Welcome to Northaw Great Wood.
Northaw Great Wood
Open all year round. Car park and toilets close at 5pm in the winter and 6pm in the summer
119 ha wood located in southern Hertfordshire. It has 3 routes
Park Information
This 120 hectare area was once part of a huge Norman wood stretching across most of the parish of Northaw. It is comprised of open bracken glades and wide rides with oak, hornbeam and birch woodland.
During the Second World War the woodland was included as part of the Outer London Anti-Tank Stop Line.
The yellow trail is 4.3km long and takes just over an hour to walk. The blue trail is about half that at 2.2km, and can be completed in around half an hour. The red trail is the shortest at 1.1km, and can be walked in under 20 minutes.
During Norman times the area would have been used to graze livestock, gather wood fuel and feed pigs. Its importance to biodiversity, therefore, lies in its history as wood pasture common – not as woodland.
In the 1950s and 60s it had populations of open woodland habitat birds, such as nightingale, tree pipit, wood warbler and redstart. Canopy closure and global warming have led to a complete disappearance of these birds as breeding species in Hertfordshire.
Friends of Northaw Great Wood are involved in works to maintain and restore the woodland. If you would like to learn more about their work or get involved please click here.
Entrances for pedestrians are off Carbone Hill and The Ridgeway in Cuffley.
On Site Facilities
- Car Park (Pay & Display)
- Dogs Welcome
- Toilets
How to get here
Parking:Entrance to the car park is on The Ridgeway.
Public Transport Information:Information on public transport is available here: www.intalink.org.uk and www.nationalrail.co.uk
Cycling:The wood has no dedicated trails for cycling, however, the Yellow trail is suitable for solo cyclists. This part of the trail is very narrow at the northern end.
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