Watton-at-Stone Circular walk

The rolling hills of Hertfordshire, the River Beane, and Watton.

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Wed, 26-Jul-23 Wednesday walk - Watton-at-Stone Circular 12 sunshine
Sat, 18-Jun-22 Saturday Walk - Watton-at-Stone Circular 10 some light rain
Sat, 29-May-21 Watton-At-Stone Circular 10 hot sunshine clouds light breeze
Sun, 23-Jun-19 Sunday Walk - Rolling Hills of Hertfordshire: Watton-At-Stone Circular 6
Sun, 27-May-18 Sunday Walk - The Rolling Hills of Hertfordshire: Watton-at-Stone Circular 10 hot and humid with just an occasional breeze
Wed, 08-Mar-17 Wednesday Walk - Watton-at-Stone Circular 7 mostly dry weather
Sat, 21-Nov-15 Third Walk 9 cold and windy but sunny
Sun, 25-Jan-15 Watton-at-Stone Circular 3
Mon, 21-Apr-14 Watton-at-Stone Circular
Sat, 16-Mar-13 Watton-at-Stone Circular 0
Sun, 15-Jul-12 ? Watton-at-Stone Circular, extended via Haultwick
Sat, 18-Sep-10 ? Watton-at-Stone Circular, extended via Haultwick
Wed, 17-Mar-10 Watton-at-Stone Circular
Sat, 17-Oct-09 Watton-at-Stone Circular
Wanderer
Wanderer

Length:20km (12,4 miles). There is an option to shorten the walk by 3.3km to 16.7km.

Difficulty: 2 out of 10

This walk is in the rolling hills of rural Hertfordshire.

Trains: The national rail website suggests taking the Victoria line to Finsbury Park to catch the 10.22 Stevenage train to Watton-at-Stone, arriving 11.05.

Return trains from Watton-at-Stone are at 15:07, 15:35, 16.05, 16.37, 17:05, 17.35. with later trains following a similar pattern.

Lunch: The Boot pub in the village of Dane End ( 7.8 km from the start of the walk) (077 2508 5693)

Tea: The Bull 113 High St, Watton-at-Stone, SG14 3SB (01920 831032) or

The George and Dragon 82 High St, Watton-at-Stone, SG14 3TA (01920 830285)

l=swc.94

  • 25-Jul-23

    You can also get a Thameslink train to Finsbury Park

  • 26-Jul-23

    The best interchange is Highbury and Islington across from the Victoria line platform

  • 26-Jul-23

    Platform 8 Finsbury Park

  • 27-Jul-23

    12 arrived by train at Watton-at-Stone and set off in sunshine which lasted for the duration of the walk apart from a some light rain which caught the late finishers near the end. This is a very pleasant walk with lots of refreshment options along the way and a lunch pub with vegan cakes. The landscape of gently rolling hills and big skies made a nice escape from London. We passed a hazelnut tree full of nuts not yet ripe enough to pick. We stopped to browse through books in a disused bus shelter near the first pub which we didn't visit, holding out until reaching the Boot for lunch. Most had a drink there, four had lunch, two had cake. The service was slow due to another walking group arriving before us. Eight set off ahead of four who were late being served and who tackled the afternoon stretch at a leisurely pace. We stopped to admire fields of wild flowers, full of bees and butterflies. We sampled broad beans, fields of which were blighted with a brown spot disease. We took the shortcut which went through Woodhall park where there are lots of unusual trees dotted in pleasing arrangements around the extensive grounds and used an app to identify some of them. Close attention was needed to stay on the correct path and we lapsed at times and had to retrace our steps. There is an interesting project in progress in the park, managing the rare chalkland river that runs through it and the habitats associated with it. We eventually reached Watton,lingered in its allotments and just missed the 18.05 train. It was raining heavily by the time we caught the 18.37 back to London. A most enjoyable day.

  • 27-Jul-23

    Lunch at the Boot was disappointing as it only serves sandwiches and cakes. It’s only a licensed tea room with no hot food and the coffee was seriously underwhelming. We were offered a pasta dish which arrived after 45 mins with no sauce- just a few veggies on dry penne. Had to ask for mayonnaise and cheese. The mother and daughter owner were really helpful but they can’t cope with walk ins that haven’t booked. Our fault for not phoning ahead to check on food availability so best to just call in for drinks.

PeteG
PeteG
Watton-at-Stone Circular T=swc.94
Length:18km (11.2 miles), 2 out of 10.

This walk is in the rolling hills of rural Hertfordshire. If you do the full walk (i.e. not the shorter ending) there's a particularly attractive stretch alongside the River Beane near the end. The George and Dragon pub in Watton's High Street is a good place to stop for tea (or a meal) while waiting for the train back. Incidentally, the town's unusual name derives from a local variety of puddingstone - (see photo - thanks to Sean).


The walk advertises a shortcut, which has been blocked for some time due to roadworks. They were due to end in April.....

Trains: Get the 1013 Stevenage train from Moorgate (Highbury & Islington 1021, Finsbury park 1027) arriving 1112. Return trains are xx05 xx35.

Lunch: is at the The Boot pub in the village of Dane End. The pub is open for drinks, sandwiches & cake ("high tea").

Tea: "The George and Dragon pub in Watton's High Street is a good place to stop for tea (or a meal) while waiting for the train back."

If you do the full walk (i.e. not the shorter ending) there's a particularly attractive stretch alongside the River Beane near the end. The George and Dragon pub in Watton's High Street is a good place to stop for tea (or a meal) while waiting for the train back. Incidentally, the town's unusual name derives from a local variety of puddingstone.


  • 18-Jun-22

    It turns out that this is a 13.3 mile walk but very pleasant. 10 with some light rain at the start, but otherwise fine. The Boot Inn has just got a new landlord & was doing a sandwich & hot drink for £5. Also a fine array of homemade cakes.

Sat, 29-May-21 : Watton-At-Stone Circular 10
DAC
DAC
SWC Walk 94 – Watton-at-Stone Length: 18km (11.2 miles)
Catch the 10:13 train from Moorgate (Highbury & Islington 10:21, Finsbury Park: 10:27) to Watton-at-Stone, arriving 11:12.
Return trains xx:05 xx:35.
Will try for an early lunch at The Lordship Arms as The Boot, Dane End does not open until 14:00. (However in these current times still advisable to bring an emergency snack just in case.)
For track and trace purposes visit London Walker User Group, sign on, click on the Events button, choose your walk and click on the Pre-register button, confirm you're covid clear.
T=3.94
  • Anonymous
    26-May-21

    Ticket £6.75 return with Network Card. Apparently. Trainline.

  • Anonymous
    30-May-21

    W - largely sunny

    About 10

  • 30-May-21

    Anonymous, Sun 30 May 21, 07:41

    Thoroughly recommend the Bull Inn at Watton-at-Stone. Food very good, fish and chips, and especially Napoli Pizza. Beers good, although only had two pints of very good Landlord. Ghost Ship and Dread Bar on tap also. Good coffee.

    Lovely garden very busy yesterday, 29 May 2021. Excellent staff.

    Lovely village, cricket pitch were Watton beat a St Albans team. Londis shop selling usual foods etc. Bakers open til 2,Mon to Saturday

  • 30-May-21

    Summer landed with aplomb today. Glorious hot sunshine with Simpsons looking clouds in the sky to give occasional shade and, off and on, a cool breeze, just right. Let's hope the rest of summer is like this

    Thank's for posting this walk DAC, an ideal ramble through mostly flatlands with occasional long shallow rises but always wonderful views of the classic gentle rolling English countryside to the left and right.

    The first pub, after say 4k, The lordship Arms, and the second The Boot were both open but neither were doing food so some of us stopped at both to get liquid refreshment and use the facilities. We were los welcomed to consume our lunches which was nice of the bar staff.

    In the afternoon, taking the shortcut that would give us the 11 odd mile walk, at least two of us ignored a road-closed sign. A kilometre down this road it was definitely closed allowing absolutely no access at all. My walking companion and I, with masses of fortitude, managed it but I wouldn't want to do it again.

    Speaking of facilities, as I was earlier, the train journeys were uneventful except that they don't have toilet facilities and the seats are like ironing boards.

    When I think back 50 years to the opulent seating and facilities, look down the bowl and you could see the track and please don’t use it in the station, of the trains in those days it makes my heart weep.

    10 of us on the walk hot sunshine clouds light breeze

    Thank you walking companions for a lovely day

Length: 21.5 km (13.4 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 300m
Net Walking Time: 5 hours
Toughness: 5 out of 10
Take the 10.13 Stevenage train from Moorgate (Old Street 10.15, Essex Road 10.18, Highbury & Islington 10.21, Finsbury Park 10.27 etc.), arrives Watton-at-Stone 11.12.
Return trains: xx.05 and xx.35.
Still “…possibly one of the most underrated walks on the website…”
This walk is in the gentle rolling hills and little wooded areas of rural Hertfordshire, with a particularly attractive stretch alongside the River Beane near the end and some shady green lanes, quiet country lanes, some rivers, occasional far views, a brutalist water tower at Tonwell and several attractive houses, with the last and largest of them on the Woodhall Estate near Watton, the most impressive, along the way and a couple of cozy pubs at the end.
Lunch: The Boot Inn in Dane End, Ware (8.0 km/5.0 mi, food 13.00-16.00) or at The Whitehill Golf Course near Dane End (9.5 km/5.9 mi, food to 15.00).
Tea: The Bull or The George & Dragon, both on the High Street in Watton.
For walk directions, map, height profile, some photos and gpx/kml files click here. t=swc.94
  • 26-Jun-19

    6 on this enjoyable walk. 4 off the train, 1 by car, and 1 on an earlier train. The Boot had good beer & were very friendly, but not busy. No report on food as we just had 1 baguette, 1 roast potatoes & 1 chips between us. A late divergence meant we ended up in different pubs, but regrouped on the return train.

Length: 21.5 km (13.4 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 300m
Net Walking Time: 5 hours
Toughness: 5 out of 10
Take the 10.17 Stevenage train from Moorgate (Old Street 10.19, Essex Road 10.22, Highbury & Islington 10.25, Finsbury Park 10.30 etc.), arrives Watton-at-Stone 11.14.
Note: due to late-running engineering works, this train may leave from King’s Cross (but will always go via Finsbury Park), so watch this space and the National Rail website.
Return trains: xx.06 and xx.36.
As I said in my walk report after this walk’s last outing on a Wednesday in early 2017: “Very pleasant, possibly one of the most underrated walks on the website.”
This walk is in the gentle rolling hills and little wooded areas of rural Hertfordshire, with a particularly attractive stretch alongside the River Beane near the end and a brutalist water tower at Tonwell along the way and a cozy pub with a big open fire at the end.
Lunch: The Boot Inn in Dane End, Ware (8.0 km/5.0 mi, food 13.00-16.00) or at The Robin Hood Inn in Tonwell (14.8 km/9.2 mi, although this is closed on Sundays acc. to the CAMRA website).
Tea: The Bull or The George & Dragon, both on the High Street in Watton.
For walk directions, map, height profile, some photos and gpx/kml files click here. t=swc.94
  • Anonymous
    23-May-18

    Good morning,

    Is there any one else to join me on this one?

    Can do with someone familiar with maps and directions :-)

    Mike

  • 24-May-18

    It's a fully written up walk with very detailed directions, so there is no need for map or compassing skills (although - of course - they are always useful to have). But, yes, there will be other people.

  • Archie
    24-May-18

    I am planning to go.

  • 26-May-18

    is anyone up for meeting at moorgate station and getting a group saver?

  • 26-May-18

    I am happy to meet for the group saver ticket next to the ticket office

  • 26-May-18

    According to nationalrail.co.uk just now, this train WILL depart from Moorgate. Being of the non-trusting kind, I will check again in the morning though.

  • 27-May-18

    cool i'll be there at 10

  • 27-May-18

    10 on the walk, incl. 1 first-timer, sucked in by our meet-up posting, in weather that was hot and humid with just an occasional breeze . As promised by the bombastic walk post, this was a varied walk with plenty of rolling hillocks and fields, some shady green lanes, quiet country lanes, some rivers, occasional far views and several attractive houses, with the last and largest of them - Woodhall near Watton, the most impressive. All this for a mere £6.20 rtn (with a Railcard)!

    8 went to the pub in Dane End, which had just lost its front-of-house manager, so the owners filled in, struggling a little with the till and with sequencing the meals, but it was still a pleasant stay there. A very friendly couple and one hopes they find another manager soon to keep it going. The 2 sandwichers had taken the route around the village but we 'caught' them just before the last stretch along the Beane River into Watton. As we had just missed the 17.06, we all went into The Bull for refreshments, where there was a beer festival in the garden and a nice shady corner free for us.

Thomas G
Thomas G
Length: 21.5 km (13.4 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 300m
Net Walking Time: 5 hours
Toughness: 5 out of 10

Take the 09.48 Letchworth Garden City train from Moorgate (Old Street 09.50, Essex Road 09.53, Hi & Is 09.56, Finsbury Pk. 10.01 etc.), arrives Watton-at-Stone 10.44.
[The rtn ticket is only £13,80 at full cost, so there is little point waiting for a post 10.00 departure for the Network RC users.]
Return trains: 16.35, 17.06, 17.36, 17.58, 18.28, 18.58…

This walk is in the gentle rolling hills and little wooded areas of rural Hertfordshire, with a particularly attractive stretch alongside the River Beane near the end and a brutalist water tower at Tonwell along the way and a cozy pub with a big open fire at the end.

Lunch: The Boot Inn in Dane End, Ware (8.0 km/5.0 mi, under new mgmt as of last year apparently) or at The Robin Hood Inn in Tonwell (14.8 km/9.2 mi, food to 14.00 apparently).
Tea: The Bull or The George & Dragon, both on the High Street in Watton.

For walk directions, map, height profile, some photos and gpx/kml files click here.t=swc.94
Next Week: Stonegate to Battle (amalgamated walk)
  • 09-Mar-17

    7 walkers in mostly dry weather , with a handful of short drizzle periods and one long hard shower. Nicely undulating landscape, lots of fields of course, this being Hertfordshire, but mostly navigated along grassy paths between them or along grassy boundaries. The field crossings that there were, were quite bearable, along well-trampled paths. A surprising amount of far views on this walk, as it's got quite a few hills and hummocks to cross.

    Pre-lunch the drizzle never really got going until we reached the first pub The Boot Inn in Dane End. Slack research by the walk poster meant though that we were surprised to find it shut at weekday lunch times (it's under new mgmt, and looks prim and proper, so should be a good stop on a weekend). We called the second pub, more than hour down the route, and got a non-committal response to the question whether they'd still be open when we'd get there. So the golf club 20 minutes further along came as a huge reprieve as they were happy to accomodate us in their restaurant.

    That's when the rain got heavy so we stayed for an hour and a half.

    The afternoon then was dry and the landscape more varied, with the stretch along The Beane and the parkland around Woodhall Park the highlights.

    3 for the train, 4 for The Bull in Watton. Those 4 took the 18.58, shamefully having gotten distracted by some NZ Sauvignon Blanc supplies...

    Very pleasant, possibly one of the most underrated walks on the website.

Sat, 21-Nov-15 : Third Walk 9
DAC
DAC
Extra Walk 94 - Watton-at-Stone Circular
Length: 18km (11.2 miles). Toughness: 2/10

Catch the 9:26 from London Kings Cross arrives Watton-at-Stone 10:15. (Return trains xx:37 until 23:37.)
Early lunch at the re-opened Boot, Dane End. This walk is overdue for a walk check (last checked March 2010) and will be taking the opportunity. This walk may be longer than the official 18km as measured by the magic wheel. (Noted as 22km June 2011 in the comments section - no doubt logged by a gps device.) T=swc.94
  • 17-Nov-15

    Intend going.

  • Pia
    18-Nov-15

    lucky seniores with 60+ oystercard should buy return Crews Hill, the boundary zone station, to Watton at Stone. cost £3.65 equivalent to a v large latte. can't do Sat but will check walking instructions on Friday and let DAC know if I make any unintended detours.

  • Anonymous
    18-Nov-15

    No need to work out the boundary zone station. You can just buy a ticket to or from "boundary zone x" from ticket machines. Just start typing "Bou" and it should come up.

  • Pia
    21-Nov-15

    about tickets bought from boundary zones: not every ticket machine has that facility (I have never seen one). And to be honest, thanks for the advise of typing 'bou' I never knew you could do that. If you buy online (Trainline.com does not charge a fee if bought on the day of travel and I think the website of the train company does not charge you anytime then you have to find out which of the 10+ lines out of London you are travelling on, so trainline wins it here) then you have to know your boundary zone to buy your return ticket. I find it also quicker to buy tickets beforehand and just pick them up.

    However I was caught out yesterday because my train went from Highbury & Islington to Watton-at-Stone and there is no rail ticket machine at all at H&I. Advise was to get off at Finsbury Park, get the ticket, and hop on to next train to WaS, losing an hour, which I could not afford with the sun setting at 4pm. So I risked it, was lucky and picked up my return tickets at WoS. However the SWC rarely if ever goes from small stations but it might be useful for the midweek walkers.

    The walk itself was absolutely glorious, as was the weather with bright sun in the afternoon and light cloud in the morning; wide views over Hertfordshire agriculture land, meadows with only some horses and some beautiful deer running across a field for company. Quite muddy and wet underfoot but that was to be expected. Pub at Dane End (The Boot) was closed but the clubhouse at a nearby golf club was not. People know my fondness for gatecrashing clubs of all sorts (a certain yacht club in Essex springs to mind) and I had a simple but delicious lunch. I lingered so long, answering emails from work, that I took the shortcut again and trying to avoid a nasty chunk of busy road took a patch west of Sacombebury Farm thinking it would link up with a track leading back to the road. Well it does not; so after some tresspassing (not recommended) got back on track. Finally at WaS there was a very cosy pub The Bull with an open fire who were happy to serve tea unlike the local tea shop which closed at 4pm.

  • 21-Nov-15

    So far as I know, only Southern ticket machines (e.g. Victoria, East Croydon) allow you to purchase tickets from 'Boundary Zone x'.

  • Karen
    22-Nov-15

    9 cold and windy but sunny

    A really charming walk, not too far from London, with a very reasonable train fare (£5.90 with network railcard from Kings Cross). The countryside is quite lovely with gentle hills and little wooded areas. Not too muddy considering the weather during the past week. Very cold, but dry and sunny from when we arrived at Watton until the end of the day.

    The first couple of kilometers were very cold as we walked headfirst into the wind across some open fields. 6 dined at the Boot, Dane End. There was a long wait for food, but it was fine when it came. The picnickers carried on ahead as the rest were quite some time at the pub. Anyone planning to do this walk should phone ahead to check whether food will be served.

    After lunch, the six became five as one walker raced ahead. Arrived back at Watton-at-Stone in time for the 16:37, which one walker chose to take, the remaining four deciding to check out the beer offerings at The George and Dragon. A very cozy pub with a big open fire. Took the 17:37 back to London, where three continued their studies in beer at the aptly named The Perseverance in Bloomsbury.