Plan your visit
🦅 Birds🦉 Wildlife🐶 Dogs
Public access Free entry Dogs welcome 2 ha
Places › England › Eastern › Welwyn Hatfield Getting here
51.80615, -0.23766
Open directionsv Visiting this summer
Seasonal nature notes and what to look for now
▾ 🐦 65+ species recorded in this area — summer evenings are best for activity; watch for Little Egret and Green Sandpiper 🐕 Early mornings are best for dog walks in summer — visit before 9am to avoid the heat and find quieter trails 📍 Open access throughout summer — no booking required 🌤️ Visiting this summer
🐦 65+ species recorded in this area — summer evenings are best for activity; watch for Little Egret and Green Sandpiper 🐕 Early mornings are best for dog walks in summer — visit before 9am to avoid the heat and find quieter trails 📍 Open access throughout summer — no booking required £ Free to visit — no entry charge🐕 Dogs welcome🦅 Bird watching
Very strong match
Birds — Little Egret, Green Sandpiper, Jackdaw +62 more · last seen 2025; Birds — Little Egret, Green Sandpiper, Jackdaw +62 more · last seen 2025
Free
🦉 Wildlife
Very strong match
Multi-group wildlife — Birds, Mammals; Multi-group wildlife — Birds, Mammals
Free
Dogs allowed — public woodland
Free
🍂 Seasonal nature
Strong match
Plants — Yellow Archangel, Common Feather-moss, Small Balsam +18 more · last seen 2026; Plants — Yellow Archangel, Common Feather-moss, Small Balsam +18 more · last seen 2026
Free
🦋 Insect spotting
Strong match
Insects — Banded Demoiselle, Green-veined White, Red Admiral +36 more · last seen 2025; Insects — Banded Demoiselle, Green-veined White, Red Admiral +36 more · last seen 2025
Free
Deciduous woodland — fungi, berries and wild garlic
Varies
Trails nearby Within roughly 5 km 14 signed routes nearby · 6 public paths nearby
Signed route nearby Public paths
Old Railway & River Lea Walking route 7.9 km ▾
After a brief visit to the remains of Wheathampstead railway station, the walk follows the Ayot Greenway (route of the Permanent Way) to Ayot Green. The return journey follows the course of the River Lea.
Named route Length 7.9 km Round trip Local walking route
Show on map Lea Valley Walk Walking route ▾
Named route Point-to-point Regional walking route
Show on map Wheathampstead to Shaw's Corner Circular Walk, Shaw's Corner Walking route 12.2 km ▾
Mostly easy walking across established footpaths and fields. There are some steps along the route, and a steep gully at section 2. Assistance dogs only at Shaw's Corner.
Named route Length 12.2 km Duration 03:00 Round trip Local walking route
Show on map Above the Lea Valley Walking route 6.5 km ▾
From quiet woods to expansive views over the Lea valley, this walk includes Gustard Wood at the northern tip of Wheathampstead and the Grade I splendour of Mackerye End.
Named route Length 6.5 km Round trip Local walking route
Show on map Hertfordshire Way Walking route 267 km ▾
Long distance path
Named route Length 267 km Regional walking route
Show on map 101 signed routes nearby
Signed route nearby
NCN12 proposed rerouting Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref 12 National Cycle Network
Show on map Ayot Greenway Cycling route ▾
Route 12 Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref 12 National Cycle Network
Show on map Route 61 Cycling route 34 km ▾
Route 61 travels from Maidenhead to Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City and Hertford before arriving near Hoddesdon.
Named route Ref 61 Length 34 km National Cycle Network
Show on map NCN National Route 57 Cycling route ▾
Named route Ref 57 National Cycle Network
Show on map Chilterns Cycleway Cycling route ▾
Named route Round trip Regional cycle route
Show on map
Weather for this location Next 14 days Nearby places Useful places within 5 km
All Historic
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UK green spaces mapped from open public data — so anyone can find the woodland, trail, or nature reserve closest to them.
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Wildlife to spot
35,112 records · National Biodiversity Network
▾
Wildlife to spot 35,112 records · National Biodiversity Network Carrion Crow · Blue Tit · Robin · Jackdaw · Magpie +33
Carrion Crow Corvus corone Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus Robin Erithacus rubecula Jackdaw Coloeus monedula Magpie Pica pica Woodpigeon Columba palumbus Blackbird Turdus merula Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Great Tit Parus major Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus Water Rail Rallus aquaticus Snipe Gallinago gallinago Little Egret Egretta garzetta Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus Treecreeper Certhia familiaris Goldcrest Regulus regulus Song Thrush Turdus philomelos Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Canada Goose Branta canadensis Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Green Woodpecker Picus viridis Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Coal Tit Periparus ater Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti Siskin Spinus spinus Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Starling Sturnus vulgaris Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita Stock Dove Columba oenas House Martin Delichon urbicum Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus Jay Garrulus glandarius Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella 🦌 Mammals 2 species
autumn winter
2025 ▾
Grey Squirrel · Rabbit
Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus Banded Demoiselle · Common Darter · Southern Hawker · Broad-bodied Chaser · Brown Hawker +12
Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea Broad-bodied Chaser Libellula depressa Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis 7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata Deraeocoris (Deraeocoris) ruber Common Feather-moss · Small Balsam · Cock's-foot · False Oat-grass · Common Toadflax +3
Common Feather-moss Kindbergia praelonga Small Balsam Impatiens parviflora2025 Cock's-foot Dactylis glomerata2025 False Oat-grass Arrhenatherum elatius2025 Common Toadflax Linaria vulgaris2025 Hedge Bedstraw Galium album Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas
Wildlife to spot 35,112 records · National Biodiversity Network Carrion Crow · Blue Tit · Robin · Jackdaw · Magpie +33
Carrion Crow Corvus corone Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus Robin Erithacus rubecula Jackdaw Coloeus monedula Magpie Pica pica Woodpigeon Columba palumbus Blackbird Turdus merula Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Great Tit Parus major Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus Water Rail Rallus aquaticus Snipe Gallinago gallinago Little Egret Egretta garzetta Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus Treecreeper Certhia familiaris Goldcrest Regulus regulus Song Thrush Turdus philomelos Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Canada Goose Branta canadensis Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Green Woodpecker Picus viridis Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Coal Tit Periparus ater Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti Siskin Spinus spinus Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Starling Sturnus vulgaris Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita Stock Dove Columba oenas House Martin Delichon urbicum Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus Jay Garrulus glandarius Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella 🦌 Mammals 2 species
autumn winter
2025 ▾
Grey Squirrel · Rabbit
Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus Banded Demoiselle · Common Darter · Southern Hawker · Broad-bodied Chaser · Brown Hawker +12
Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea Broad-bodied Chaser Libellula depressa Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis 7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata Deraeocoris (Deraeocoris) ruber Common Feather-moss · Small Balsam · Cock's-foot · False Oat-grass · Common Toadflax +3
Common Feather-moss Kindbergia praelonga Small Balsam Impatiens parviflora2025 Cock's-foot Dactylis glomerata2025 False Oat-grass Arrhenatherum elatius2025 Common Toadflax Linaria vulgaris2025 Hedge Bedstraw Galium album Species observations from the last 10 years via NBN Atlas
Deraeocoris (Deraeocoris) ruber
Deraeocoris (Deraeocoris) ruber
Valenzuela atricornis Valenzuela atricornis
Valenzuela atricornis Valenzuela atricornis
Mycetophagus quadripustulatus Mycetophagus quadripustulatus
Mycetophagus quadripustulatus Mycetophagus quadripustulatus
Bembidion dentellum Bembidion dentellum
Bembidion dentellum Bembidion dentellum
Volucella pellucens Volucella pellucens
Volucella pellucens Volucella pellucens
Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis
Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis
Volucella inanis Volucella inanis
Volucella inanis Volucella inanis
Eupeodes corollae Eupeodes corollae
Eupeodes corollae Eupeodes corollae
Speckled Bush-cricket Leptophyes punctatissima
Speckled Bush-cricket Leptophyes punctatissima
Four-spotted Chaser Libellula quadrimaculata
Four-spotted Chaser Libellula quadrimaculata
Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis
Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis 2025
2025
Common Mouse-ear Cerastium fontanum2025
Common Mouse-ear Cerastium fontanum2025
Field Scabious Knautia arvensis2025
Field Scabious Knautia arvensis2025 