Countryside & Rights of Way Service

Countryside & Rights of Way Service Countryside & Rights of Way provides land management advice, environmental conservation & Rights of Way management.

Much of what we achieve is thanks to our incredible volunteers. The Countryside Management Service works with communities in Hertfordshire to help them care for and enjoy the environment. We do this by:

• Encouraging people to get involved in looking after their local countryside or park by offering a range of voluntary opportunities, from practical conservation to leading Health Walks.

• Provi

ding advice to landowners or managers helping them to look after their land with wildlife in mind. Helping a range of people from individual land owners to community groups source and secure funding for landscape improvement and conservation work.

• Promoting outdoor recreation through organising events such as guided walks, and working with groups to develop walk and cycle routes to link towns and villages to their surrounding countryside

Another lovely Friday at the beautiful Nomansland Common last week. The team w**ded and mulched the planted hedge as wel...
23/06/2026

Another lovely Friday at the beautiful Nomansland Common last week. The team w**ded and mulched the planted hedge as well as finishing off the new posts and discs for the circular walk. Wildlife highlights were this beautiful Common Spotted Orchid and lots of buzzards. We were also treated to a glorious model aircraft display during our tea break. Thank you everyone for your hard work in the heat.


St Albans City and District Council

Your Tree Our Future is back for 2026!If you want free trees or hedgerow packs, you can now order them for December.Your...
23/06/2026

Your Tree Our Future is back for 2026!

If you want free trees or hedgerow packs, you can now order them for December.

Your Tree Our Future is a collaborative project delivered by the county council, district and borough councils and voluntary sector partners. It is designed to enable Hertfordshire's residents and community groups to plant trees on land you own or manage.

During its first four years, over 16,000 residents have taken part and planted more than 287,000 trees. In 2026 we are making a further 100,000 trees available.

Further information, including species available, can be found here: https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/recycling-waste-and-environment/countryside-management/news-and-campaigns/tree-giveaway.aspx

Yesterday, our amazing volunteers were out inforce at Ivel Springs Local Nature Reserve, Baldock.The meadow was looking ...
19/06/2026

Yesterday, our amazing volunteers were out in
force at Ivel Springs Local Nature Reserve, Baldock.
The meadow was looking particularly fine, and a lot of
effort went into keeping it that way. The cows will be
returning soon to help keep the grassland in tip top
condition and the volunteers were replacing rotten
fence posts to make sure they are secure in the
meadow. The volunteers also managed to clear many
of the paths and benches, clear around the newly
planted hedges, fix the interpretation panel, install a
bollard and remove developing scrub from the meadow.
Pretty good achievement for a rather warm day.
Thanks everyone.

The largest turnout of the year so far with the Tuesday volunteers at Hartham Common this week! 26 merry volunteers set ...
17/06/2026

The largest turnout of the year so far with the Tuesday volunteers at Hartham Common this week! 26 merry volunteers set about balsam pulling, meadow scything, step repairs, path clearance, waymarker post replacement, and removing mares tail from near to the grazing compartment. If you think of Hartham as just being the flat sports fields next to the leisure centre, go explore this East Herts Council gem as it has some fantastic hidden corners and lots of surrounding footpaths to explore on the Beyond Hartham Common walking routes (link below). Thanks to everyone who came out to help.

It was a tad rainy for the volunteers last Thursday, who were spread across Hitchin and Baldock. The Hitchin folks retu...
15/06/2026

It was a tad rainy for the volunteers last Thursday, who were spread across Hitchin and Baldock. The Hitchin folks returned to Purwell Meadows to finish off the fence they had started the week before. The Baldock volunteers were at Weston Hills, where they installed a new bench and removed some of the smaller scrub in the cattle field. Another group helped to clear Weston Bridleway 1 and Baldock 22, both paths being the Icknield Way. The orchids are beginning to look mighty fine at Weston Hills.

The Wednesday volunteers found themselves a little damp this week, both from the sky and the ground! The amazing team re...
11/06/2026

The Wednesday volunteers found themselves a little damp this week, both from the sky and the ground! The amazing team replaced dozens of fenceposts and cut back fallen willows off the fences at the Withey Beds this week. It was notably damper underfoot after all of the rain the past week. Despite the heavens opening at midday, we completed the job and saw some glorious dragonflies to top it off, all while still smiling! Thank you everyone for a wonderful day.

Balsam bashing in Waterford for the Tuesday volunteers this week. This invasive non-native species, despite its attracti...
11/06/2026

Balsam bashing in Waterford for the Tuesday volunteers this week. This invasive non-native species, despite its attractive pink flowers, is an unwelcome plant that takes over riverbanks, outcompeting native species and increasing riverbank erosion due to its shallow roots. The volunteers pull out the plants by the root, snap the stems, pile them up, then squash the whole pile to kill off the plants. Here at Waterford, their efforts over recent years appear to be bearing fruit, with much less balsam present than previously. They will be back later in the month to do more. Thank you everyone who came out and to Crown Topiary for providing parking and access to the river.

Thank you to our splendid volunteers, who were at Purwell Meadows in Hitchin last Thursday, during carrying out a myri...
09/06/2026

Thank you to our splendid volunteers, who were at Purwell Meadows in Hitchin last Thursday, during carrying out a myriad of different tasks to help improve the nature reserve. One team were replacing a section of post and rail fence at the entrance to the meadows, another was replacing some rotten posts on the perimeter fence, to secure the cattle in the field when they arrive back soon. There was also a fair amount of Himalayan Balsam to pull and a couple of gates to repair. Fabulous contribution by all, thanks again.

We had another lovely Friday spent looking after our planted hedgerows in St Albans. This time we were at Foxcroft and C...
09/06/2026

We had another lovely Friday spent looking after our planted hedgerows in St Albans. This time we were at Foxcroft and Camp open spaces to w**d and mulch the hedgerows that were planted a few years ago.

St Albans City and District Council

The Wednesday group experienced some particularly miserable weather this week, but all credit to them for not being mise...
04/06/2026

The Wednesday group experienced some particularly miserable weather this week, but all credit to them for not being miserable themselves!

We were at Bishops Wood in Rickmansworth, for some urgent work to redirect the permissive footpath away from a failing tree, with vegetation cleared, waymarking installed, and the old path blocked off. There was also time to remove some old deer fencing, as well as to carry out some birch regen removal and bracken bruising.

Bracken bruising can be a great low-tech job, requiring only a sturdy stick and a volunteer, perhaps with some frustration to vent in a productive manner. Rather than pulling up or cutting the bracken, the stems are partially crushed, which 'tricks' the plant into pumping its root reserves up the stem to repair the damage, with the sap leaking out and starving it of energy. This can slow and prevent further bracken growth which can otherwise rapidly outcompete all other ground species and acidify woodland soil.

Address

Farnham House, Six Hills Way
Stevenage
SG12ST

Telephone

+441992588433

Website

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