Spin-off 1

Hertford to Stansted
Hilliness
Undulating
Ride Conditions
Excellent
Good
Unsurfaced
Percent Off-road
20%
Distance
19.6 miles
Signed
NCN 11, 16

Tags

Description

I tinkered with CyOrb in November 2020, by adding a new Spinoff 11 to link to NCN 6 at Leighton Buzzard, retaining the original as Spinoff 11b. That exposed another underserved area the other side of '12 o'clock' - the fine countryside of NE Herts. Spinoff 1* restores symmetry, but more importantly links to NCN11 for Cambridge and NCN16 to Braintree - both important and excellent largely offroad routes.

Not only that, to my great surprise two fine offroad sections lay waiting to be discovered on this ride - including a rail trackbed not mapped as byway or permissive path, but welcoming of cyclists. This may have been missed had I not recce'd southwards from Stansted Mountfitchet. But to the route itself:

From Hertford North take the offroad option to the junction 0.6; straight on for town centre and Arc 1, L up Port Hill then R through iron gates and onto a shared use footpath (care and courtesy) climbing Hartham Bank park to 1.3 Bengeo's charming Norman church. Descend back to the Lee Navigation, past the atmospheric remains of 1.9 Ware Park's water mill complex. Over the water lies Arc 1 as it passes 2.1 the abstraction point for the New River; this route climbs up to pass over the A10 Ware bypass and enter the town via Glaxo Smith Kline's research facilities.

Take the B1004 3.8 to climb out of Ware up over a bluff above the River Ash (panorama!), then down to the valley, where at 5.3 R into Easneye Farms  the trackbed of the old Ware to Buntingford branch line awaits. This is not a public route but is open and welcoming at both ends. Enjoy (respectfully) I say!

Rejoin the road 7.1. The rail line continues towards Hadham, and mapping suggested it was cycleable on bridleways, but the recce confirmed otherwise; you must climb out of the valley through 8.1 Widford, but on descent 8.7 there's a second section of fine offroad route in woodland on the margins of the Ash valley. Above the valley at this point and a short detour to Perry Green, is the Henry Moore Studios and Gardens, open April to October.

Rejoining the road 10 and pass into Much Hadham via a ford. The back road takes you past 10.9 the fine church, but bypasses the main street with its wealth of attractive housing - sadly part obscured by parked cars. The rest of the route is on increasingly quiet minor roads through pleasant farmland, with occasional pargetted or half-timbered and thatched farmhouses.

Three junction points to note: at 13.2 Little Hadham R for Bishop's Stortford (with some cycling protection from traffic on the A120); before Stansted Mountfitchet at the very sharp RH turn 18.4, L to pick up NCN 11 to Cambridge, and then 18.9 B1383 Pines Hill R for Birchanger and NCN 16. Once past Stansted Airport this route picks up a rail trackbed - the Flitch Way - via Great Dunmow to the rail terminus at Braintree.

The spinoff destination here however is L for Stansted Mountfitchet, with the final reward of passing 19.3 an excellent windmill before taking a train back to the metrop.

* The original is now Spinoff 1b, largely shadowing NCN1, and in any case in CyOrb terms largely a component of Spinoff 1-2-3, the Essex Outer Arc, Hoddesdon to Rainham.

Route
Ware Park watermill remains: Spinoff 1
Private but open rail trackbed: Spinoff 1
Entering Much Hadham offroad: Spinoff 1
Winding through NE Herts: Spinoff 1