The diagrams below are taken from a leaflet previously published by Harpenden Town Council, St Albans City and District Council, Redbourn Parish Council, Dacorum Borough Council and Countryside Management Service. They are slightly out of date in some places but used here as a simple introduction to the Line and with updated section notes.
Harpenden Section:
Hemel Hempstead Section:
Section Notes (See numbered points on the diagram):
Harpenden is still considered by many as a large village which grew in size after the arrival of the railways. Harpenden at the turn of the century became increasingly attractive to London commuters but still retains much of its countryside feel with 250 acres of commons and greens.
A steep cutting joined the original branch line to the mainline railway to London and the Nickey Line starts off Hollybush Lane with a steep and high set of steps down to this attractive section of the Line. Cyclists may prefer to join the Nickey Line using the ramp at Ambrose Lane or from Moreton End Lane where access can be gained avoiding steps.
The platform, a former signal and a length of original rail can still be seen at the site of the Roundwood Halt on the edge of Harpenden. When the railway first opened, this area was entirely agricultural, but in the early 1900’s houses were built, creating sufficient demand for the Halt to be constructed and opened in 1927. This section was resurfaced with crushed concrete in 2022 with improved drainage and the (previously buried) rail section mounted.
Level access to the Line is available half way up Park Hill above Luton Road, at Roundwood itself and at 'Five Ways', the junction of 5 routes including the extension of Townsend Lane which joins a third of a mile or so from Roundwood. A 'Lost Rails Project' Interpretation Board is mounted there with old photos and information about the Harpenden section of the railway.
The Nickey Line runs through land used by Rothamsted Research for agricultural crop research. In the grassland areas alongside the Line here, which include 'scallops' especially opened up by Friends of the Nickey Line for greater habitat variety, look out for Salad Burnet, Marjoram, Wild Basil, Oxeye Daisy, Agrimony and Field Scabious in late spring and early summer. Listen here for the songs of Skylarks and Yellowhammers.
Part of the estate includes Knott Wood, an attractive Bluebell wood which can be seen from the path. Notice the Hazel and Hornbeam coppice in the woods and on either side of the Line. Regular cutting or coppicing of the Hazel increases habitat diversity, adding to the wildlife interest of the Nickey Line. Also pause to have a look at our Wildlife Interpretation Board on the Line opposite the wood.
Redbourn’s name is believed to derive from ‘reedy steam’. The village is steeped in history with its first settlers arriving after fleeing Caesar’s invasion of St Albans around 5O AD. Today Redbourn is an attractive village with a large common. One of the Nickey Line’s main stations was at Redbourn, along with a goods yard and sidings. The former goods yard has been developed into a pocket park by Redbourn Parish Council and has an original plaque mounted marking the opening of the Nickey Line as a cycle and walkway in 1985.
Coming from Harpenden, you will have had attractive views of the Ver valley on the right as you approach Redbourn Lane. The Ver Valley walk joins the Nickey Line for a short distance at Redbourn. The Line crosses the steel plate girder bridge over Redbourn High Street then the River Ver itself via a brick bridge.
A second 1985 commemorative plaque virtually identical to one mounted in the Millenium Park was recovered from the Ver below the Nickey Line bridge (see Point 4).
This more rural stretch of the line was home to Beaumont’s Halt, half a mile outside Redbourn. The M1 motorway (opened in 1959) passes over the Line near to the former Halt with the Line going through a long, (currently) fairly dark tunnel.
The path then runs through open countryside, after some 10 minutes passing "Owen's Sidings" (used to transport gravel from a nearby pit) and where you will see some brick remains of one of the Line's Platelayers Huts. See our 2023 PDF report from Friends Volunteer Alan Gahagan on these virtually forgotten Huts.
The path continues through pleasant and fairly level countryside to the edge of Hemel Hempstead at Cherry Tree Lane with its bridge over the Line. You can get up onto the road via a set of rough steps on the North East side. On the South West side you will see a commemorative plaque to Roger Green, one of our volunteers who did a huge amount of work on the Line before his untimely death in 1920.
A short distance from Cherry Tree Lane lies the site of the former Hemelite works, the last company to use the railway (to bring power station ash to be made in to breeze blocks).
The Nickey Line is now tarmacked from Cherry Tree Lane to Eastman Way, running past the normally empty flood reservoir to the South after leaving the Lane before coming into fairly recent housing developments on both sides. It crosses over Three Cherry Tree Lane using the original metal raft bridge with a steep access ramp on the North side.
On reaching Eastman Way, the Line is then diverted through the Eastman Way industrial area via the road. Follow the Nickey Line signs, including (eastwards direction pointing) yellow arrows on the ground, through the industrial area to where the path turns right just West of the (current) recycling centre to reach Redbourn Road.
Crossing the sometimes busy Redbourn Road with care, the Line (now on a new 2023 coloured chip tarmac surface) briefly travels through a small grassy park to reach Yew Tree Wood. This is one of a number of woods in Hemel Hempstead managed by Dacorum Borough Council. Named after the yew trees which line the edge of the path, the wood is an important wildlife habitat island in an otherwise built up area.
Turning left within the Wood, you rejoin the old rail route where the old road crossed the Line just north of Godwin's Halt and the Line was at its highest point. There was a cutting here, now filled in but the top of the bridge is still visible just above ground although somewhat worse for wear. There is also a Lost Rails Interpretation board here with Hemel Hempstead end photos and information.
The Line now descends on a pleasant walk with trees either side to pass under the low Fletcher Way Bridge and then over Queensway Road Bridge (used to be Highfield Lane Bridge).
The footpath and cycleway now continues from the bridge over Queensway, descending steps into Keen’s Field with the old embankment having been removed for housing. At the West side of Keens Field, the pathway splits - the South (left) branch is newer, narrow but fairly flat; the rail route can be found up steps to the top of the old embankment. Both routes go to the old road bridge at Adeyfield Road by the Midland Hotel, where the Line now finishes.
The railway once continued through Hemel Hempstead to Boxmoor across a viaduct over the Marlowes. With the closure of this part of the line in the 1950’s for the town redevelopment, the viaduct was demolished in 1960.
Harpenden Railway - bottom of Adeyfield Road showing railmotor. Railmotors first built 1904. copyright The Dacorum Heritage Trust Ltd
Also check out our What to See on the Nickey Line page.
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