Sunday Hike, Cuffley and Autumn colours in Northaw Great Wood circular - 8.5 mls

A Sunday hike in the Hertfordshire countryside including Northaw Great Wood where you might find some sweet chestnuts.

Meet 10:30 for a 10:45 start outside Cuffley Station, by the cycle racks, Station Road, Cuffley, Herts EN6 4HY (see photo in photo album). Hike starts and finishes at Cuffley station.

Meetup shows the address as Potters Par but Potters Bar is the post town, the meeting point is Cuffley.

Nearest post code: EN6 4HY
Lat/Long (WGS84): 51.708589,-0.109457
O.S. Grid Ref: TL307028
What3Words: https://w3w.co/earth.risky.bike

HIKE DESCRIPTION:
Go along Tolmers Road and through Home Wood to the 121 hectare (300 acre) Northaw Great Wood Country Park, also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with Oak, Birch, Hornbeam, Ash, Sycamore and Sweet Chestnut trees (beware of falling chestnuts!)

Stop for an outdoor lunch stop in Northaw Great Wood then via The Ridgeway and part of the Hertfordshire Way back to Cuffley Station.

Total distance 8.5 miles (13.75 km) with some hills, total 143 metres (470 ft) ascent and descent. We are likely to finish the hike by about 16:30.

PLACES OF INTEREST:
Friends of Northaw Great Wood, http://www.fongw.org.uk/

HIKING MAP:
O.S. 'Explorer' 1:25,000 scale, Sheet 182 St Albans & Hatfield and Sheet 174, Epping Forest and Lee Valley.

ONLINE MAP:

This route was devised by South Herts Hikers. There is a static map in the photo album for this event and you can also find the route on Wikiloc. See: https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/cuffley-and-northaw-great-wood-loop-v2-42952433

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 use a web browser such as Chrome to download a .GPX or .kml file to a mobile device then use a mobile phone GPS app (OSMand, Komoot, All Trails, Outdoor Active, Organic Maps or Google Maps).

PUBLIC TRANSPORT TO MEETING LOCATION (CHECK TIMES):

Great Northern trains from London King's Cross or Finsbury Park (09:32 or 09:57) and all stations to Cuffley or from Stevenage.

Bus route 242 from Potters Bar, Northaw, Waltham Cross or Cheshunt to Cuffley Railway Station. Timetable: https://www.intalink.org.uk/

CAR PARKING NEAR MEETING LOCATION:
There is a station car park but this is for rail passengers only and it costs £3.30 at weekends. A much better place to park, which is free on Sundays is Sopers Road public car park EN6 4TP. This is opposite the station and only 2 minutes walk from the station.

CAR SHARING
If you would like a lift from Barnet or Potters Bar, please answer the RSVP question.
• What to bring
Much of the route is on public footpaths in the countryside. Some of these may be stony and there could be some muddy patches after wet weather. You need:

• Adequate footwear, preferably hiking boots, with good grip
• Outdoor jacket and a waterproof jacket in case it rains
• Drink
• Packed lunch recommended.

• Important to know
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 Hikers. We also suggest an additional voluntary donation of £3 for each hike for each participant including guests. That's £3.50 for your first hike after October 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/SouthHertsHikers
Please note our membership criteria and guidelines for etiquette. 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/