Markyate · shops
Essentials in the village; everything else is a short drive.
That is village life, not a failure of ambition.
Luton and Hemel are both realistic. Pick based on which road is angry today.
Independents first. Anchors listed when they keep the street alive.
Markyate is small enough that an honest “best independent shops” list should admit gaps. These are the nearest Dacorum options we would actually send you to.
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01
Chesham Road / airfield, Bovingdon · Bovingdon
The market is Bovingdon’s export. Go for stalls, not for a curated food-hall narrative. Cash still helps. The village high street takes the overflow of people who also needed a chemist.
02
St John’s Well Lane, Berkhamsted · Berkhamsted
Not independent, obviously. Still the civic supermarket: parking, a canal crossing, the difference between a high street that works and one that does not. Pair with the independents rather than instead of them.
03
Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead · Hemel Hempstead
The Marlowes is not fashionable and it is still where a lot of Hemel actually shops. Market days, the library, buses, and the walk down to the Water Gardens. Regeneration schemes will keep arriving; the test is whether independents can afford to stay.
More from the directory: Markyate Fish Bar & Kebab HouseMarkyate Grill at Fusion FoodsMarkyate Cricket & Football Club
Planning
Supplementary Planning Documents for the HGC area are now adopted. They will guide neighbourhoods, infrastructure and the long argument about how Hemel grows north.
25 June 2026