We’re a Ramblers group aimed mainly at people in their 20s, 30s and slightly older, offering led walks and social events across Herts, Beds and south Cambs.
This walk is for up to 30 people, including the leader.
The walk follows on from our late morning ‘Annual Get-together of Members’ and lunch at Cinnabar in Hitchin. We hope you can join us for the whole day but if you can’t make it earlier then feel free to come along just for the walk.
On this short walk we’ll head from Hitchin town centre along the Hitchin Outer Orbital Path into the countryside. At Oughtonhead we’ll see the source of the River Oughton, a two-mile long tributary of the River Hiz. We’ll follow the stream’s clear waters through autumnal woodland to Oughtonhead Common, a Green Flag award-winning local nature reserve, and continue past reed beds before turning away from the river and walking over the grazing common.
We’ll then head along footpaths at the edge of town, finally making our way across Butt’s Close (the oldest open space in Hitchin) and back to our start point.
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.
This is a circular walk.
Please be aware of the walk grade: walks are graded Easy, Leisurely, Moderate or Strenuous
Use our Meetup group to book your place on the walk: https://www.meetup.com/StagWalkers/
Book your place via the Stag Walkers Meetup group by clicking the ‘Attend’ button on the event page. If the walk is full, click ‘join waitlist’ and you will be added if a place becomes available. If you’re on the waitlist, please check back regularly to see if you have been added to the attending list.
If you have any questions or need to contact the leader about the walk, please post on the Meetup event page.
Please:
DO NOT book onto a walk unless you are pretty sure you will be able to make it.
UPDATE YOUR RSVP. We understand ‘life happens’ so if you need to change your RSVP please do this at least 24 hours before the walk and before booking closes to enable someone else to take your place.
DON’T NO-SHOW on the day unless it is absolutely unavoidable (we do understand ‘life happens’) because it prevents others from enjoying a walk if it is fully booked.
*TAKE NOTE that if you no-show and/or cancel after the booking closing deadline three times, without extenuating circumstances, we will decline further bookings from you for a period of six weeks.*
Bring a packed lunch/snacks and drinks, appropriate clothing for the conditions and optionally a basic first aid kit.
We are a Ramblers group, non members are welcome to try us out for two or three free walks before joining Ramblers as a full member.
As a charity we ask that non-members consider making a voluntary donation to Ramblers until they become a full member. We suggest £3-4 per walk. You can donate in person or online.
The Ramblers’ Association is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Company registration number: 4458492. Registered Charity in England and Wales number: 1093577. Registered office: First Floor, 10 Queen Street Place, London EC4R 1BE.
Jackson’s Yard car park, Paynes Park, Hitchin SG5 1EH, accessible from Paynes Park (A505) or on foot from Hitchin High Street behind Cinnabar. Parking £2.50 up to 2 hours. Parking also available nearby at the Lairage multi-storey car park, Bedford Road, Hitchin SG5 1GN (£1.25 up to 2 hours). For those using public transport, Hitchin town centre is well served by local buses and just under a mile from Hitchin railway station.
