The Icknield Way expedition had little planned as an experiment into determining how far one could reasonably walk in a day. One thing that had been learned over the years of walking with a group is that one has to keep to the pace and ability of those who are the least able. That is not a criticism but an observation. A group has to act as one and therefore the least able effectively sets the days mileage. Once one is walking alone then it is a case of setting ones own targets. Therefore there had been no overnight accommodation booked. This ultimately resulted in a wild camp for the first night. Now, after walking for 1.5 days and covering some 40+ miles with full kit I was determining the optimum mileage whilst keeping within ones limits. Therefore, I had phoned ahead the previous evening to the only campsite within reasonable distance of the trail beyond Royston to ascertain pitch availability. Wild camping is fine but it lacks certain basic services and to put it bluntly it is illegal in England.
The last few miles from Royston to Fowlmere was along the main A505 which I definitely do not recommend. This is a major east-west artery with a huge amount of traffic and no real path along the verge. On reflection it would have been far better to have walked the extra couple of miles down the Icknield Way then cut across using the B1368.
The days walk on the whole was really pleasant. There was plenty of warm sunshine and the views through to Royston were quite spectacular - I had never thought of Hertfordshire as having such high ground. I would hasten to add that on parts of this walk there was some ambiguity as to the correct route. There are numerous other paths and trails intersecting the Icknield Way and the waymarkers are not always easily located - an OS map is essential.
As I walked down the track named Park Lane, just beyond Sandon, the tranquillity of the countryside was shattered by a very loud engine. At first, I considered this was just farm machinery until an old single seater plane hurtled low above the lane. This had obviously just taken off and I tracked it as it manoeuvred across the sky. At the end of Park Lane the route turns back on itself up another track marked as Notley Lane on the OS map. At the start of the track is a house shielded by the thick hedgerow of the lane. As I walked past the plane came down to land in the gardens of the house. I could just see the pilot in his goggles and headgear. A unique sight on any walk, and one I have never witnessed before or since. I would have taken photos but the hedgerow was too thick to gain a decent view.
At the end of the day I watched the sun go down at my camp and paid homage to the sungod with a 'ta, ra, boom de ay' and a couple of bottles of ale which an old friend and former workmate brought over to me on a visit from Stevenage.
