Hitste one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 75.00% of reviewers

I walked from Stevenage to Hitchin on a bright frosty day.
I agree with Graham, the A602 crossing is not a problem, good visibility, lots of traffic gaps, central reservation. I crossed in under a minute.
I do, however, have slight reservations about some of the in-road walking where there are no verges, or sporadic narrow verges, especially on the busier roads. There is an in-road 75m dash along a busy road near Titmore Green Farm. I would not like to do this walk on a dull day with poor visibility. Whilst not dangerous (IMHO), care needs to be taken at several places. Wear something bright.

There are nice paths out of Stevenage, close to but not next to traffic, then some verge walking to Symonds Green with benches and a nice pub (The Tranquil Turtle). Then under the A1(M) to muddy open fields with pylons. Down a track which turns into a quiet road. Then a 75m dash along Sperberry Hill road to a path which leads to the A602. Steps on both sides. Past a sports club to the Stevenage road. More verge walking along Arch Road (hop into the field instead) followed by an open field and then more verge walking, crossing one side to another. There are traffic free roads and passageways through the outskirts of Hitchin to the station.

There are some lovely parts of this walk through open countryside rather let down by some uncomfortable verge walking. It does get you from A to B, so it is functional. Not a bad walk but there is definite room for improvement. Anyone local who could help?

Unsuitable for wheels, kissing gates, barriers, mud, narrow verges and steps.

I walked this route on the 14th June and have rated this higher than the other 2 reviewers possibly because I had no problem in crossing the dual carriageway. I did walk fast/jog to/from the central reservation in case I had misjudged the speed of the traffic but there were decent gaps on the 2 times I have crossed in the past month and I felt safe (all crossings mid-morning on weekdays). Unfortunately you do sometimes have to cross dual carriageways/busy roads with inadequate/no warnings to the drivers that walkers might be crossing and no easy way across (this same crossing is on the Hertfordshire Way route and I have just returned from walking the Peddars Way national trail where I had to cross a busy dual carriageway) so regrettably it cannot always be avoided when planning routes such as this. I also walked the alternative route via Redcoats Green avoiding this crossing a couple of times which has some fast moving traffic, a couple of sharp corners and no verge for a lot of the way so you do need to take care, stay alert and ensure that you are fully visible to drivers.

As for the rest of the walk, the pavement path through Hitchin once leaving the main road is quiet and pleasant as is Little Wymondley. The track across country between Titmore Green and the A1 underpass is very pretty with some lovely views. After the A1 underpass I turned immediately right and headed towards the electricity pylon, taking a left through some trees just before reaching it. This brought me out by a pub on Symonds Green. I turned right and followed the path across the Green to a quiet cul-de-sac Symonds Green Lane. At the end of the Lane is a pedestrian/cycle route past a park to Medway. Follow Medway until you reach a bridleway straight ahead. Take this quiet track which soon goes left towards the A1072. On reaching the A1072 turn right and the route to the station is then by busy roads. I took Argyle Way rather than going through the leisure park and walked up a ramp to the station.

I enjoyed this walk which was mainly on quiet streets (until the A1072!) and through some lovely countryside hence my higher rating however I do acknowledge that the crossing of the dual carriageway and possibly the alternative route will not be appealing to many people. I am also aware that I could have been lucky with my timings for crossing the dual carriageway and that it might not always be that easy. It is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs.

I attach photos of Arch Road between Gypsy Lane and the Stevenage Road (this road does have a small verge you can step onto to avoid traffic and you are visible to drivers) the route between Titmore Green and the A1, Symonds Green, and the bridleway from Medway to the A1072.

Agree with previous reviewer
Busy dual carriageway to cross, and footing/steps prior and post this crossing require some maintenance
From Stevenage, using a route through Todds Green (Clovelly Way, Fishers Green, Stevenage Rd, Chantry Lane)to brings you out East of Little Wymondley, where you can pick up the trail again. This is road/verge walking so be careful and prepared

There is a high proportion of hard man made surface to use on this walk, but also some fields and kissing gates to cater for.

Anyone with mobility challenges (i.e. particularly wheelchairs), not to follow the original route, to avoid crossing fields (unless dry). There are alternate routes i.e. following the Stevenage road/a602 into Hitchin, instead of following footpath from edge of Little Wymondley.

Not a bad walk for scenery (when in countryside)
Places to stop and take refreshments - Little Wymondley, Hitchin, Stevenage.

There are some nice parts to this route but there are some negatives including a potentially dangerous road crossing.

After leaving Hitchin station it’s necessary to cross the road a few times because only one side of the road has a pavement - which is very narrow as it goes under the railway - but more positively the route then takes a quiet footpath behind houses and through an estate away from the roads.

On leaving Hitchin there’s a bridleway through the countryside, but the road this joins up with has no pavement. It’s not a major road but care needs to be taken here.

The main problem on the route is the footpath crossing the A602 - this is a bypass with fast-moving traffic which can be very busy. I would avoid this by walking via Todds Green between Little Wymondley and Stevenage.

Another issue with the footpath crossing the A602 is that on the south side the path is narrow and liable to flooding after heavy rain.

Also a negative is the unlit underpass below the motorway by Symonds Green.

Once in Stevenage, the route as plotted goes along Clovelly Way, which has no pavement; you need to take paths around the houses instead, joining a footpath / cycle path that winds past some office buildings. The route as plotted then suggests cutting across a car park, which isn’t actually possible. You then join the footpath / cycle path passing alongside a dual carriageway.

The last section of the route is straight through Stevenage Leisure Park - I’d suggest a detour here to avoid this. I would instead walk along Argyle Way and up a ramp to Stevenage station.

The countryside between Hitchin and Stevenage is pleasant and several paths on this route are nice to walk along but this wouldn’t be my favoured route between these towns.

The route passes through Little Wymondley, which has two pubs, and there are convenience shops in or near the stations at each end of the route.

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