Hemel Hempstead

Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire with a population of almost 100,000 (2011).

Understand

Developed after World War II as a new town, the town has existed as a settlement since the 8th century and has a picturesque old town and a fine Norman church. The new town centre is a planned shopping area with an indoor Mall called Marlowes Centre and an outdoor market. There is extensive, though not free, town centre parking. The town has the only real snow indoor ski centre in the south east.

"Magic Roundabout"

Officially named 🌍 The Plough and sometimes known as "Moor End Roundabout", a road roundabout made up of 6 small roundabouts arranged in a circle around a single large roundabout. Drivers either love or hate navigating it - in 2005 it was voted second worst roundabout in the UK (the "worst" being its sister roundabout in Swindon); yet by 2011 it was voted the best (in a different poll). Probably not something learner drivers look forward to at rush-hour!

Get in

By road

The town is served by the M1 and M25 motorways and the A41 and A414 trunk roads.

By train

🌍 Hemel Hempstead railway station, London Road, HP3 9BQ. It is 35 minutes away from London Euston. Trains go about every 20 minutes to and from Hemel Hempstead on Monday to Friday and about every 30 minutes on weekends. (updated Jun 2022)

Check the National Rail website before you go, as sometimes (especially on weekends) there is engineering work and trains are replaced by buses. Travelling is cheaper on weekdays after 9:30AM. The cheapest ticket for a single person is a Day Travelcard, which is around £14, and gets you into London and is valid for all Underground lines all day.

By bus

There are coaches to and from London and other towns as well as various airports. National Express coaches go direct to Luton, Heathrow and Stansted airports.

To go to/from Gatwick Airport, best go by train; you will have to change once, in Watford. For London City Airport, you will have to go to London by train, then take the Underground.

By air

The town is 11 miles from Luton Airport and 25 miles from Heathrow Airport.

By narrowboat

The Grand Union Canal passes close to the west of the town, and through the southern suburb of Apsley.

By bicycle

The town is on National Cycle Route 57 that runs from Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire to Farmington, Gloucestershire near Northleach.

Get around

There are local buses from the station to town centre and to the Jarman Park leisure complex; apart from that, everything in town is in walking distance.

Hertfordshire buses offer an 'Explorer' ticket which permits a maximum of 2 adults, 2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult with 3 children to unlimited travel for £7. It is often worth doing as it can save money even if you are on your own.

See

The Old Town has quite a few period buildings, including, pubs, shops and the Old Town Hall, giving it the feel of a 19th-century market town.

  • 🌍 St Mary's, . The Norman church was built from around 1140 and has an unusual 200-ft (61-m) tall spire, added in the 12th century, and one of England's tallest. 
  • The Grand Union canal. was the main trunk route from London to the Midlands 
  • 🌍 Boxmoor meadows, London Rd, Hemel Hempstead HP1 2RE, ☏ +44 1442 253300. a nature preserve to the south of the town. 
  • Nickey Line (7 mile footpath & cycleway). Railway fans can see the occasional small landmark that hints at where The Nicky Line used to run, a dismantled railway that once connected Hemel LNWR main line to Harpenden Midland Railway. 
  • 🌍 Frogmore Paper Mill (Paper Mill Museum), Fourdrinier Way, Apsley HP3 9RY, ☏ +44 1442 234600, . Every Th & 1st Su of each month 11AM-4PM. Celebrates the 200 years when the town was a centre for paper manufacture. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 🌍 Magic Roundabout. Hemel is famous (or perhaps notorious) for its "Magic Roundabout", an interchange where traffic from six routes meet in a series of mini roundabouts connected by a gyratory system. 

Do

Wander north up the Grand Union Canal, pass a few locks, and after about 15 minutes you will come to a pub called "The Three Horseshoes". It dates back to the 16th century, and in summer you can enjoy your beer sitting outside by the canal.

Go south for a couple of locks and you come to Apsley Lock marina. This has a canal side pub called "The Papermill" as well as waterfront restaurants and cafés.

Buy
  • 🌍 Town Market, Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead HP1 1BH. W-Sa 8AM-4PM. (updated Dec 2021)
  • 🌍 The Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 4TU. Pedestrianised shopping precinct. It has M&S, Primark, Wilkinsons, & TK Maxx. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 🌍 Riverside, Riverside, Hemel Hempstead HP1 1BT. Shopping centre. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 🌍 Asda, Hillfield Rd, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 4AA, ☏ +44 1442 212802. M-Sa 7AM-11PM, Su 10AM-4PM. Supermarket. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 🌍 Tesco, Jarman Way, Hemel Hempstead HP2 4JS, ☏ +44 345 677 9349. M-F 6AM-midight, Sa 6AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM. Supermarket, petrol & pharmacy (different hours), ATMs, Wi-Fi. (updated Jun 2017)

Eat
  • 🌍 K2 Balti House, 5 Two Waters Rd, Hemel Hempstead HP3 9BZ, ☏ +44 1442 239993, . Daily noon-2:30PM (last orders 2PM) & 5:30-11:30PM (last orders 11PM). Indian restaurant & take-away, one of the finest in the area. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 🌍 The Dragon Garden, 119-121 Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead HP1 1BB, ☏ +44 1442 233814. Chinese Cantonese restaurant. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 🌍 The Banana Leaf, 127-129 Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead HP1 1BB, ☏ +44 1442 244466. M-Th noon-3PM & 6AM-10PM, F Sa noon-3PM & 6AM-11PM, Su 12:30-10PM. Thai restaurant. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 🌍 The Three Horseshoes, Winkwell, Hemel Hempstead HP1 2RZ, ☏ +44 1442 862 585. M-Sa noon-11PM, Su noon-10:30PM. Moderately sized pub with restaurant, a good mix of menu items. Also have a specialist menu for gluten-free. The building dates back to the 16th century, and in summer there are outside seating, by the canal-side, letting the traveller see the boats that pass. (updated Apr 2018)

Drink

One pub to mention apart from the above "The Three Horseshoes" is the "Full House" in the town centre (on the corner of the Marlowes and Combe Street). Belonging to the Weatherspoon chain of pubs, it is situated in the building of the old cinema, and the decor is something to see!

Another canal side pub of note is "The Fisheries" in Boxmoor.

  • 🌍 The Steam Coach, 86 St Johns Rd, Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead HP1 1NP, ☏ +44 1442 244480. Pub: M-Th noon-23:00. F Sa noon-midnight, Su noon-11PM. Food: M-Th noon-3PM & 6-9PM, F Sa noon-9PM, Su noon-7PM. Pub & food. Celebrates a steam-powered coach which a local inventor built and drove to London. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 🌍 The Three Blackbirds, 194 St Johns Rd, Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead HP1 1NR, ☏ +44 1442 253523, . M-Th noon-11PM, F Sa noon-midnight, Su noon-11PM. Pub & food. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 🌍 The Old Bell, 51 High St, Hemel Hempstead HP1 3AF, ☏ +44 1442 252867. Pub: M-Th 11AM-11PM, F Sa noon-12:30AM, Su noon-11PM. Food: daily noon-10PM; last orders 9:45PM. Pub & Food; Parts built in 1615 but is on the site of even older inns. It contains some unusual French wallpaper dating back to 1821, which has been cleaned by the Victoria & Albert Museum. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 🌍 The White Lion, 44 London Rd, Apsley End, Hemel Hempstead HP3 9SB, ☏ +44 1442 211808, . M-Th 3-11PM, F Sa noon-midnight, Su noon-11PM. Pub & food. Free Wi-Fi. Free parking nearby (updated Jun 2017)
  • 🌍 Bricklayer's Arms, Hogpits Bottom, Flaunden HP3 0PH, ☏ +44 1442 833322. Su W Th noon-11PM, F Sa noon-midnight. Gastropub, excellent continental cuisine in 18th century country inn. (updated Jul 2020)

Sleep

There are many guest houses, a few B&Bs (usually £25 upwards), and a few hotels. Here's a list of the hotels closest to town centre:

Connect
  • 🌍 Post Office, 181-183 The Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead HP1 1BD. M-Sa 9AM-5:30PM, Su 10:30AM-2:30PM. (updated Jun 2017)

Go next
Routes through Hemel Hempstead
Milton Keynes ← Luton ←  N  S  → Watford → London
Aylesbury ← Berkhamsted ←  NW  SE  → Abbots Langley → Watford


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