Your Route

• There will be routes of 2.5, 4, 5, 8, 15 & 20 miles. All routes use footpaths and may be muddy, so wear walking shoes or boots. There will be some walking on quiet lanes and roads.
• All walks start and end at Walk HQ in the Scout Hut in Heartwood Forest, Sandridgebury Lane, Sandridge, St Albans, AL3 6JB, but use the adjacent Heartwood Forest overflow car park (for Oxfam Walk4Water), nearest postcode AL4 9DQ. The car park opens at 8.00 and closes at 20.00.  Follow the yellow ‘Herts Hike’ signs to the Scout Hut.  There is also nearby parking in Sandridge, off the main road.  Share a car or use public transport if you can, as weekends can be busy.
• 2.5-, 4- & 5-mile routes are waymarked. The others are not so please PRINT OUT/DOWNLOAD MAPS & DESCRIPTIONS BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME. These will be available HERE (from Saturday 7th September). The signal at the Scout Hut may not be reliable. Following the arrows and the instructions, walk at your own pace. On all routes there will be checkpoints at certain key places.
• The shorter routes are ideal for those with young children; they also suit those just wanting a shorter walk. The 2.5-mile & 4-mile routes stay within Heartwood Forest and the 5-mile route adds in Nomansland Common. The popular 8-mile route will go on from Nomansland to Wheathampstead. The routes are the same as previous years.
• Final choices on route can be made on the day, subject to time guidelines (see below):
• You can complete the 8-mile route in about three and a half hours including a short stop for lunch.
  • 20-mile walkers should start between 8:30 am and 9:00 am to have enough time.
  • 15-mile walkers start between 8:30 and 10:30 am.
  • 8-mile walkers: start anytime between 9:00 and 1:00 pm.
  • 5-mile walkers: start between 9:00 and 2:00 pm.
  • 2.5- & 4-mile walkers: start between 9.30am & 3 pm.

Check-In (& Out)

• Everyone must CHECK-IN at the Scout Hut on arrival and CHECK-OUT at the end. We need to know everyone who is participating. If for any reason you do not complete your walk and return to Walk HQ, please contact Walk HQ (Sue Cockell on 07535 695744, or Wilma Mendonca on 07305 807288) so we know what has happened to you. This is important.
• At Walk HQ, you will also be able to meet up with friends, hand in sponsorship money/donations, make a transfer to our Just Giving site, give us feedback, make a purchase from the Oxfam St Albans shop stall, enter the raffle, or take a look at our Climate Change stand.
• Please also have your phone with you & not on silent in case we need to check you are OK if you have forgotten to CHECK-OUT. This is a safety procedure & we take our duty of care for walkers seriously.
• The Scout Hut will close at 17.00. Allow plenty of time for parking, Check-In, for the walk itself and allowing for some stops, and for Check-Out and tea & cake on your return.

Walking

• Please keep to described route instructions, going along tracks and footpaths, over stiles and across cultivated fields.
• Take particular care when you are crossing or walking on the road.
• Follow the countryside code: Leave any gates as you find them; Always keep dogs under close control and on a lead when near livestock; Use the stiles and gates provided; and do not damage hedges and crops etc. Please take all litter home with you. Leave no trace!
• Please remember that walkers and volunteers take part at their own risk, and under 18’s cannot register unless accompanied by an adult.   

Refreshments

• Tea, coffee, squash and home-made cakes are provided when you return, we appreciate a donation for these.
• It may be possible to buy a few Oxfam items from a small pop up shop which will be set up on the day. Please bring cash if you would like to buy anything.
• We will also have a Raffle for which you can purchase tickets for some excellent prizes.
• The following pubs can provide a welcome break or lunch stop – we recommend you pre-book a table if requiring food as Saturday lunchtimes are often busy. In Sandridge – the Queen’s Head, The Green Man and The Rose and Crown; in Wheathampstead the Swan and the Bull pubs, together with Charlies Café; at Nomansland, the Wicked Lady, John Bunyan; in Ayot St Lawrence, The Brocket Arms.

What to bring

• Bring your own copy(s) of the route descriptions (available to download here one week before the event), water, packed lunch, snacks, sunscreen, hat, anorak, boots, a small first-aid kit, and a fully charged mobile phone.  Also bring some cash for tea & cake and for purchases at the Oxfam St Albans shop stall, and your bank details to make your Walk4Water donation on JustGiving.  We hope for 2024 will have access to a card-reader (fingers crossed!)
• In case of emergency, or if you will not return to the Scout Hut to Check-Out, it is important to call Sue Cockell on 07535 695744, or Wilma Mendonca on 07305 807288.
• If you bring your dog, please bring a lead. Keep dogs on leads inside Walk HQ.

Travel

• Where possible, we encourage participants to use public transport, cycle or car-share. Children under 5 can travel free on buses. Those over 60, with a bus pass, also travel free. If you do drive, Heartwood car park is situated off the B651, the main road that runs from Sandridge to Wheathampstead, at the north end of Sandridge village. The nearest postcode to the entrance driveway is AL4 9DQ and there is a brown tourist sign pointing into Heartwood from the main road. Having parked, follow Oxfam signs gently uphill from the car park to reach the Scout Hut.

Map of Heartwood/Sandridge