Icknield Way Path

The Icknield Way is described as the 'oldest road in Britain'. It has its origins in a series of prehistoric pathways following the trend of the chalk from southwest to northeast across southern England. Local links between prehistoric communities gradually merged into a single system, running from Dorset to the Wash.

Several long distance footpaths now lie along the route of the ancient Icknield Way: The Ridgeway Path runs from Avebury in Wiltshire to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire; the Peddars Way runs from Knettishall Heath on the Suffolk/Norfolk border to the North Norfolk Coast; the Icknield Way Path links the Ridgeway Path at Ivinghoe Beacon to the Peddars Way at Knettishall Heath - or at least that's the way in which the route is described in the guide produced by the Icknield Way Association; we chose to walk from the Knettishall Heath end, following straight on from our walk along the Angles Way. So, in the direction in which we walked the path, it goes through Suffolk (from a starting point very close to the Norfolk border) then Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and finally Buckinghamshire. The path goes through Royston, Baldock and Letchworth Garden City, but manages to skirt other large towns. For example, when we climbed Galley Hill we were only about a mile from Luton, but we could have been in the middle of nowhere . In was also strange to be so close to places we know well (e.g. Cambridge and Milton Keynes) but yet walking through attractive countryside and pretty villages that we didn't know at all.

The Icknield Way Path runs over chalk throughout its length and there is plenty of evidence of this e.g.white chalky fields and flints used in building. However you walk through three characteristically different landscapes, with the altitude stepping up from east to west. Ivinghoe Beacon is at around 230 metres. In contrast, the eastern end of the walk rarely rises above 30 metres. Here the chalk is overlain by sands and gravel, giving the characteristic Breckland landscape. Unsurprisingly, given the age of the Icknield Way, the path passes close to many historical sites (the photo shows West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village).

We walked the path between August and November 2011, in a mixture of one-day walks and two multi-day walks (between Elveden and Great Chesterford and between Letchworth Garden City and Ivinghoe Beacon), carrying our own stuff and staying in pubs and B&Bs. With the exception of the first two legs (when we drove to Knettishall Heath and Thetford respectively) we travelled entirely by public transport, which was very satisfying. We made the decision to try to complete the walk in the autumn rather than waiting for the spring. The glorious autumnal colours more than compensated for the fact that it was dark around 4.30pm on our final walking days.We used the Icknield Way Association's 'The Icknield Way Path: a walkers' guide' which was of limited to use for route finding since we were walking the path in the 'wrong' direction, but which prompted us to visit places of interest.

In particular, we would never have thought to visit Royston Cave, which was fascinating, had the book not told us about it. As usual we also used Ordnance Survey 1: 25000 Explorer Maps (sheets 181, 193, 194, 209, 210 and 229) - these were generally useful, though sheet 193 (Luton & Stevenage) was distinctly out of date and on occasion (in the same area) the route shown on the map, in the guidebook and on the ground were all different. The Icknield Way Path signs are marked with an axe. The signposting is of variable quality; sometimes this is just because you have choice (frequently there are separate walkers' and riders' routes and sometimes there is a choice of walkers' route) and sometimes the signs are rather faded - this is a particular problem given the white background of many of the signs (you're left with a plain white disc with no indication of the direction you're meant to follow). However on our penultimate day of walking, which was distinctly misty, we were very grateful to Bedfordshire County Council for their clear signposting, with posts with yellow tops that were clearly visible in the distance.

First leg of path

For more photographs of the Icknield Way Path click here.