Icknield Way #7: Royston to Great Chesterford (13 miles/21km - Moderate, Booking Required)

This walk is for up to 30 people, including the leader.

Part 7 of our plan to complete the Icknield Way Path - 114 miles following “the oldest road in Britain”. Join us for any or all of these walks!

Please note this is a linear walk from Royston to Great Chesterford. At the end of the walk we can return to the start point by train, changing at Cambridge.

The route takes us from North Herts into Cambridgeshire and Essex, through beautiful rolling countryside and pretty villages. During the walk we are likely to see lots of planes flying in the Duxford Air Show which takes place nearby.

We begin by heading east out of Royston on the ancient Icknield Way, progressing into the most southerly corner of Cambridgeshire. We’ll follow the Anglo-Saxon earthwork of Bran Ditch up to Reeve Hill, the second highest point in the county, and from the top of the ridge can enjoy good views to the north.

We’ll go through Heydon village, passing a church with an eventful history, before we enter Essex. In Chrishall we’ll have our packed lunches at the village playing field, with an optional pub visit to the nearby Red Cow. We then continue through fields and woods to Elmdon, and onwards to the hilltop hamlet of Strethall. We’ll pause here in the churchyard and can have a look inside the tiny Saxon church, then we'll follow the course of a Roman road to the end of our walk at Great Chesterford station.

For an optional drink after the walk, there are pubs around half a mile from the station.

Dogs are welcome on a lead.

Booking your place: If you would like to join, you must book in advance using the Stag Walkers Meetup group - see Notes for how to book & what to bring. If you are unable to attend, please cancel your booking so that someone else can take your place.

Please do not turn up for a walk without booking, as places are limited. Unless you opt in to further communications, we will only use contact information you provide to get in touch about the walk.

Please car-share or use public transport if possible. To offer a lift or ask for one from a fellow walker, please use the Meetup event page.

If you have any questions, or need to contact the walk leader urgently on the day of the walk, please post to the Meetup event chat.