
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 Bushey-Stanmore Common-Bentley Priory-Carpenders Park circular 7.5mlThe Three Crowns, Bushey
A 7.5 mile (12.1 km) Sunday hike in the Hertfordshire Green Belt countryside and the outer fringes of London including part of the London Loop. It starts and ends at Bushey. This is a joint event with South Herts Footpath Society.
Meet 10:30 for a 10:45 start on the green triangle opposite the Three Crowns pub and St Peter's Church at the junction of Sparrows Herne and Elstree Road (A411) at Bushey. Finish by 16:45 or earlier.
Nearest post code: WD23 4LQ
Lat/Long (WGS84): 51.637260,-0.346624
O.S. Grid Ref: TQ145944
What3Words https://w3w.co/back.owner.levelsHIKE DESCRIPTION:
Bushey, Stanmore Common, London Loop passing Bentley Priory, Harrow Weald Common, Old Redding Viewpoint (break), Carpenders Park Garden Centre (lunch stop), Puddingstone Cairn, Merryhills Fruit Field.Over 75% of the route is on traffic-free country paths (public footpaths and public bridleways). with 2 km on main roads with pavements and 100 m on a country lane with no pavement.
Total distance 7.5 miles (12.1 km) with some hills, 163 metres (535 ft) of ascent and descent.
PLACES OF INTEREST:
Bentley Priory Nature Reserve https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley_Priory_Nature_Reserve
Woodland Trust Merry Hill https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/merry-hill/ONLINE MAP:
This route was devised by South Herts Hikers. There is a static map in the photo album and we have also uploaded a similar route to Wikiloc.
You can select map or aerial view (OpenStreetmap recommended) and you can zoom in and look at photos. If you set up a free Wikiloc login, you can download a .GPX file to use with any GPS app such as OSMand, Komoot, All Trails or Outdoor Active or a .KML file to use with Google Maps.
HOW TO GET TO THE MEETING LOCATION:
Hertfordshire bus times https://www.intalink.org.ukBus 107 from Barnet or Borehamwood to Canons Park then bus 142 to Bushey Sparrows Herne Three Crowns Public House.
London Underground to Stanmore then bus 142.
Bus 142 from Watford to Bushey High Rd St Peter's Close or bus 306 from Watford to Bushey Little Bushey Elstree Road opposite Titian Avenue.
Train from London Euston to Bushey Station (BSH) then bus 306 or 142.
CAR SHARING FROM BARNET OR POTTERS BAR
We may be able to offer car sharing from High Barnet Station (Northern Line) or Potters Bar Station. You can request this when you RSVP.
CAR PARKING NEAR MEETING LOCATION:
Public car park High Road, Bushey Heath, Bushey, WD23 1EA (Opposite St Peter's Church Hall), free on Sunday but please check.
• 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 (1 - 2 litres)
- packed lunch (optional).
• Important to know
There will be a 15 minute mid morning stop at Old Redding 6.2 km from the start at about 12:15 and a 50 minute lunch stop 8 km from the start at about 1:00 p.m. where you can eat your own packed lunch outdoors or go to the café/restaurant in Carpenders Park Garden Centre where you can buy snacks and hot drinks.
Although this event is shown on Meetup as free, so you don't need to pay when you sign up, Meetup group organisers have to pay a subscription to Meetup. This now costs us 429.58 US Dollars for 12 months.
We have an annual membership fee of £2 if you join in Jan, Feb or Mar. After that it’s £1.50 from April onwards, £1.00 July onwards, or 50p October onwards. You need to be an annual member to participate in our events. Annual members can also join our group email list and annual membership is also valid for our other group South Herts Footpath Society. We also suggest an additional voluntary donation of £3 for each hike for each participant including guests. That's £4.00 for your first hike after July 2025 or £3.00 per event after that. This contributes towards the running costs of this Meetup Group. Cash is preferred or you can use 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/