A walk between the villages of Lilley and Pirton in Hertfordshire via the Pegsdon Hills and Knocking Hoe. Conveniently each village has a bus stop and a sporadic schedule that saves me a considerable trek from Hitchin and back. 

 The first stage of the walk out of Lilley is arable but scenic. The wheat is in for the most part and ploughing is underway. 

 When I reached the Icknield Way I turned eastward towards the hills and approached them through Hoo Bit nature reserve. At one time this was a Larch plantation now a flowery meadow. Wood pasture i.e. open grassland in woodland clearings was once commonplace.

 I don't know why but I don't usually take this particular route. And yet Hoo Bit leads on to a wonderful grassy expanse which puts me in mind of a steppe. Not vast like a steppe but the undulations of the land make it seem so. 

 Then onto the heights. Well, the highest heights hereabouts.

 Various footpaths criss cross the hills. I took the upper trail looking down the dry valleys that define this landscape. As I have noted before there is a bulge of chalk across southern England between here and Lyme Regis. It is thought that an ancient (perhaps prehistoric) ridgeway formed part of a coast to coast route between Dorset and Norfolk including the Icknield Way. 

 I skirted round Knocking Hoe then down to Pirton. And yes, I did have a pint.