Murray Road and Castle Hill close for the Berkhamsted festival from 11 September, and seven roads lose all parking. The notice says there is no alternative route.
Murray Road and Castle Hill in Berkhamsted will be closed to all traffic except for access for three days from Friday 11 September, for the Berko Fields festival at the cricket club.
Waiting will be banned at any time, on both sides, along seven lengths of road around the site. Together they run to 4,679 metres, close to three miles of kerb where residents and visitors cannot leave a car.
The notice is blunt about the closure itself. For Murray Road and Castle Hill it says: “There is no alternative route available, but access will be maintained wherever possible throughout the duration of the event.”
The order was advertised by Hertfordshire County Council on 26 August (Public Notice Portal).
Which roads, and how much of each
| Road | Extent | Length | Restriction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murray Road and Castle Hill | From Bridgewater Road, north east and south east | 684m | Closed except for access, and no waiting |
| Brownlow Road and New Road | Whitehill Road to The Common | 1,712m | No waiting at any time |
| Bridgewater Road | Brownlow Road to Delahay Rise | 763m | No waiting at any time |
| Whitehill Road and New Road | From Brownlow Road, south east and north east | 617m | No waiting at any time |
| Castle Hill Avenue | From the westernmost junction with Bridgewater Road | 393m | No waiting at any time |
| Gaveston Drive | Delahay Rise to Murray Road | 335m | No waiting at any time |
| Delahay Rise | Bridgewater Road to Gaveston Drive | 175m | No waiting at any time |
The county says the purpose of the order is “to ensure public safety and prevent accidents for the duration of the Berko Fields Festival”.
It is still a proposal, eight days out
The notice says the county “intends to make” the order. That is the first of the two stages Hertfordshire uses. A second notice, saying the council “has made” the order, is what turns a proposal into a decision.
No such notice had been published for this order as of 3 September.
In practice the restrictions apply only when the signs are physically out, and they are timed to an event that already holds its licence. But it is worth knowing that the legal step has not yet been confirmed in print.
The order takes effect on 11 September 2026 and stays valid for 18 months, which is the standard duration. The event itself is scheduled for three days.
The organiser’s own site does not mention any of this
Berko Fields publishes its dates and gate times on berkofields.co.uk: 18-plus only on the Friday, gates at 3pm and finishing at 10.30pm; all ages on the Saturday, gates at noon, finishing at 10.30pm; and all ages on the Sunday, gates at noon, finishing at 6pm. The venue is given as Berkhamsted Cricket Club, Castle Hill, HP4 1HE.
It carries nothing about the road closure, the parking ban, or what residents on those seven roads should do. Eight days before the event, the statutory notice is the only public record of it.
Enquiries about the order go to the festival rather than to the council. The notice names a contact at Berko Fields Festival, not a county officer.
What it means for you
If you live on any of the seven roads, or you were planning to park near the castle for the weekend, this is the practical picture:
- Murray Road and Castle Hill are closed to through traffic from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September. Access will be maintained where possible, but the notice states there is no diversion route.
- You cannot leave a vehicle at the kerb on any of the seven stretches for the duration of the event, on either side.
- The restrictions bite when the signs go out, not from a fixed hour. Check for signs before you park rather than relying on a date.
- Berkhamsted’s council car parks are unaffected. Canal Fields is free for up to four hours, and St John’s Well Lane charges £2.00 for an hour and £8.20 for the day. Our parking in Hemel Hempstead page has the full tariffs for all three towns.
The station is a short walk from the site, which will matter more than usual this weekend given the closure.
We reported the licence conditions when the council granted them in August: the festival is capped at 3,500 people a day, with music ending at 10.30pm on the Friday and Saturday, no fireworks and no portable barbecues.
Every other closure in the borough over the next fortnight is on our Hemel Hempstead roadworks and travel page.
Sources
- Hertfordshire County Council notice published 26 August 2026, the Temporary Traffic Management Measures on Various Roads in Berkhamsted during the “Berko Fields Festival” Order 2026. Source for the closure, all seven road lengths and extents, the “no alternative route available” wording, the stated purpose, the 11 September start date and the 18-month validity.
- Berko Fields for the dates, gate times, age restrictions and venue address.
- Dacorum Borough Council, Licensing of Alcohol and Gambling Sub-Committee, 13 August 2026 for the licence conditions reported previously.
- Dacorum Borough Council, car park charges for the Berkhamsted car park tariffs.
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