CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF WELWYN GARDEN CITY IN 2020

A circular walk around Welwyn Garden City

Our 20.20 km circular walk is proving to be a hugely popular commemoration of our town’s centenary year and leaves a legacy for years to come.

Celebrating Ebenezer Howard’s original vision of a ‘a marriage of town and country’ the route can be accessed from many points across the town to the beautiful countryside surrounding Welwyn Garden City.

Our walk leaflet is available below in downloadable format which is easy to print at home. Look out for our distinctive orange way markers.

The Route

The circular walk takes in some beautiful locations around Welwyn Garden City, including Stanborough Lakes, Mill Green, The Commons Nature Reserve, the site of the Panshanger Aerodrome, Tewin Bury, Digswell, Sherrardspark Woods, Brocket Hall and Lemsford.

Spokes radiate from the perimeter of the walk into the town to link with existing town trails, meaning you can do a section of the walk or all of it if you are feeling energetic!

There is a one mile accessible circular trail around The Commons and part of the Nature Reserve. Please note that access is via a gate which is unfortunately not suitable for mobility scooters.

Following the walk route

The walk is marked with our distinctive centenary waymarkers on the trail itself.

Printed leaflets, containing the illustrated map and information on places of historic interest, are available in some places in the town centre. You can download the leaflet in A4 format which is easy to print at home.

A section under the A1 can be prone to flooding and diversion signs are in place.

Two new information boards will be installed at Digswell car park and Stanborough Lakes later this year.

There has been a diversion route put in place due to flooding. Please download the PDF below:

Who has made the walk possible?

The project has been led by our team of enthusiastic volunteers – see below. They have worked tirelessly over the past 4 years, working with landowners, Herts County Council, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, local disability groups and local historians.

We would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support in making it possible.

We hope you enjoy the walk with family and friends and would love to see photos and feedback on social media.

You may also like to enjoy our four new walks celebrating our City of Trees.

Schools’ Photographic Competition 2020

16th November 2020

The WGC Centenary Schools Photographic Competition was the first event launched in 2017 to celebrate the centenary, organised by the WGC Photographic Club.

100 years of Welwyn Garden City…and what the next 100 years hold in store

22nd October 2020

Discover Hertfordshire magazine, published by Archant, has published a lovely four page article in this quarter’s edition. Read the introduction here and view the digital version online. Words by Ellie Fells.

Celebrating our City of Trees this autumn in our centenary year

2nd October 2020

One of the greatest pleasures of the town is the beauty and variety of the 19,000 trees in its streets and public places. Our City of Trees project is part of the centenary celebrations with four areas of the town chosen for their beauty and variety, some of which are seldom seen outside botanic gardens. What better time to explore and enjoy their beauty than autumn?

A photo of The Queen Mother with the WGC Mayor, Dennis Lewis

Golden Jubilee – was it really half a century ago?

14th August 2020

Memories of 1970 recalled in 2020 by Dr Dennis Lewis MBE

The English Garden Cities – A World Heritage Site?

4th August 2020

One of our signature projects is an international symposium now scheduled to take place on 22 and 23 April 2021.

Graeme Bell on the initiative to secure World Heritage Site status for the two English – and pioneering – Garden Cities

Welwyn Garden City’s Famous Town Plan

11th June 2020

Welwyn Garden City is arguably one of the most beautiful and certainly the best planned towns in England. The man responsible for the much of what we see in the City was Louis de Soissons, its Chief Architect and Town Planner for 42 years – from its inception in 1920 till his death in 1962.

David Harrison

Deborah Kirby

Jan Kitchin

Clare McIntyre

Diana Walsh

Pat Wells

WELWYN GARDEN CITY CENTENARY FOUNDATION LTD. 51 Valley Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 7DH

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Disclaimer

The Foundation can accept no responsibility for the organisation or regulation of any satellite events arranged to mark the centenary of Welwyn Garden City. This includes but is not limited to public liability insurance, health and safety issues (including risk assessments, Performance Licenses and safeguarding of children or vulnerable adults), transport, hiring of facilities, and any costs associated. The use of the Foundation name and logo does not infer any specific oversight or involvement of the Foundation unless stated.”

WGC Centenary Foundation Ltd.