Woodland Walks

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11 12 4 YELLOW WALK = �.� MILE / �.� KILOMETERS / �� MINUTES BLUE WALK = �.� MILES / �.� KILOMETERS / 6� MINUTES RED WALK �.� MILES / � KILOMETERS / �� MINUTES

WOODLAND WALKS The stunning, historical woodland that surrounds Hatfield House is yours to explore with three beautiful walks of varying lengths that evolve through the seasons. We hope you enjoy the experience.

COUNTRY CODE

Please keep any furry friends under firm control and use the waste bins provided. We recommend walking shoes or boots and kindly ask, for your own safety, that you keep to the waymarked routes. We inspect them regularly.

START: all three walks start at the large wooden gates near the entrance to Stable Yard, where you’ll also find the restaurant, shops and lavatories. Walk down the Carriage Drive and around the horse chestnut tree at the bottom, cutting across the grass to the corner of the wood.

The routes are signed by coloured way-marking posts. The numbers refer to the stops on the route map.

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Setting off from the two 500-year-old oaks, known as the Tank Stand Oaks, you’ll see many similar, ancient trees on the route. These are afforded special protection, due to their historical and ecological importance as a habitat for specialist insects that favour standing deadwood. The path descends into the Black Ditch; a seasonal waterway that feeds the River Lea.

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The naturally regenerated woodland of broad-leaved trees that you’ve just walked through stands in contrast with commercial timber up ahead. On your left, you’ll see a mixed plantation of Scots pine, oak and beech, planted in 1967. To your right are western hemlocks, planted in 1978.

The trees further along, which date from 1955, have been carefully thinned to allow for their development. The largest conifers are the Corsican pines; popular in the South East for softwood timber production. In amongst them all, with luck, you may even spot some of the deer that roam the park.

The double-lined North Avenue is planted with beech and lime trees with the latter hosting some fine clusters of Viscum Album (mistletoe).

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The 16-acre Broadwater was formed by a dam in the River Lea to power the now redundant water mill at the far end of the lake. Following the storm of 1987, the area was landscaped and replanted with ornamental trees.

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Although the castle folly was built in the 1780s, the brick wall around the private garden (once the Vineyard) dates back to 1633.

This is said to be where Queen Elizabeth I was sitting reading under an oak tree in 1588, when she learned of her accession to the throne of England. The oak that you see here today was planted by Queen Elizabeth II, in 1985, to replace the original.

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END OF YELLOW WALK

In Victorian times, the vast, open Showground field on your left was used as a racecourse by South Herts Yeomanry.

Today, it plays host to our largest events, including concerts and craft shows, which you can get tickets for at hatfieldhouse.co.uk/events. The walk crosses the field to the road by formal hedged plantation, called Wake Wood.

Wake Wood was planted in 2000 to mark the end of an era when most of the hereditary peers were expelled from the House of Lords. There are more than 25 different tree species within the hornbeam hedge alone. Gifted by Lord Shrewsbury, the central limestone megalith came from Cauldon Low Quarries, in Staffordshire. It overlooks the large events that are often held on the open area of grass stretching down to the avenue.

Jubilee Wood was planted in 2012 to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and includes a network of paths in the shape of the Union Jack.

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The Red Bridge was built in 1864. Below the mill pool is the former Estate sawmill – originally a corn mill. In 1881 the mill wheel was adapted to drive dynamos for Hatfield House, making it one of the first houses in the country to have electric lighting! William Dimmock, one of the Estate workman, recieved a fatal shock when he was installing the wires; he was possibly the first person to be killed by electrocution. The Mill Building was restored by the Estate in 2006 and is now home to a local business.

Daffodil Ride is particularly beautiful in the springtime when, at their best, the native wild daffodils fresh yellow mingles amongst oak trees over 700 years old. Their longevity is thanks to the old practice of pollarding, where crops of wood are taken at regular intervals, high enough above the ground prevented browsing animals from impeding regrowth from the stumps.

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The path now leaves the Home Park, with Bushes Wood, ahead and slightly left, stretching over the hill beyond.

We hope that you’ve enjoyed your visit to Hatfield Park and look forward to welcoming you again. Remember, there’s always something different to experience through the changing seasons.

Public Safety General: Skateboarding, cycling roller skating, swimming, camping, fires and barbecues are not permitted in the Park or Gardens.

Please be aware that the ground may be uneven and occasionally branches may fall from trees. Please also be careful of traffic moving around the Park.

For more info on our past and future, go to hatfieldpark.co.uk

The wooded area ahead and towards the house is known as the Elephant Dell, due to the trunk and branches of the oak bearing a remarkable resemblance to those of an elephant. Dell is an old English word for a small valley.

The Vineyard, extending to the other side of the Broadwater, was created over 400 years ago, in 1611, with many of its 30,000 vines a gift of the Queen of France; planted and managed by two French Vignerons. Despite this specialist input, there are no records of a single bottle of wine ever being produced!

GENERAL QUERIES: 01707 287010 GROUP BOOKING QUERIES: 01707 287052

END OF BLUE WALK

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