Roydon to Sawbridgeworth via Henry Moore Foundation walk

Open countryside with wheat fields, woods and waterways; stretches of the River Ash in the morning and the Stort Navigation near the end. Passes Henry Moore Foundation.

Large Reclining Figure (1984) [II] SWC Walk 164 Roydon to Sawbridgeworth via Henry Moore Foundation
Large Reclining Figure (1984) [II]

SWC Walk 164 Roydon to Sawbridgeworth via Henry Moore Foundation

Aug-15 • thomasgrabow on Flickr

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Ash Valley with Cows SWC Walk 164 Roydon to Sawbridgeworth via Henry Moore Foundation
Ash Valley with Cows

SWC Walk 164 Roydon to Sawbridgeworth via Henry Moore Foundation

Aug-15 • thomasgrabow on Flickr

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The Hoops Inn (back) SWC Walk 164 Roydon to Sawbridgeworth via Henry Moore Foundation
The Hoops Inn (back)

SWC Walk 164 Roydon to Sawbridgeworth via Henry Moore Foundation

Aug-15 • thomasgrabow on Flickr

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Sheep Piece (1971-72) [II] SWC Walk 164 Roydon to Sawbridgeworth via Henry Moore Foundation
Sheep Piece (1971-72) [II]

SWC Walk 164 Roydon to Sawbridgeworth via Henry Moore Foundation

Aug-15 • thomasgrabow on Flickr

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Covey's Lane (II) SWC Walk 164 Roydon to Sawbridgeworth via Henry Moore Foundation
Covey's Lane (II)

SWC Walk 164 Roydon to Sawbridgeworth via Henry Moore Foundation

Aug-15 • thomasgrabow on Flickr

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Along a watercourse The Wid? Roydon to Sawbridgeworth
Along a watercourse

The Wid? Roydon to Sawbridgeworth

Sep-12 • moontiger on Flickr

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heron sculpture Roydon to Sawbridgeworth
heron sculpture

Roydon to Sawbridgeworth

Sep-12 • moontiger on Flickr

book3 swcwalks walk164 8017196730

Length 22.7 km (14.2 mi), with 162/146m of ascent/descent. For a shorter walk see below Walk Options.
Toughness 3 out of 10, with 5 hours walking time. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow at least 8 hours.
Walk Notes

This walk leads mainly through gently rolling Hertfordshire countryside, either along tracks and green lanes or quiet country roads, featuring wheat fields, woods and waterways, the best of which are stretches of the River Ash in the morning and of the Stort Navigation near the end. Lunch is had at a charming pub in Perry Green, next to The Henry Moore Foundation’s sculpture park and studios (ticketed entry only).
The walk doesn’t feature any stiles, industry or offensive field crossings, and it is very low on the conurbation count as well.

Note: the Henry Moore Foundation is closed from end October to Easter.

Walk Options

Shortcuts: It is possible to shorten the walk in two ways:

  • A Morning Shortcut cuts 2.5 km (1.6 mi) before lunch,
  • An Afternoon Shortcut cuts 1.4 km (0.9 mi) after lunch.
Bus Line 35 (Bishop’s Stortfort – Hertford) calls at Widford, Bourne Lane, right on the walk route, and links to St. Margarets (Herts) or Bishop’s Stortfort Stations (hourly Mon-Fri, every two hours Sat). From/to both these stations you will need additional single tickets (to Broxbourne or Sawbridgeworth respectively).
An Alternative Route at Widfordbury avoids pastures which often have cattle herds present (map-led).

Maps

OS Explorer: 194 (Hertford & Bishop’s Stortford)
OS Landranger:(Luton & Hertford) and 167 (Chelmsford)

Travel

Roydon Station, map reference TL 405104, is on the East Hertfordshire/Essex border, 4 km west of Harlow, and 32m above sea level. Sawbridgeworth Station, map reference TL 490150 is in East Hertfordshire, 6 km south of Bishop's Stortford, and 48m above sea level. Trains go from Liverpool Street, half-hourly service (hourly on Sundays), journey time 29 minutes (39 on Sundays); or from Stratford (hourly), journey time from 39 minutes Mon-Sat (30 minutes on Sundays). Trains usually stop at Tottenham Hale (connect from the Victoria Line). Sawbridgeworth is further down the West Anglia Main Line from Liverpool Street to Cambridge with slightly more frequent service (journey time from 38 minutes).

Saturday Walkers’ Club: Take the train closest to 9.30 hours.

Lunch

Rosey Lea Café Dane Tree House, Henry Moore Foundation, Perry Green, Much Hadham, Herts, SG10 6BEE (01279 843 333). Located 14.0 km (8.7 mi) into the main walk.
The Hoops Inn, Perry Green, Hertfordshire, SG10 6EF (01279 843 568). The Hoops Inn is located 14.0 km (8.7 mi) into the main walk. Currently closed.

Tea

Plenty of options for tea in Sawbridgeworth, see the walk directions pdf for details.

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By Train

Out (not a train station)

Back (not a train station)

By Car

Start CM19 5EH Map Directions Return to the start:

Finish CM21 9JZ Map Directions Travel to the start:

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Help

National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234

Version

Jul-24 Thomas G

Copyright © Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml

Walk Directions

Full directions for this walk are in a PDF file (link above) which you can print, or download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone.

This is just the introduction. This walk's detailed directions are in a PDF available from wwww.walkingclub.org.uk