Welwyn Garden City to Knebworth Hike - the scenic route!

Rating: 4.0 / 5

Distance: 14.9 miles

A brilliant 15 mile linear hike in Hertfordshire! You can catch the train back to the start point after the hike :)

I parked at Welwyn Garden City Railway Station's car park (post code: AL8 6HA). I hiked down a not very interesting footpath initially beside Stanborough Road to get to Stanborough Lakes. These lakes are just south of the town and well worth checking out. They are very scenic and there's often lots of wildlife there.

I had originally hoped to follow a footpath that went under the A1(M) after Stanborough Lakes to get to Lemsford. However, when I arrived the official path unfortunately lead down to a high river. I think maybe this route is only passable when the river is low. This meant I had to hike along more roads in Welwyn GC. I went past two roundabouts to get to Lemsford.

Lemsford was a nice little village though! There was a pub and a cottages by the River Lea. The next point of interest was Brocket Hall. The Palladian Bridge at Brocket Hall is very picturesque. There is a golf course at Brocket Hall which the footpath goes across.

The route briefly went along the River Lea Trail. I also hiked alongside the River Mimram for a short while later on. The route went via lots of woods that had bluebells.

Ayot Saint Lawrence was a great little village. I briefly went into Shaw's Corner, which is a national trust property of the playwright George Bernard Shaw. Entry to the property cost £12 for an adult ticket. I had not actually heard of the person before visiting. However I like to visit attractions on route as it makes the hikes more enjoyable and rememberable :)

Ayot Saint Lawrence had an old looking pub, which you could stop off for refreshments. There were also two picturesque churches. St Lawrence the old church was in ruins. The New St Lawrence Church outside of the village had very interesting architecture. The front had a portico which is not common for a church around here. I then passed through Codicote village.

The last point of interest was Knebworth House. A beautiful house only open to the public on weekends and bank holidays, March to September. I had seen the house when I went to a musical festival called Sonisphere Festival a few years back. It was definitely worth visiting.

There is usually deer at Knebworth Deer Park. Unfortunately I did not get to see any!

I caught the 8 minute train from Knebworth town to Welwyn Garden City at the end of the hike!