasant subjects that others may not wish to hear about, including religion, UK politics or politics of any other country.
WHAT TO TAKE
Most of our routes are on public footpaths in the countryside. Some of these may be slippery, muddy or stony in places. You need adequate footwear, preferably hiking boots, with thick soles and good grip. You need a waterproof jacket in case it rains and in cold weather, you also need a warm outdoor jacket and an extra layer to put on for outdoor stops.
We have some info pages on what to take for day hikes and weekends away. Please see the Hiking Info http://southhertshikers.uk/info/ page on our web site for further details.
PAST EVENTS
You can find a photo album for each past event on this Meetup Group.
AFFILIATION
We are affiliated to The Ramblers https://www.ramblers.org.uk/
Hertfordshire & North Middlesex Area https://www.hnmramblers.org.uk/
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?
Please see the FAQ page http://southhertshikers.uk/faq/ on our web site or click the Organizers https://www.meetup.com/SouthHertsHikers/members/?op=leaders link on Meetup to contact the organizers via Meetup messaging.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- Sunday Hike St Albans Abbey Station-Sandridge-Heartwood Forest Circular 10.6 mlsOutside St Albans Abbey Railway Station, St Albans
To see who has signed up, please see comment below.
Discover green belt countryside around the edge of St Albans including the edge of Heartwood Forest and Verulamium Park. If you don't want to walk the whole route you can finish at lunch time and take a bus.
Meet 10:30 for 10:45 start. Hike starts and finishes at St Albans Abbey station, Holywell Hill, St Albans, Herts AL1 2DN
Nearest post code: AL1 2DN
Lat/Long (WGS84): 51.7447, -0.3426
OSGB National Grid Reference: TL145064
What3Words: https://w3w.co/racing.locate.poolsHIKE DESCRIPTION:
A circular hike around St Albans via the Alban Way (shared with cyclists), Oaklands College, Oak Farm to Sandridge for lunch stop. You can finish the walk here if you like. After lunch via the edge of Heartwood Forest and New Greens to Verulamium Park and back to the start.
Total distance 10.6 miles (17.1 km) with slight hills (total 90 m ascent & descent), mostly on footpaths with some built-up areas.
We are likely to finish the hike by 17:15 or earlier so there is time for an optional visit to the cathedral which is open to visitors until 17:45.
PLACES OF INTEREST:
Roman Verulamium https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verulamium
St Albans Cathedral https://www.stalbanscathedral.org/visit/
Heartwood Forest https://heartwood.woodlandtrust.org.uk/HIKING MAP:
We use Ordnance Survey 'Explorer' 1:25,000 scale, Sheet 182 St Albans & Hatfield.
ONLINE MAP:
There is a static map in the photo album for this event and we have also uploaded it to Wikiloc with notes about the route and 59 photos. See:
You can select map or aerial view (OpenStreetmap recommended) and you can zoom in. Navigating the trail outdoors using the Wikiloc app needs the premium version but you can also set up a free Wikiloc login then download a .GPX or .kml file to a mobile device to use with a GPS app such as OSMand, Komoot, All Trails, Outdoor Active, Organic Maps or Google Maps.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT TO MEETING LOCATION (CHECK TIMES):
Train from London Euston 09:28, Platform 12, change at Watford Junction (WFJ). Leave WFJ 10:18, arrive Albans Abbey (SAA) 10:35. We will wait for the 10:35 train.
Alternatively, train from London St Pancras, Elstree & Borehamwood, Luton, Harpenden etc. to St Albans City (SAC) Station then 25 mins walk to St Albans Abbey station. Note, we are meeting at St Albans Abbey station not St Albans City Station.
By bus - for Hertfordshire bus services see Intalink https://www.intalink.org.uk/
Bus 602 from Watford High St. Stop F 08:47 via Bushey, Radlett, Shenley, London Colney to St Albans Victoria Street outside Police Station arriving 9:50 then walk 14 mins to St Albans Abbey station.
Bus 302 from Hatfield Town Centre Stop U 09:33 to St Albans Victoria Street opposite police station 09:58 then walk 14 mins to St Albans Abbey station.
Bus 302 from Hemel Hempstead Marlowes Stop E 09:34 to St Albans Victoria Street outside police station 10:01 then walk 14 mins to St Albans Abbey station.
Bus 84 from Potters Bar High St. bus garage 08:55, Railway Station Stop B 09:00, via South Mimms, London Colney to St Albans, St Peter's Street 09:35 then walk 16 mins to St Albans Abbey station.
CAR PARKING NEAR MEETING LOCATION:
St Albans Abbey station car park (£3.70 Sundays), you can pay online in advance https://www.sabaparking.co.uk/car-park/st-albans-abbey-station-car-park or buy parking ticket from machine.
St Albans City & District Council Car Park, Westminster Lodge, Holywell Hill AL1 2DJ now costs £17.50 for over 4 hours even on a Sunday so it is not recommended!
Various small on-street pay-and-display car parks 15 mins walk away including 64 London Road, St Albans, AL1 1NG or Keyfield Terrace, St Albans, AL1 1PD (both £2.50 all day Sundays)
CAR SHARING FROM BARNET:
Car sharing from High Barnet tube station TfL Northern Line (meet 09:20 for 09:30 departure). If you would like a lift, please answer the question about car sharing when you RSVP. Here are details of the meeting location:
http://southhertshikers.uk/event-details/2018/12/01/meeting-places.html
Driving distance from High Barnet to St Albans is 10 miles each way in about 30 minutes. Suggested contribution to driver for transport £1.50 return from High Barnet.
Car sharing from Potters Bar Station is also possible.
WHAT TO BRING
Much of the route is on public footpaths in the countryside. Some of these may be slippery, muddy or stony in places. We recommend:- adequate footwear, preferably hiking boots, with thick soles and good grip
- waterproof jacket or umbrella for rain
- sun hat if sunny
- drink essential (1 - 2 litres)
- packed lunch recommended.
IMPORTANT TO KNOW
Mid-morning stop 4 km from the start. Lunch stop 9.5 km from the start in Sandridge with pubs, a café and seats where you can eat your packed lunch outdoors. Before going into the pub or café, please take your boots off. If you like, you can finish the walk at lunch time and take a bus to St Albans.
There will be a mid-afternoon stop about 13 km from the start.
Although this event is shown on Meetup as free, from 1st Jan 2025, this group has introduced a monthly membership subscription of £4 per month. You only pay for months when you actually attend an event. Anyone who attends an event needs to be a member of South Herts Hikers, including guests and your membership subscription lasts for one month from the date when you pay. During that time you can attend any other Group events with no extra charge. There will normally be at least one more event in the 31 days after you join, possibly more. This subscription contributes towards the costs of running this Meetup Group including the fees that organisers need to pay Meetup which increased by 80% from July 2024. You can use cash or Paypal https://paypal.me/SouthHertsHikersPlease note our membership criteria and guidelines. From this Meetup Group's home page https://www.meetup.com/southhertshikers/ see What we're about > Read More
For our policy on dogs on our hikes, please see our FAQ page, http://southhertshikers.uk/faq/