Icknield Way
The
Icknield Way is one of the oldest roads in
Britain,
perhaps 4,000 years old. It stretches from
Ivinghoe
Beacon in
Buckinghamshire
to
Knettishall
Heath in
Norfolk. It
could be described as a belt studded with archaeological sites found at irregular
intervals. Many modern roads follow the Icknield Way, for example the main road
at
Dunstable that crosses
Watling Street
(A5). In other places, especially to the east of
Luton
the route is followed by much more minor roads, and is not distinguishable at
all in many places. To the west of Ivinghoe Beacon, the track extends along the
scarp of the
Chiltern
Hills, and can be detected as far west as
Wiltshire.
However, this section of the track is not usually referred to as the Icknield
Way, and may date from a different period from the eastern section. A modern
long
distance path,
The
Ridgeway, follows the western course.
The Icknield Way used to form part of the boundary between Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, and at one time Royston was cut in two by this boundary. Royston is where the Icknield Way crosses Ermine Street.
The road is named for the Iceni tribe of ancient Britain, who are thought to have established this route to permit trade with other parts of the country from their base in East Anglia.
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