Welwyn Circular walk

An easy walk through Hertfordshire countryside, visiting Ayot St Lawrence and an ivied Gothic ruin of a church.

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
Sat, 10-Feb-24 Saturday Walk - Welwyn Circular 7 dry with brief shower
Sun, 22-Jan-23 Welwyn Circular
Sat, 30-Jul-22 Saturday walk - Welwyn Circular 1
Wed, 30-Mar-22 Wednesday Walk Welwyn Circular - through Sherrardspark Wood to Ayot Green, Brocket Hall, Ayot St Lawrence, then return to Welwyn Garden City 8 cloudy chilly with occasional sun
Sat, 01-May-21 Welwyn Circular 10 Fine weather
Sat, 30-Mar-19 Saturday Walk Welwyn Circular 15 warm and sunny
Sun, 30-Sep-18 Sunday walk: Hertfordshire countryside and G B Shaw's home 11 cool and cloudy
Sat, 14-Jan-17 Saturday Second Walk - Hertfordshire hills 30 a morning of light rain followed by sunshine
Wed, 23-Sep-15 Midweek day walk - Welwyn Circular 10 Sunny with some light cloud in the afternoon
Sun, 24-May-15 Sunday Walk 2 – Ambling through Hertfordshire 1
Sun, 06-Apr-14 Welwyn Circular 1
Sat, 19-Oct-13 Welwyn Circular 12
Sat, 30-Mar-13 Welwyn Circular 15
Mon, 27-Aug-12 Welwyn Circular
Sun, 27-Nov-11 Welwyn Circular
Sat, 26-Mar-11 Welwyn Circular
Sun, 24-Jan-10 Welwyn Circular
Sat, 18-Jul-09 Welwyn Circular
Sat, 21-Mar-09 Welwyn Circular
Wed, 01-Oct-08 Welwyn Circular
Sat, 10-Feb-24 : Saturday Walk - Welwyn Circular 7
PeteG
PeteG
Length: 11 miles (17.7 km) 2 out of 10 T=swc.69

"Once out of the Garden City and over the A1(M) you are in some attractive Hertfordshire countryside, including the landscaped parkland of Brocket Hall and Lamer House. In the afternoon you reach the picturesque village of Ayot St Lawrence, which has two unusual churches – one reminiscent of a Greek temple, the other an ivied Gothic ruin – and if you wish you can visit the home of George Bernard Shaw, Shaw's Corner, now owned by the National Trust. (Open to the public from 1300, garden 1200)"

Trains: Get the Thameslink 0957 Royston train from Kings Cross (Finsbury Park 1003) arriving Welwyn 1026. Return fast trains at xx21 xx51 to Kings cross (29 minutes), with slow trains at xx005 & xx30 to Moregate (51 minutes).

Lunch: The recommended lunch pub for this walk is The Brocket Arms (01438 820250) in Ayot St Lawrence, 11km from the start.

Tea: a walk report recommends the Doctor's Tonic pub "very cosy and well appointed", but it will be showing Rugby... The directions have The Waggoners, 1km from the end or Simmons cafe, close to the railway station.
  • 10-Feb-24

    7 (after the capital walkers found the right group) on the walk, which had a fast pace throughout. Mostly dry with brief shower and not too muddy for the terrain. A split after lunch between pub stop and keep walking but met up for the 1551 back to London, 3 having a drink in the Doctors Tonic, the others having had a drawn out tea stop.

Sun, 22-Jan-23 : Welwyn Circular ?
Stargazer
Stargazer

SWC 69: Welwyn Circular t=swc.69

Distance: 11.4 miles or 18.3 km for those more metrically minded

Difficulty: 2 out of 10

Train: 10:03 Thameslink Cambridge train from London Kings Cross, arriving Welwyn Garden City at 10:30. Return fast trains are at 52 past the hour (slower trains are also at 28 and 58 past the hour to Moorgate). Buy a day return to Welwyn Garden City.

From recollection, this makes a pleasant winter day’s outing, not too far from London but involving proper countryside. Highlights include the landscaped gardens of Brocket Hall and Lamer House and the picturesque village of Ayot St. Lawrence with two interesting churches……More information about the walk can be found here.

The recommended lunch stop is the Brockett Arms (01438 820 250) in Ayot St.Lawrence (about 6.5 miles/11 km into the walk). Alternatives are also mentioned in the walk notes.

The recommended tea stop is the Waggoners about 1 km from the end of the walk. There are also various watering holes near the station back in WGC.

Enjoy the walk!

Sat, 30-Jul-22 : Saturday walk - Welwyn Circular 1
PeteG
PeteG
Welwyn Circular T=swc.69

Length: 11 miles (17.7 km) 2 out of 10

"Once out of the Garden City and over the A1(M) you are in some attractive Hertfordshire countryside, including the landscaped parkland of Brocket Hall and Lamer House. In the afternoon you reach the picturesque village of Ayot St Lawrence, which has two unusual churches – one reminiscent of a Greek temple, the other an ivied Gothic ruin – and if you wish you can visit the home of George Bernard Shaw, Shaw's Corner, now owned by the National Trust. (Open to the public from 1300, garden 1200)"

Trains: Get the Thameslink 0958 Royston train from Kings Cross (Finsbury Park 1004 gives a connection from London Bridge 0931 & East Croydon 0915) arriving Welwyn 1025. Return fast trains at xx22, xx52 to Kings cross, with slow trains at xx05 & xx35 to Moregate.


Lunch: The recommended lunch pub for this walk is The Brocket Arms (01438 820250) in Ayot St Lawrence, 11km from the start.

Tea: a walk report recommends the Doctor's Tonic pub "very cosy and well appointed" The directions have The Waggoners, 1km from the end or Simmons cafe, close to the railway station.

  • 30-Jul-22

    Looks like a walk of one today, unless I missed the group. I’ll keep an eye out at the lunch pub in case of the latter.

  • 30-Jul-22

    - Matthew, not Unknown

  • 31-Jul-22

    1

SWC 69 - Welwyn Circular

Length: 17.7 km (11 miles)
Toughness: 2 out of 10 No steep hills
London Kings Cross: 10-22 hrs Thameslink service from Kings Cross to Letchworth Garden City Finsbury Park (for LT Victoria & Piccadilly Lines): 10-31 hrs
Arrive Welwyn Garden City: 10-54 hrs
Return
Welwyn Garden City to Kings Cross: 22 and 52 mins past the hour
Welwyn Garden City to St Pancras (changing at Finsbury Park): 28 and 56 mins past the hour
Having left Welwyn Garden City you walk gently up through a wood then down one of Brocket Hall's golf courses through this lovely estate. Onwards then to the village of Ayot St Lawrence, to pass George Bernard Shaw's house (open to the public) to stop for lunch at the Brocket Arms, which is usually very good when they don't forget your order. After lunch your return route to Welwyn GC is over pleasant, flat countryside.
Tea back in Welwyn GC is best taken at Simmons cafe, close to the railway station.
T=swc.69
Walk Directions are here: L=swc.69
  • 27-Mar-22

    There's also a train from Moorgate at 10.03 that gets to Welwyn at 10.52. I'm planning to hop on at New Southgate.

  • 31-Mar-22

    8 at the station. Numbers may have been affected by Thameslink changing the departure time and destination at short notice. The day was cloudy chilly with occasional sun A brisk pace in the morning - a bit too brisk for Mr Tiger who was already grumbling about it. A large part of the morning was across a huge array of golf courses. "Alright if you like golf courses" growled Mr Tiger.. Off we sped through a large tract of woodland till, eventually, Ayot St Lawrence was reached.

    There, a pleasant stop in the Brocketts Arms was marred only by Mr Tiger's attempt to pay with his travel card. Grrr!

    4 ate. Others drank.

    In the afternoon. Mr Tiger let the others scamper off while he followed at a more leisurely pace. And a pleasant afternoon it was too. Big skies, big fields. Ayot St Peter's churchyard was particularly pretty, completely covered in daffodils. Someone should write a poem about daffodils.

    In fact, daffodils were a feature all the way round. Also seen were wood anenomes, violets, and the blackthorn was coming out. Also...Mr Tiger was wondering ....is there a prize for spotting the first bluebell? If so he'd like to claim it please.

    Directions mostly clear but a couple of vague points in the afternoon where GPS had to be deployed.

    And so back to WGC.where a small number were spotted in Simmons. Home on the 16:52

Sat, 01-May-21 : Welwyn Circular 10
DAC
DAC
SWC Walk 69 – Welwyn Circular
Length: 18.3km (11.4 miles); Toughness 2/10.
Catch the 10:27 train from London Kings Cross to Welwyn Garden City, arriving 10:55.
Return trains xx:22 xx:52
For track and trace purposes please 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=swc.69
  • 04-May-21

    Fine weather . 9 of the 10 of us picnicked by the ruins of the old church, having assumed that The Brocket Arms would not be able to accommodate us - not so - the one of faith dined there.

Sat, 30-Mar-19 : Saturday Walk Welwyn Circular 15
PeteG
PeteG
Welwyn Circular T=swc.69

Length: 11 miles (17.7 km) 2 out of 10

"Once out of the Garden City and over the A1(M) you are in some attractive Hertfordshire countryside, including the landscaped parkland of Brocket Hall and Lamer House. In the afternoon you reach the picturesque village of Ayot St Lawrence, which has two unusual churches – one reminiscent of a Greek temple, the other an ivied Gothic ruin – and if you wish you can visit the home of George Bernard Shaw, Shaw's Corner, now owned by the National Trust. (Open to the public from 1300, garden 1200)"

Trains: Get the 0951 Cambridge train from Kings Cross (Finsbury Park 1001) arriving Welwyn 1023. Return fast trains at xx52, with slow trains at xx25 & xx55 to Moregate or Kings Cross - change at Finsbury Park.
There seems to be less fast trains than there used to be.

Lunch: The recommended lunch pub for this walk is The Brocket Arms (01438 820250) in Ayot St Lawrence, 11km from the start. Ring ahead to reserve a table.
Tea: a walk report recommends the Doctor's Tonic pub "very cosy and well appointed"

Further info to follow
  • Anonymous
    31-Mar-19

    I think we were 15 and the weather was warm and sunny . Two decided to do the walk in reverse and the rest of us arrived at the pub just as they were finishing their lunch. Some of us sat outside in the garden, where the pub's flock of free range hens and roosters wandered around the tables pecking at the ground for snacks. In the afternoon, we had the pleasant surprise of passing through a small wood of bluebells, which seemed to be in full bloom. There was some discussion about the difference between Spanish and English bluebells (and agreement that the Spanish bluebells were welcome, despite Brexit). Then the focus turned to tea and cake at Simmons Bakers on Howardsgate, where someone had spotted a tempting selection of cakes on display at the start of the walk. It's large enough to cater for a group of walkers and has a nice outlook over the park.

Welwyn Circular

Length: 17.7km (11 miles) Toughness: 2 out of 10

10:02 Welwyn North train from Kings Cross arriving Welwyn Garden City at 10:30.
There is also a stopping service from Moorgate at 09:57, calling at numerous stations in north London and arriving at Welwyn Garden City at 10:48.

Return trains fast to Kings Cross are at xx:53, with additional stopping services to Morrgate at xx:28 and xx:58.

The route traverses some attractive Hertfordshire countryside, including the landscaped parkland of two large country houses. Just before or after lunch you could visit Shaw’s Corner, the former home of George Bernard Shaw, now owned by the National Trust, before it closes for the winter.

The recommended lunch pub for this walk is The Brocket Arms (01438 820250) in Ayot St Lawrence, 11km from the start. Ring ahead to reserve a table. For an earlier lunch stop you would need to divert to Wheathampstead (see directions).

You will need to download the Walk Directions.

T=swc.69
  • 01-Oct-18

    11 on this walk and despite some early sun most of it was done in cool and cloudy weather. For one walker this was a long trip down memory lane as she was one of around 8000 babies born at Brocket Hall in the 10 years after WW2. Photographs were taken and memories shared.

    Three of the group decided to do their own thing early on so 8 of us ambled along the easy trails and we all decided to go to Wheathamstead where 5 enjoyed a superb value variety of meat and vegetarian roasts in the "old-school" Swan pub. There are other meal options in the village which has 2 interesting looking cafes. (The Brocket Arms was fully booked.)

    After lunch I and 5 others decided not to retrace our steps to the walk route but take a road-based shorter route and meet with the two others where the paths met up. Unfortunately the intrepid two went a bit off piste and enjoyed a little adventure of their own. The rest of us carried on to George Bernard Shaw's House where for the price of a couple of raffle tickets those of us not NT members were allowed in to view the gardens.

    We got back to Welwyn just after 5pm for refreshments at cafe Nero and on the way to the station met the intrepid 2 who had reached GBS's house

    at around 4.30 and then (ahem) cadged a lift back to Welwyn.

    All 11 of us met up at the station to catch a standing-room only fast train back to London.

    This is an ideal walk for autumn; it has no outstanding scenery but is just a pleasant and rewarding amble with places of interest and a quick service from and to London. A lovely day out in lively company.

  • 01-Oct-18

    One small additional point. The length of this walk looks to have been a bit underestimated, My gpx route for the main walk gives 18.32km (11.45m).

    The GPX for the path to Wheathampsted gives 2.82km (1.76m) so if you do this extension there and back you will be doing around 13m or so.

Walker
Walker
SWC Walk 69 - Welwyn Circular
Length: 17.1km (11 miles) - or 19.6km (12.5 miles) with diversion to alternative lunch pub.
Toughness: 2 out of 10

10.04 train from Kings Cross (10.10 Finsbury Park) to Welwyn Garden City, arriving 10.31.

There is also a 9.34 stopping train from Moorgate which calls at all sorts of stops in North London, arriving 10.23

Buy a day return to Welwyn Garden City.

For walk directions click here.

There are two esoteric treats at the start of this walk: getting a train that starts from Kings Cross and walking through the heart of Welwyn Garden City, planned in the 1920s as a better way of living: not uninteresting to look at.

You are pretty quickly out into the rurality, however and walking first along the River Lea and then over gentle Hertfordshire Hills up to Ayot St Lawrence, where George Bernard Shaw made his home. Sadly being winter, you can't visit his house (now NT) but the village apparently has two interesting churches.

Lunch is either in Ayot St Lawrence or via a 2.5km/1.5 mile diversion earlier in the walk at a "more traditional" (= "Sky Sports") pub in Wheathampstead. The Ayot one candidly looks nicer, but it might be worth phoning at the start of the walk to check it has space before you rely on it.

Tea is either at a pub just before you enter Welwyn 2.4km/1.5 miles from the walk end, or at various cafes in Welwyn (if nothing else, the Costa Coffee is open until 7pm).

Trains back are at 23 and 53 past for fast trains to Finsbury Park and Kings Cross - 03 and 33 past for the stopping service to Moorgate
  • Anonymous
    14-Jan-17

    A lot of walkers. I would guess around 25 including those who took the slow train and joined up with us en route. The weather started off cold with some drizzle but sunshine later We were quickly out of WGC and past the motorway into peaceful gentle countryside. The Brocket Arms in Ayot is small but friendly. It's reputedly haunted perhaps by a ghost who likes to lock the front door as some walkers had trouble opening it. All in all a very nice walk.

  • 14-Jan-17

    30 on this walk - a record for a Hertfordshire walk? We were promised sunshine but in fact got a morning of light rain followed by sunshine . Well, it was nice when it finally appeared.

    Winter seems to suit this walk. Welwyn GC is pleasant and interesting - one of the better examples of a planned town, I think, and apart from a rather too long section across a golf course the rest of the route is easy to navigate, with long straight stretches, and reasonably nice, if undramatic, scenery. We got to the end as the sun was setting, tinting the trees in the final wood with gold, so the length was just right too.

    We had managed to book 12 places for lunch in the Brocket Arms but squeezed in 15. They were friendly, though as usual we could have done without the 30 minute delay before they took our order at the table. It would have be nice too if the pub could invest in a tray so that our waitress did not have to bring the drinks from the bar two at a time. But these niggles apart, a nice meal.

    Six other walkers "took one for the team" and diverted to the Sky Sports pub in Wheathamsptead, which they reported friendly and with good food.

    Ayot St Lawrence was very pretty, with its ruined church (parttly dismantled for romantic effect in the nineteenth century, apparently). The afternoon sunshine was glorious and Simmons Cafe in WGC had great cakes and was also very friendly (perhaps it is because we were "Up North"). Five of us who lingered for a drink also found the Doctor's Tonic pub very cosy and well-appointed. All this and fast trains to whisk you to London in 30 minutes. Perhaps living in a Garden City would not be so bad after all?

  • 14-Jan-17

    Apologies for two walk reports. I think we must have been doing them simultaneously....

Mike A
Mike A

Welwyn Circular

Ayot St.Lawrence, a ruined ivied Gothic church and the home of George Bernard Shaw

Book 3* Walk 69

* online only

Length : 17 km or 11 miles

Toughness : 2 out of 10

Getting there : Catch the 10:35 am train from London Kings Cross to Welwyn Garden City (10:41 from Finsbury Park)

Meeting point : Welwyn Garden City Station at 11:01

Tickets : Buy a Cheap Day Return to Welwyn Garden City

Brief Description

After a brief encounter with the shopping centre, the walk passes through Sir Ebenezer Howard's world famous new town circa 1920's and shortly enters woodland.
You may find full details of the walk here

Suggested Lunch stop

Suggested Tea stop

Simmons at 33 Howardsgate open to 5:00pm t:01707 321 051

Map

OS Explorer : 182

Return train times

There are five trains an hour returning from Welwyn Garden City to London
Faster trains appear to be at :23,:40 and :53 minutes past the hour
  • Marion
    23-Sep-15

    Intend going

  • 24-Sep-15

    After platform alterations at Kings Cross and Finsbury Park 10 managed to get to WGC and start the walk. The weather was Sunny with some light cloud in the afternoon .

    Four ate lunch at the Brocket Arms and the six with sandwiches went off to George Bernard Shaw's House.

    Foragers found walnuts, apples, plums and some remaining blackberries.

    The group split in the afternoon with five heading off to take tea in Welwyn with the remainder following on after visiting GBS's house

PeteB
Extra Walk 69 Welwyn circular
17km (10.6m); toughness 2/10
Trains: London Kings Cross10.05 (Finsbury Park 10.11) Welwyn Garden City 10.31
Fast return trains from Welwyn Garden City at xx:52 and slower stopping trains at xx:29 and xx:59.
A gentle amble through attractive Hertfordshire countryside including the landscaped parkland of Brocket Hall and Lamer House.

See here for further information about the walk and the lunch and refreshment options.
  • Anonymous
    26-May-15

    Welwyn Circular Sunday 24/5/15

    I was apparently the only person to choose this walk, which turned out to be something of a Blytonesque adventure although sadly lacking Timmy the dog for company. The challenges arose from the directions seemingly dating back to 2009 (?). Fortunately I was reasonably well prepared with map, compass, all weather gear and compo rations. If the poster would like to leave contact details I can forward more details of the updates which might be advantageous. In summary, all the wooden stiles/posts/kissing gates have been removed and most, but not all, replaced with metal kissing gates and particular care was needed at the following points (1) if not lunching at Wheathamstead be careful not to take the indistinct right fork at the first kissing gate otherwise you will come out too far to the east on the former railway track (2) the path through Lamer Park has been diverted so that it is no longer possible to take the former path past the summerhouse. The diversion is not marked but you need to take the left path at what is now a T junction (3) after leaving the lane beyond the Brocket Arms you need to be careful not to turn off too soon to go down the right hand side of the (third) field otherwise you will come out too early at Hill farm (4) the estate formerly known as Ayton Place has changed its name to something impressive beginning with ‘M’. The gatehouse to the left has a small plaque with the former name (5) the ‘black gated driveway entrance’ to the house beyond the small green has gone. Take the footpath to the left of the house (there is also one to the right). The walk was a lovely mix of woodland, open fields and parkland – it just took rather longer than anticipated!

  • 27-May-15

    1