Capability Brown Walk, Hatfield Forest

This easy circular walk explores a corner of Hatfield Forest, one of the finest surviving medieval hunting forests in England and now cared for by the National Trust. Starting from the Forest Café, the route heads out along broad woodland rides shaded by veteran oaks and hornbeams, quickly leaving the visitor hub behind for a quieter interior of coppices and grassy plains.

The path threads past Gravelpit Coppice, one of the enclosed woods that give the forest its distinctive patchwork character, before opening out towards The Warren. Here the landscape softens into rougher grazing ground, a reminder of the working history of the forest. Underfoot the going is straightforward, with modest undulations totalling around 72 m of ascent across the loop.

Returning through the wider expanse of Hatfield Forest, you may spot fallow deer among the trees or hear woodpeckers overhead. Nearby features such as Portingbury Hills, Shermore Brook and the surrounding coppices of Round, Collin's and Elgin reward anyone keen to extend the outing. Allow around 45 minutes at a steady pace.