How to get there
Download the PDF below for a map and details about paths and gates, refreshments, toilets, entrances and how to get there by:
How to get to Heartwood Forest (PDF)
Cycle routes:
Bus timetables:
Train timetable:
Timetable of trains to St Albans
By Car:
The car park is situated off the B651, the main road that runs from Sandridge to Wheathampstead. The nearest postcode is AL4 9DQ and there is a brown tourist sign pointing into the car park from the main road.
The car park is open from the following times:
Month Opening times
January to February 8am-5pm
March - Greenwich Mean Time 8am-6pm
- British Summer Time 8am-8pm
April to September 8am-8pm
October - British Summer Time 8am-7pm
- Greenwich Mean Time 8am-5pm
November to December 8am-5pm
Notes to help you when visiting Heartwood Forest
When you first arrive at Heartwood Forest, it may seem like the site is only open farmland and that there is not much to look at in terms of woodland. However, there is more there than first meets the eye. There are three blocks of ancient woodland totalling 44 acres. This habitat is the UK’s equivalent of the rainforest, supporting more species that any other UK landscape.
The ancient woods at Heartwood Forest, are superb examples of oak and hornbeam woodland, and if you visit in the spring you will see impressive displays of bluebells and wood anemones. If lucky, you may also see buzzards circling above the woods, hunting for food.
There are some new hedges which have been planted, and you will also see some really old hedges containing hazel, field maple, blackthorn and hawthorn which are an important feature for both wildlife and the landscape. As you walk around, catch the great views back to Sandridge village and the tower of St Leonard church.
Given that we will be planting the wood in a number of stages, we will continue to farm many of the fields for several years. We ask that you please only access these areas and not those under crops.
Every year, in October, approximately 170 acres of new land will be made available for tree planting and public access. The current areas you can access provide a link from the Hertfordshire way at Sandridge through to Nomansland common, and takes in the areas of ancient woodland.