Town desk

Berkhamsted

Castle, canal and a serious high street

Not a Hemel suburb

A Chiltern market town in the Bulbourne valley, known for Berkhamsted Castle, the Grand Union Canal and one of Hertfordshire’s strongest independent high streets.

Best in Berkhamsted New to Berkhamsted What’s on

From the desk

Hemel Hempstead civic landscape around the Water Gardens

Politics

Dacorum to join a new West Hertfordshire council in 2028

Whitehall has confirmed four unitary authorities for Hertfordshire. From April 2028, Dacorum and St Albans will share a single council: with shadow elections in May 2027.

16 July 2026

Ashridge House: the countryside setting that underpins western Dacorum’s property market

Local News

Dacorum property: commuter premiums, village scarcity and a wall of planned homes

Berkhamsted and Tring still command Chiltern prices. Hemel remains the volume market. The next shock is Hemel Garden Communities.

22 August 2026

St Peter’s Berkhamsted, in a town with both state and independent schools

Education

Dacorum schools: the map parents actually need

Secondary places in Hemel, Berkhamsted and Tring run on Hertfordshire rules, not borough branding. Here is the landscape before you open the application form.

18 August 2026

Environment

The Grand Union is Dacorum’s other high street

From Kings Langley through Apsley, Boxmoor and Berkhamsted, the towpath is commute, gym, nature reserve and pub crawl.

15 August 2026

Berkhamsted town centre, covered by the D01 neighbourhood team

Crime

How Hertfordshire Police actually covers Dacorum

Four neighbourhood teams, a public crime map, and a messaging service called Herts Connected. Here is how to read them without the press-office gloss.

12 August 2026

The Bridgewater Monument on the Ashridge Estate

Environment

Ashridge in high summer: monument queues, bluebell memories and a 5,000-acre public estate

The National Trust woods above Berkhamsted and Aldbury are Dacorum’s greatest outdoor asset. They are also busier than they look on a Tuesday in February.

8 August 2026