The Rotary Club of Watford's sleigh starts on Tuesday 1 December, 5.45pm to 8pm. All 13 street routes, the supermarket days and the Croxley and Ricky runs.

The Rotary Club of Watford’s Santa sleigh starts its 2026 tour on Tuesday 1 December and runs on 13 evenings to Wednesday 23 December, from 5.45pm to 8pm, plus four weekends of daytime supermarket collections. The club has published every route on its Santa sleigh site, and they are copied in full below.

The quick answer

  • Evening routes: 5.45pm to 8pm, Tuesday 1 to Wednesday 23 December 2026, one estate a night.
  • Supermarkets: ASDA on 5 and 6 December, Morrisons on 12 and 13 December, Tesco on 19 and 20 December, Sainsbury’s (Dome) on 21, 22 and 23 December.
  • Still to come: the Holywell route on Saturday 12 December is marked “TBC”.
  • Live tracking: the club’s site has a “Find Santa” live location link, which it says only works while the sleigh is out.
  • Rickmansworth, Croxley and Chorleywood have a separate sleigh run by Batchworth Sea Scouts, 7 to 18 December.

The money goes to local charities chosen by the Rotary Club, and the club takes donations through its website and Facebook page. It is also asking for volunteers through Facebook.

Every Watford route, night by night

These are the club’s own route descriptions, shortened only where it repeats itself. It says the routes are planned, so a sleigh can run late; follow the live tracker on the night.

Week one

  • Tuesday 1 December: Lemonfield, Bucknalls Lane and Coates Way. Starts at 1 Lemonfield Drive, then Mutchetts Close, Chichester Way, Cranefield Drive, Bucknalls Lane and Tudor Manor Gardens. Along the North Orbital without collecting, then the full length of Coates Way, finishing at 3 Coates Way.
  • Thursday 3 December: Garston Lane and The Avenues. Starts at 3 Cuffley Avenue, then Bovingdon Crescent, Codicote Drive, Gaddesden Crescent, Garston Lane, Woodhurst Avenue, and Fourth, First, Second and Third Avenues. Along St Albans Road without collecting, then Garston Drive and Garston Crescent, finishing at 41 Garston Crescent.
  • Friday 4 December: Meriden, Westlea and Eastlea Avenue. Starts at Phillipers, by The Gossamers, then The Pelhams, Fairfolds, Bowmans Green and York Way. After the shops, The Turnstones (with a stop at Robin House), Westlea Avenue and Eastlea Avenue, finishing at 5 Eastlea Avenue.
  • Saturday 5 December: ASDA, 10am to 6pm.
  • Sunday 6 December: ASDA, 10am to 4pm.

Week two

  • Monday 7 December: Leggatt’s Wood Avenue and Cherry Tree Road. Starts at 15 Leggatt’s Wood Avenue, the St Albans Road end, then Ash Tree Road, Pomeroy Crescent, Berry Avenue, Cherry Tree Road, Hazel Tree Road, Oakdene Road and Beechwood Rise. Across St Albans Road to Bushey Mill Lane, Bushey Mill Crescent and Northfield Gardens, finishing at 87 Northfield Gardens.
  • Tuesday 8 December: Sandringham Road and North Watford. Starts at 186 Sandringham Road, the Bushey Mill Lane end, where the club warns parking is difficult. Then Balmoral Road, Southfield Road, Westfield Avenue, Norfolk Avenue, Munden Grove, Knutsford Avenue and Hibbert Avenue, finishing at 46 Hibbert Avenue.
  • Thursday 10 December: Tudor and Knutsford. Starts at 30 Douglas Avenue, the Woodmere Avenue end, then Tudor Avenue, Bushey Mill Lane, Tudor Walk, Knutsford Avenue, Westfield Avenue, Eastfield Avenue, Tavistock Road, Devon Road, Byron Avenue and Carisbrooke Avenue, finishing at 56 Devon Road.
  • Friday 11 December: Courtlands Drive. Starts at 36c Leaford Crescent, the first entrance on the left coming up Gammons Lane, then Chilcott Road, Comyne Road, Hudson Close, Courtlands Drive, Goodwood Avenue, Minerva Drive, Greenbank Road past Holyrood School, Rosecroft Drive, Strangeways and Hampden Way. It finishes at the end of Strangeways near Courtlands Drive.
  • Saturday 12 December: Holywell. Start, route and finish all “TBC” on the club’s page.
  • Saturday 12 December: Morrisons, 10am to 6pm.
  • Sunday 13 December: Morrisons, 10am to 4pm.

Week three

  • Monday 14 December: Leavesden Green, the Rushton Avenue and Harris estates. Starts at 97 Orbital Crescent, then Evans Avenue, Clarke Way, Rushton Avenue, Harris Road, Ross Crescent, Hemming Way and Summerfield Road, finishing at 73 Harris Road.
  • Tuesday 15 December: Woodside and Leavesden (Haines Way). Starts by the Costcutter on Haines Way, then Sheepcote Lane, Queenwood Crescent, the High Road, Ganders Ash, Hope Green, The Brow, Louvain Way, Weal Green, Newhouse Crescent and Horseshoe Turn, finishing at The Brow shops.
  • Thursday 17 December: Cassiobury. Starts at the Cassiobury roundabout on Langley Way, facing Hempstead Road, then Harford Drive, Devereux Drive, Woodland Drive, The Gardens, Orchard Close and Orchard Drive, finishing back at the roundabout.
  • Friday 18 December: Cassiobury. Starts at the roundabout on Cassiobury Drive, then Belmount Wood Avenue, Langley Way, Richmond Drive and Parkside Drive, finishing back at the Cassiobury Drive roundabout.
  • Saturday 19 December: Tesco, 10am to 6pm.
  • Sunday 20 December: Tesco, 10am to 4pm.
  • Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 December: Sainsbury’s (Dome), 10am to 4pm.
  • Wednesday 23 December: Sainsbury’s (Dome), 10am to 4pm, and in the evening Kingswood. Starts at the Sheepcote Lane end of North Approach, then Briar Road, Fern Way, Kingswood Road, Moss Road, Hillingdon Road, Meadow Road, Perivale Gardens and Appletree Walk with Sycamore Close, finishing at Elwood Gardens.

The club’s page names the supermarkets but not which branch, apart from Sainsbury’s at the Dome.

Croxley Green, Rickmansworth and Chorleywood

West of Watford, Batchworth Sea Scouts organise a separate sleigh with other scout units and a school PTA. Its 2026 programme runs from 5.45pm to 8pm:

  • Monday 7 December: Croxley Green South (Phoenixes Explorer Scout Unit). Frankland Road, Frankland Close, Harvey Road, Gonville Avenue, Dickinson Square, Dickinson Avenue, Yorke Road, New Road.
  • Tuesday 8 December: Croxley Green East (Batchworth Sea Scouts). Beechcroft Avenue, Valley Walk, Sycamore Road, Oakleigh Drive, Hazelwood Road.
  • Wednesday 9 December: Croxley Green Central (Batchworth Sea Scouts). From Croxley Green Baptist Church: Sherborne Way, Owens Way, Dulwich Way, Fuller Way, Rugby Way, Barton Way, Malvern Way, Lancing Way.
  • Thursday 10 December: Croxley Green North (Bograts Explorer Scout Unit). St Mawes Close, Appleby Drive, Scarborough Drive, Pevansey Way, Lincoln Way, Rochester Way, Kenilworth Drive, Durrants Drive.
  • Friday 11 December: Mill End South (Mill End Scouts). Springwell Avenue from Cress End, Penn Road, Mill Way, Whitfield Way, Beresford Road, Home Way, Fotherley Road, Basing Way.
  • Saturday 12 December: Maple Cross (Maple Cross JMI School PTA). Woodland Road, Hornhill Road, Downings Wood, Horsleys, Long Croft Road, Bradbery, Chalfont Road, Denham Way.
  • Monday 14 December: Rickmansworth Central (Phoenixes). Norfolk Road, Waters Drive, Skidmore Way, Church Street, Bury Lane, Ebury Road, Wensum Way, Nightingale Road, Townfield.
  • Tuesday 15 December: Rickmansworth East (Batchworth Sea Scouts). From Berry Lane Methodist Church: Berry Lane, Tudor Way, Pheasants Way, Beacon Way, Highfield Way, Meadow Way, Hill Rise, Ridge Way, Berry Way.
  • Wednesday 16 December: Rickmansworth Money Hill (Batchworth Sea Scouts). Money Hill Road, Mount View, The Close, Park Way, Elm Way, Field Way, West Way, The Highlands, Shepherds Way, Pheasants Way.
  • Thursday 17 December: Chorleywood North (Batchworth Sea Scouts). New Parade, Blacketts Wood Drive, Carpenters Wood Drive, Whitelands Avenue, Shire Lane, Green Street, Orchard Drive.
  • Friday 18 December: Chorleywood South (Bograts). Lower Road, Chorleywood Bottom, Hubbards Road, Capell Way, Capell Road, Furze View, Rendlesham Way, Stag Lane, Heronsgate Road, Dove Park, Burfield Road, and if time allows Shire Lane, Haddon Road and Berks Hill.

The Batchworth organisers warn that weather and volunteer numbers can knock them off course, that they cannot always finish a route, and that their collection licence limits how many nights they can run. Queries go to santa@batchworth.org.

If you are driving on a sleigh night

The routes are planned around collection stops (the club notes the stretches where it does not collect), so allow extra time on the estates above between 5.45pm and 8pm. Our roadworks and travel page has the December road closures, and parking in Watford covers the town centre car parks for the supermarket days.

More Christmas in Watford

  • Santa’s grotto: Santa’s Christmas Emporium opens at the Harlequin on 28 November, £5 a family. See our Santa’s grotto page.
  • The lights: switched on at Pondside at 5pm on Saturday 21 November. See the switch-on page.
  • Santa Dash: Watford Mencap’s run in Cassiobury Park on Sunday 6 December. See the Santa Dash page.
  • Everything else is on What’s On in Watford.

Sources