Borehamwood

Borehamwood and its neighbouring village of Elstree, both in Hertfordshire, are home to Elstree Studios, BBC Elstree Centre and Sky Studios Elstree. They lie to the north of Edgware and Barnet in North London.

Understand

Elstree was a coaching town on the roman road: Watling Street [the A5 renumbered A5183].

Get in

By car

Borehamwood lies near several motorways and major A roads, with connections to destinations throughout London, the East of England, and the rest of the country. Elstree Studios and BBC Elstree Centre lie close to Shenley Road and the Elstree Way, which has a direct connection to the dual-carriageway.

From London, follow for Borehamwood or for Elstree. Borehamwood is signposted from these major routes, which connect the town with London destinations including the City of London, the West End, Finchley and Mill Hill.

From Barnet, follow from Barnet Hospital to meet the at Stirling Corner. The runs along Borehamwood's southern boundary, with the along the eastern edge.

From Watford, follow then signs on the into Elstree and Borehamwood.

From Stevenage, Peterborough and The North, follow then to Borehamwood.

From Hemel Hempstead, Luton including Luton Airport, Milton Keynes and The Midlands, use . Exit at Junction 5 and join the southbound (second exit). Join the towards Borehamwood, which is signposted.

From Heathrow Airport and The South West, use London Orbital Motorway clockwise. Exit at Junction 23 Bignells Corner/South Mimms Services to join southbound to Borehamwood (fifth exit).

From Waltham Cross, Dartford Crossing and Essex including Stansted Airport, use London Orbital Motorway anticlockwise. Exit at Junction 23 Bignells Corner/South Mimms Services to join southbound to Borehamwood (second exit).

By train

1 Elstree & Borehamwood station is in Borehamwood town centre. The station is in London travelcard zone 6. You can use Oyster and Contactless cards at this station, valid for travel from stations in London and Radlett in Hertfordshire. You can also use Contactless cards to get to Elstree & Borehamwood from St Albans, Harpenden and Luton Airport. Thameslink runs trains which call at this station.

During the daytime, there are direct trains to Elstree & Borehamwood from destinations throughout London, the South East and the East of England, including London St Pancras International, Farringdon, London Bridge, West Hampstead Thameslink, Elephant and Castle, Wimbledon, Sutton, Deptford, Rainham (Kent), St Albans City, Luton Airport Parkway and Luton.

Overnight, there are direct trains to Elstree & Borehamwood from several destinations including London St Pancras International, Farringdon, London Bridge, West Hampstead Thameslink, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, St Albans City, Luton Airport Parkway, Luton and Bedford.

By bus

Several bus routes connect Borehamwood with surrounding destinations in Hertfordshire and neighbourhoods in London:

• 107 from Edgware Bus Station or New Barnet Station via High Barnet Station and Barnet Hospital. A London Bus as part of the Transport for London (TfL) network. You can use Oyster and Contactless cards to pay your fare. Interchange with London Underground  NOR  at Edgware or High Barnet. Interchange with at New Barnet.
• 292 from Carlisle Road, Colindale via Edgware. A London Bus as part of the Transport for London (TfL) network. You can use Oyster and Contactless cards to pay your fare. Interchange with London Underground  NOR  at Edgware.
• 306 from Watford High Street via Bushey. Sullivan Buses. Interchange with  OGD  at Bushey Station or Watford High Street.
• 357 from Harpenden via Wheathampstead, St Albans and London Colney. Red Rose Travel. Interchange with at Harpenden or St Albans City.
• 398 from Potters Bar. Sullivan Buses. Interchange with at Potters Bar.
• 601 The Alban Way from Welwyn Garden City via Hatfield, the University of Hertfordshire and St Albans. Uno. Interchange with at Welwyn Garden City, St Albans City, St Albans Abbey and Radlett.
• 644 The Comet from Hatfield via the University of Hertfordshire or Queensbury via Burnt Oak, Edgware Community Hospital and Mill Hill. Uno. Interchange with London Underground  JUB  at Queensbury and  NOR  at Edgware.

Get around

Borehamwood is a large town. The town centre area between Elstree & Borehamwood Station and Elstree Studios is roughly 0.7 mi (1.1 km). The walk from Elstree & Borehamwood Station to Borehamwood Shopping Park is roughly 0.3 mi (0.48 km).

By bike

You can hire Beryl Bikes from docking stations throughout Borehamwood. Check the website for details: https://beryl.cc/scheme/hertsmere%5Bdead+link%5D

There are some shared-use paths and cycle lanes on residential streets.

By bus

Route B3 is a Borehamwood town only service. Destinations include Elstree & Borehamwood Station, Elstree Studios, Studio Way for Toby Carvery and the Hertswood Academy. Check your travel on the Hertfordshire County Council Intalink website: https://www.intalink.org.uk/

Do

• 1 Watling Chase Timberland Trail. 10.5 mile footpath in the Watling Chase Community Forest in Hertfordshire. It starts at Elstree & Borehamwood railway station, finishing in Smallford near St Albans. (updated Feb 2018)
• Football: Boreham Wood were relegated in 2024 and now play soccer in National League South, the sixth tier. Their home ground Meadow Park (capacity 4500) is a block north of the main road through town.

Eat

The high street has plenty of nice restaurants.

Drink

• 1 The Alfred Arms, 22 Shenley Rd, WD6 1DR (From the station car park follow Shenley Road towards the town centre.), ☏ +44 20 3210-1041. noon-11:30PM. (updated Nov 2020)
• 2 The Hart & Spool, 148-150 Shenley Rd, WD6 1EQ, ☏ +44 20 8953-1883. 8AM-11PM. Wetherspoons (updated Nov 2020)
• 3 Mops & Brooms, Rowley Ln, WD6 5PD, ☏ +44 20 8953-1291. McMullens Pub with rural views. (updated Nov 2020)
• 4 The Oak, Rossington Ave, WD6 4LA, ☏ +44 20 8207-3773. (updated Nov 2020)
• 5 The Waggon & Horses, Watling St, Elstree, WD6 3AA, ☏ +44 20 8953-1406. noon-10PM. (updated Nov 2020)

Sleep

The Manor Hotel Elstree

• 1 Holiday Inn London-Elstree M25, Jct.23, Barnett Bypass, ☏ +44 871 942 9071. (updated Feb 2018)
• 2 The Manor Elstree (formerly Edgwarebury Hotel), Edgwarebury Lane, Elstree, WD6 3RE (south of Barnet Lane), ☏ +44 20 8327-4700. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. A tudor manor house. An excellent place to view the lights of London on a summer night. £55-£247. (updated Nov 2020)
• 3 Premier Inn London Elstree, Warwick Rd, WD6 1US (From A1 join Elstree Way. After the BP Garage and turn left into Warwick Road.), ☏ +44 3333 211 261. (updated Nov 2020)
• 4 Travelodge Borehamwood, Studio Way, WD6 5JY, ☏ +44 8715 591 807. £24+. (updated Nov 2020)

Connect

Most major mobile network providers cover Borehamwood and the surrounding urban and rural areas - including EE, Three, O2 and Vodafone. This includes 4G and 5G coverage. You can check availability where you are visiting by entering the postcode into the Ofcom checker: https://checker.ofcom.org.uk/

Hertfordshire Libraries members can use the internet free of charge at Borehamwood Library at 96 Shenley Road, WD6 1EB.

Go next

• Watford, which is home to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter. Look inside the studios and see the film sets up close. Watford is also home to the Colosseum music venue, Watford Market and Watford FC.
• St Albans with its cathedral, Roman ruins and plenty of places to eat and drink.
• London, the capital city with its theatres, museums, shopping, nightlife and more, is a short train ride away from Elstree & Borehamwood. Some attractions are near stations which have direct trains from Borehamwood. Alight at City Thameslink for St Paul's Cathedral. Alight at Blackfriars for the Tate Modern art gallery.
• Hatfield, home to The Galleria shopping centre.
• Berkhamsted on the Grand Union Canal has a small town vibe.
• Hitchin is a bustling market town in North Hertfordshire.

Routes through Borehamwood

Peterborough ← Hatfield ←	N  S	→
←	N  S	→ Edgware → London
Watford ← Bushey ←	W  E	→ Barnet