Oxhey Woods
These peaceful woods near Watford have nice footpaths and a popular sculpture trail to follow. You can park at the Oxhey Woods car park off Oxhey Drive which runs through the centre of the woods. There are lots of trails in the woods but the main attraction is the excellent sculpture trail. Along the 1km trail you will find numerous carved wooden sculptures of the wildlife you can see in the area. Watch the video below to see the pieces being carved.
The woods are also a local nature reserve so look out for a variety of interesting flora and fauna. Plants includes bluebells, anemones and violets amongst the ancient woodland. There's also a rhododendron trail running through the southern section of the site near the sculpture trail. Wildlife includes the tiny pipistrelle bat and a variety of woodland birdlife.
The London Loop passes through the wood so there is scope for extending your walk in the area. If you head east the trail will take you to Harrow Weald Common, Bentley Priory Nature Reserve and Stanmore Common. The commons have nice woodland trails, heathland and wildlife including muntjac deer to look out for.
Postcode
HA6 3EY - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locationsOxhey Woods Ordnance Survey Map
- view and print off detailed OS map
Oxhey Woods Open Street Map
- view and print off detailed map
Oxhey Woods OS Map
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Oxhey Woods Open Street Map
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
Oxhey Woods Local Nature Reserve. One of six local nature reserves run by Three Rivers District Council, Oxhey Woods covers approximately 98 hectares (or, if it was square, an area of about one kilometre by one kilometre). Some of the woodland is quite ancient dating back to the last Ice Age some 10,000 years ago. The woods were designated as a nature reserve at the start of 1997.
London Loop in the woods. This footpath through Oxhey Woods is in Section 14 between Moor Park and Hatch End. It is marked with solid red diamonds on the Ordnance Survey's 1:50,000 scale mapping and by solid green ones on the 1:25,000 scale.
Hartsbourne Stream: Confluence with Oxhey Stream. The main watercourse here is Hartsbourne Stream, viewed looking upstream. Oxhey Stream joins it through the channel to the left. There is of course the mandatory rusting hulk of an old lawnmower engine in the bed.