Hertfordshire North

Bedfordshire to Ickleford

Between Pirton and Ickleford the route follows the Hambridge Way a wide and well surfaced section of the route.

Route Issues

East Coast Main line – Pirton

Between Ickleford and Letchworth the routes crosses the East Coast mainline railway at Cadwell.  Equestrians are required to follow the road under a very narrow bridge on a bend.  In 2015 Herts CC installed a novel arrangement that illuminates warning road signs either side of the bridge once a rider (or walker) presses a button.  Herts BHS are lobbying for a safer off road route.

Cyclists can follow the same equestrians road route, or follow the off road Icknield Way walkers route to cross the railway on a footbridge.  The footbridge includes a channel to wheel the bike up/down the steps

Letchworth Garden City

Icknield Way passes through Letchworth, Britain’s first garden city.  Ebenezer Howard, the originator, took the advantage of both town and country and sought to blend them into a new style settlement. The riders route follow the road the “Icknield Way” right through the middle of the town together with the motorised traffic. There are some new off road routes being established around the perimeter of the town, but further work needs to be undertaken to see if a suitable riders route can be utilised.

These rather old leaflets give details of the Icknield Way riders route: Countryside Commission Leaflet 2 Telegraph Hill, Hertfordshire to Great Chesterford/Cow Lane, Essex (~7MB file), and Countryside Commission Leaflet 3  Balsham Wood, Cambridgeshire to Roundham Heath, Norfolk (~2.7MB file)