A self-guided audio walk

Hertford

From the oldest Quaker meeting house in use to a castle of queens and captive kings

Hertford is older than England's shires, and it shows. In an hour and a quarter you'll follow the town from its railway back to the ford that gave it its name, and on to the castle where a queen died, a French king was held captive and a twelve-year-old princess wrote to her father.

1.4 mi2.3 km loop

60–75minutes

11stops

Audionarration

Start at Hertford East station. The map follows you, and each stop's story plays as you arrive. Narrated in the filmmaker's own voice, recreated with AI.

Before you go

Getting there

Start outside Hertford East station, at the end of the line from London Liverpool Street. If you come to Hertford North instead (trains from Moorgate and King's Cross), it's about fifteen minutes' walk to the start, or you can join the loop at stop 7, Old Cross, which is closer, and walk on round from there. The walk ends in the castle grounds, about ten minutes' walk from Hertford East.

Your phone

Tap Save for offline before you set off, in case the signal drops. Keep the screen on while you walk: the page keeps it awake for you, and the map uses your location only on your phone. Headphones, or one earbud, make the narration easier to hear on The Wash and Mill Bridge, which carry through traffic.

Opening times

The streets and the outsides of every building can be seen at any time. The castle grounds are a free public park, usually open every day from early morning until dusk; the gatehouse itself is the Town Council's offices and opens to visitors only on event days. Hertford Museum is free and open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and Sunday, 12 to 4pm. The Quaker Meeting House is a working place of worship, and the Shire Hall a working court, so please look from outside. Check hertfordmuseum.org and hertford.gov.uk before you go.

Access, toilets and safety

The ground

Flat all the way, on pavements, pedestrian streets and the paved and gravel paths of the castle grounds, with no steps on the route. Some pavements are narrow, especially in Bull Plain and on Mill Bridge, and some paths in the castle grounds are uneven. Hertford Museum has a platform lift between its floors.

Toilets and food

Public toilets on The Wash, beside the Six Templars pub, a few steps from the castle gates. Hertford Museum has accessible toilets and baby changing when it's open. There are cafés all along Maidenhead Street and Fore Street, a riverside café at BEAM by Mill Bridge, and pubs at stops 5 and 6.

Traffic

Railway Street and Bull Plain carry traffic, and The Wash, Mill Bridge, Old Cross and Parliament Square carry the B158 through the town. Use the crossings, keep children close on Mill Bridge, and watch for delivery vans in the pedestrian streets. The route keeps well away from Gascoyne Way, the busy dual carriageway.

For families: Spot it!

Every stop has one thing to find. Tap Spotted it when you've seen it, and see how many you've found at the end. Some are easy. One or two are not.

Walk complete

If you have more time:

Sources and credits

Facts were checked against the sources below. Where they disagree, or a story is only tradition, the narration says so.