Sherrardspark Wood is a 74.9 hectare (185.1 acre) biological and geological, site of Special Scientific Interest

Site of Special Scientific Interest

A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...

 in Welwyn Garden City

Welwyn Garden City

-Economy:Ever since its inception as garden city, Welwyn Garden City has attracted a strong commercial base with several designated employment areas. Among the companies trading in the town are:*Air Link Systems*Baxter*British Lead Mills*Carl Zeiss...

, Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...

. The site was notified in 1986 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom and was implemented to comply with the Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds...

 and is currently managed by the Country Trust as a Nature Reserve.

It has a number of walks through the wood, one of which used to follow the disused Luton

Luton

Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....

/Dunstable

Dunstable

Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...

 branch line from Welwyn Garden City railway station

Welwyn Garden City railway station

Welwyn Garden City railway station serves the town of Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, England. The station is approximately north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line. Welwyn Garden City station is managed and served by First Capital Connect.-History:A station named Welwyn...

. This line closed in the 1970s and runs from the White Bridge on Digswell Road west and then north to the Great North Road next to the A1(M) motorway, close to the Red Lion pub. The trail continues from Ayot St Peter

Ayot St Peter

Ayot St Peter is a village and civil parish in the Welwyn Hatfield district of Hertfordshire, England, about two miles north-west of Welwyn Garden City. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 166. The village is near Ayot St Lawrence....

 on the other side of the motorway along Ayot Greenway

Ayot Greenway

The Ayot Greenway is a rail trail which extends from Ayot St. Peter, just west of Welwyn Garden City and the A1 Motorway to Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire...

.