Markyate · outdoors
Parkland at Markyate Cell and lanes into the Chilterns and Bedfordshire.
Walks are real; wayfinding is more fingerpost than visitor centre.
SANG (suitable alternative natural greenspace) arguments in the local plan are about this landscape. They are not abstract.
Mud, waymarks, a pint or a bus at the end, and whether the car park is a trap.
Markyate is small enough that an honest “best walks” list should admit gaps. These are the nearest Dacorum options we would actually send you to.
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01
Leighton Buzzard Road, Hemel Hempstead · Hemel Hempstead
Gadebridge is where the town holds Armed Forces Day, learns to ride a bike, and walks the dog into the water. Green Flag judged, civic by default, and the best free hour you can spend with children in central Hemel.
02
Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead · Hemel Hempstead
The Water Gardens are Hemel’s argument that New Towns could be beautiful. A canalised River Gade, listed status, a 2017 restoration. Lunchtime walk for The Forum; golden-hour photography for everyone else.
03
White Hill, Berkhamsted · Berkhamsted
William’s half-brother, Thomas Becket, a motte you can still scramble. Berkhamsted Castle is English Heritage, free to enter, and the first thing children should see when they get off the train. Combine with the canal and a High Street bun.
04
Monument Drive, near Aldbury · Berkhamsted
The essential Dacorum landscape. Start at the monument or at Aldbury, pick a colour of mud, and accept that summer Saturdays are communal. Bluebells in spring are famous for a reason; so are the car parks that fill by 10am.
05
Startops End, Marsworth / Tring · Tring
Dug for the canal, kept for the birds. Start at Startops End, pack binoculars if you have them, and budget longer than you think. Combine with a pint in Tring on the way home.
06
The Green, Aldbury · Tring
Aldbury is almost too photogenic, which is why you should still go, just not at 11am on a bank holiday if you need a parking space. Walk up to the monument or stay on the green. The pubs work harder than the film crews.
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