(S) 1. Start on Chipperfield Common at pub sign facing Two Brewers Inn. Turn right to cross over the road (The Common) and into Kings Lane, signed Kings Langley.
Follow Kings Lane for 250 yards staying on the right hand side pavement - crossing over the entrance to two residential roads on the way. As the road turns sharp left, turn right, signed Public Footpath, into a cul-de-sac, with five houses to the right and hedgerow to the left.
Go straight on to a gate and cross a stile to the right of it. Then follow the path straight across a large field. and after 500 yards along an isolated line of trees. Just past the last tree veer half left and follow the worn path across the field to a gate.
(1) Exit the field and immediately turn right onto a footpath downhill with the road to the left and below. Near the bottom of the descent the path follows a pavement, then (after the entrance to The Grove) merges with the road for a short distance as it narrows. The next 175 yards are on the road. Be careful and cross over as soon as the pavement appears on the left hand side. Continue along the LHS pavement (Chipperfield Road) as it climbs out of the valley past houses to your left hand side and over the A41 after 650 yards.
(2) Immediately over the A41 turn right to cross over Chipperfield Road and through a wooden pedestrian gate (by a metal gate), signed Public Footpath, and follow a track downhill. At the bottom turn left with the path. After another 500 yards a path to the left leads to the Old Palace Pub (at 1.7 miles), ignore this path and continue straight on.
(3) The path comes out onto a residential road (Archer Close). Go straight on along the road, and after a few yards as it turns left, veer right (by a no cycling sign) onto a footpath between houses and follow it to Kings Langley High Street, next to the Rose & Crown public house. Turn left along the High Street staying on the pavement on the left hand side.
(4) After 160 yards, turn right to cross over, using the pelican crossing. Then left and past the Saracens Head Pub. After passing the next building turn right, between buildings, signed Public Footpath 26. After 160 yards and immediately past a football pitch, turn left at a crossroads of footpaths, signed Public Footpath 25.
The path comes out at a junction of roads. Turn right along Blackwell Road for just a few yards, then cross over at first house, turn left past bench and right into Mill Lane. When Mill Lane starts to turn right, turn left to cross over and into Tooveys Mill Close. After just a few yards turn right, past some bollards, and towards the canal. Cross the footbridge over the canal.
Go down the steps and turn left, under the footbridge and along the Grand Union Canal Towpath. The canal will be to your right hand side. After 180 yards the towpath passes Kings Langley Lock and soon after approaches a road bridge (Water Lane). DO NOT follow the towpath under the bridge, instead turn left to follow a path up to the road. Then stay left along Water Lane.
(5) After 180 yards, at the junction with Primrose Hill, veer left then turn right to cross over into Toms Lane. Take extreme care as the pavement is almost no existent. Follow Toms Lane, soon under a railway bridge, and uphill for 200 yards. Turn right into a cul-du-sac, still Toms Lane, now running parallel to the main lane.
(6) As the cul-du-sac turns back to re-join the main lane, turn right and go through a metal kissing gate, next to a wooden fence, signed Public Footpath. Follow the footpath, firstly between gardens, then along the right hand side of a field. After 300 yards turn sharp left onto wide track (on maps this track is named Sheppeys Lane). Follow Sheppeys Lane for 0.9 miles.
(7) Then on approaching a wood, turn left on a path through the wood (at 4.25 miles) and eventually leading to a recreation ground. Cross the recreation ground, passing a children’s play area and then right to exit, by a soccer pitch, onto Meadow Way. Turn left along the pavement. On reaching a T-junction, cross straight over and turn right along the pavement (now Toms Lane).
(8) At the end of Toms Lane, veer left to a zebra crossing. Cross Bedmond High Street via the crossing and turn left along the pavement. After another 230 yards turn right, before Tin Church, into Sergehill Lane. Within a short distance pass the White Hart Inn (closed 2009) on your right and after just another 100 yards at a Y-junction stay left into St Albans Lane which after 300 yards becomes Bedmond Lane.
(9) Follow this narrow and enclosed country lane for another 0.8 miles to where it passes under the M1 motorway (at 6 miles). Take Care as there is no pavement. After another 500 yards go straight on at a crossroads past Potters Crouch Farm, staying on Bedmond Lane as far as The Holly Bush pub. In front of the pub turn right into Ragged Hall Lane, soon past East Farm. 0.65 miles after the Holly Bush pub we pass Furzebushes Lane to our right hand side and Park Wood to our left hand side.
After another 200 yards, and at the end of Park Wood, turn left past a wooden gate onto a path, signed Public Footpath to King Harry Lane (DO NOT take the track into the wood). Follow the path around to the left and along the edge of the wood.
(10) After 400 yards, the path leads to a footbridge over the A414. Cross over the footbridge. Continue along the path keeping the wood to your left hand side. On reaching the corner of the wood turn left with the wood still to your left hand side. After just 50 yards, turn right on a footpath directly away from the wood and downhill, across a large field. In the distance you get a good view of St Albans. At the bottom go through a hedge. Follow the path left through a grassy area and then right to a cul de sac.
(11) Stay straight on, along the pavement at the end of the cul de sac, onto a path between houses. The path cuts straight through, crossing roads and between houses, and after 0.48 miles leads to King Harry Lane.
(12) Cross over the road using the pelican crossing. At the opposite side turn right and then left onto a path away from the road and leading downhill, soon over a footbridge, and along the Roman Wall of Verulamium Park. After 570 yards the path through the park leads past a lake to your left hand side and then over a bridge across the River Ver.
(13) Immediately over the river turn right in front of Ye Olde Fighting Cocks pub. Continue along the river, keeping it to the right, and past wooden bollards into the grounds of the Abbey. (DO NOT take the footpath to the left or the private road to the right). Go straight on along the grass path through the lower grounds, with the Abbey on the hill to your left. Then follow the path as it becomes enclosed and leads to a road (Grove Road).
(14) Turn right along Grove Road to a T-junction with Holywell Hill. Turn right along the pavement to cross over the River Ver and then over the entrance to Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre. Turn left and cross over the road (Holywell Hill) via the pelican crossing. St Albans Abbey Station is just a few yards to the right.(E)
