Length: 25.6 km (15.9 mi) [with shortcuts down to 20.8
km/12.9 mi]
Ascent/Descent: 355m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness: 6 out of 10
Take the Peterborough train from King’s Cross at
09.12 (Finsbury Park 09.18, Stevenage 09.39), arriving Hitchin
09.44.
Return trains: xx.29, xx.33, xx.57.
This Hertfordshire walk covers the hilly area west of Hitchin. The
morning route leads along farm tracks, field boundaries, shaded grassy lanes
and through a few woods across the most north easterly ridge of The Chilterns,
in Great Offley, to the steep chalk downlands of Pegsdon Hills and Knocking Hoe,
dissected by quiet flat-bottomed valleys, which form the scenery around the
lunch stop in Pegsdon, where the terraced pub garden provides stunning views
overlooking the hills. From Knocking Hoe, the ancient Icknield Way leads to the pretty
village of Pirton, with its impressive remains of a motte-and-double bailey
and traces of an abandoned medieval village. On the outskirts of Hitchin, Oughtonhead Common Local Nature Reserve
is a mature alder and willow fen woodland, whose diversity of habitats is
surprisingly large. From there the route follows the high-quality chalk river
Oughton all the way to its wellhead. The final stretch leads past a very
charming farm gate café to Hitchin’s old town, which has kept its medieval
market town feel and has many fine Tudor and Georgian buildings. Pass St. Mary’s Church, the largest parish church in Hertfordshire
and evidence of how Hitchin prospered from the wool trade, and brave a final
steep ascent through a park to then re-trace part of the morning route back to
the train station at the easterly end of town.
This is a stile-free walk.
Lunch: a couple of early pubs in Great Offley; then Baan Thai @
The View in Pegsdon (13.7 km/8.5 mi, food to 14.30) or -
on the short walk - The Motte & Bailey in Pirton (14.4
km/8.9 mi, food all day, or so it seems), this also makes for a good tea stop
on the full walk. Tea: plenty of options, see the pdf.
For walk directions, map, photos, height profile
and gpx/kml files click here.
#2026-09-06T09:12 t=swc.234
1 comment:
N=3 on a w=sunny-day-with-a-breeze
Perfect walking weather today, with fine far views under blue skies and a surprising number of people out walking, all locals in all shapes and sizes (group sizes that is).
We made good progress but lost 1 walker to the shortcut (in preparation for leading that version of the walk soon for a non SWC group).
At Pegsdon Hills, 1 opted for picnic on the slope of the hills and then joined the other at the Baan Thai. They've given The View a little refresher in paint, furniture and attitude and it all looks good, but was still only sparsely populated. I hope they'll make it work economically, as the food and service were very good.
On then to another liquid refreshment stop at the Motte & Bailey and we were then still early enough to get into the Garden Café at Oughtonhead Farm before it closed: tea and cake was had there. No room for dinner, that's for sure.
16.57 train.
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