Watford to Rye House: Saturday Adventure Ride

Our second Saturday Adventure Ride of 2024 is the second half of National Cycle Route 61, from Watford to Rye House in Hertfordshire. This is a train-assisted ride and a full day out.

** Please read the ride description carefully.**

Travel Arrangements

We will travel to Watford Junction on London Overground. From Ealing, the nearest station is Stonebridge Park, or you could use the service from Acton Central and connect at Willesden Junction. We will be taking the train which departs Stonebridge Park at 09.19am. If you want to join it at another station, you can see the timetable here:- https://content.tfl.gov.uk/watford-junction-to-euston-london-overground-timetable-dec-to-june-2024.pdf . Contactless payment is valid on this service.

Our return journey is from Rye House near Hertford to Liverpool Street. This is a Greater Anglia service with two trains per hour and a journey time of 38 mins. You can see the timetable here https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/media/12665/download?inline. A standard single fare is £13.20; discounts might be available. * Please prebook your tickets if possible. *

The Ride

Most of our route is on traffic- free trails or quieter country roads, generally with good surfaces and easy gradients, with a couple of sharper climbs in the first section of the ride to St Albans. There are some short sections on segregated cycle tracks at the side of busier roads. The final section on the Lea Navigation has a rougher surface in places.

From Watford, we ride on quiet roads and tracks through Bricket Wood to St Albans. We will pause in Verulamium Park to view the Roman ruins and the Mediaeval cathedral, and have a refreshment stop.

Riding on, we follow the lovely Alban Way and Cole Green Way, traffic- free disused railway lines, which give us an easy-going ride, skirting Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City, to bring us into Hertford for a mid-afternoon café stop.

The last section of the ride is along the Lea Valley, as far as Rye House, where we will take the train to Liverpool Street and then make our way home.

Train-assisted ride following National Cycle Network Route 61, from Watford to Rye House.

Traffic-free trails, quiet country roads, riverside track.

Stop in St Albans to view Roman ruins in Verulamium Park, Cathedral, and cafe. Mid afternoon refreshment stop in Hertford.

Money/card for rail fares and refreshments. Lock for your bike. Plenty of water & snacks to keep you going between stops.

First-timers welcome!