Important: The license upgrade to CC by-sa 3.0 has been approved.
Please consider all contributions from this point forward to be made under that license.

From Wikitravel

Hitchin is a town with 30,000 inhabitants 35 miles north of London in the county of Hertfordshire. Hitchin is an old market town first mentioned 1,000 years ago.

[edit] Understand

Hitchin is a small historic market town in the north of Hertfordshire. It is twinned with the German town Bingen and the French town Nuits St Georges. Hitchin has its own character and several historic buildings can be found around the town centre, historic market place, Bancroft, Bucklersbury and Sun Street. Although this part of Hertfordshire is fairly heavily populated there is still plenty of scenery with rolling hills, lots of small villages and single track lanes to be found.

Girton College (Cambridge) was briefly sited in Hitchin before the University authorities decided female students could perhaps be permitted to reside within 30 miles of the older colleges. The building still stands, near the summit of Benslow Lane, but is of little distinction.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By Car

• A1 Stevenage -> 3 miles to Hitchin on A602
• M1 Luton -> 10 miles to Hitchin on A505

[edit] By Train

Frequent, generally fast, trains run to and from London, Stevenage, Cambridge and Peterborough. Station 15 mins walk from town centre. Service often disrupted in late evening/at weekends lately with bus substitution - check carefully if planning to travel with a bike.

[edit] By Plane

The nearest main airport is Luton Airport about 15 minutes drive from Hitchin. Heathrow Airport is a 1 hour drive otherwise about 1.5 hours by train via London and the Heathrow Express. Coach 777 (Birmingham - Luton - Stansted airports) stops at Hitchin, as does coach 787 (Heathrow - Luton - Cambridge). Bus 700 runs to/from Stansted and 100 to/from Luton.

[edit] Get around

On foot, or nearby villages within easy reach by bike. Pleasant rides (with pubs at the far end) to Willian, Shillington, Charlton, Gosmore, Great/Little Wymondley, Ickleford, Pirton etc. Beyond Charlton the Red Lion at Preston (communally owned by the villagers) is worth visiting, but does not keep extended hours.

[edit][add listing] See

• Market Place The key node of the town centre. No longer used for 'proper' markets, which were moved to a nearby site at the end of the dismal Churchgate passage many years ago. Mostly pedestrianised now, setting off the fine variety of Victorian and older buildings around most of the square. Farmers' and other specialised markets held from time to time. Delightful wooden cabmen's shelter resited here from the railway station, after decades in a private garden.
• Sun Street Slightly marred by the '60s Churchgate development but otherwise an architectural gem.
• Bancroft Historically the main approach to the centre from the North. Unusually broad due to its original usage as a cattle market as well as thoroughfare. Still well-lined with old buildings as well as some, mostly lamentable, modern ones.
• Bucklersbury Historic street, interesting back yards of former coaching inns
• St Mary's Church Sometimes nicknamed "Hitchin Cathedral", it is the largest parish church in the county and has two side chapels. Worth seeing in its own right as well as for the small shops along the paths surrounding the churchyard
• Biggin Almshouses Next to open market. Mediaeval buildings with courtyard, still in use
• British Schools museum, Queen St. Remarkable Victorian survival [1]
• Fine Victorian stepped terrace of houses Queen St
• 18th century and earlier houses Bridge St/Tilehouse St. Also mysterious fragments of much older building incorporated in the Coopers Arms pub.
• Local museum Next to library. Complete historic pharmacy preserved (closed Sun)

Also in the area is Knebworth (historic house and grounds) and Whipsnade zoo

[edit][add listing] Do

• Walk to top of Windmill Hill (end of Hermitage Road) for view over town. Walk out to Charlton (½ hour), and find a different way back across the fields or via Gosmore.
• Very scenic wooded walk beside the river to Oughton Head (turn West from Bedford Road beyond West Mill estate). Various routes back, B655 not recommended due to narrowness and lack of footways.

• Go on a pub crawl, Hitchin has many pubs. Three have 5 or more real ales (see pub section below).

• Rhythms of the World festival Used to take over the entire town centre for a weekend each year but from 2008 re-sited to the grounds of the Priory nearby, with a nominal admission charge. The 2010 date for the festival is the weekend of the 24th/25th of July. [2]
• Vaisakhi Parade Spectacular procession through town by the local Sikh community (annually, Saturday 18th April in 2009) [3]
• Market Theatre Unbelievably small theatre off Sun St. Varied (professional) repertoire, see local posters or [4]
• Queen Mother Theatre More conventional, modern building in car park off Walsworth Rd near town centre. Home to local amateur group as well as professional productions. [5]
• Broadway Cinema OK, it's in Letchworth, but it's the nearest available and currently excellent value at £4.10 weekdays (except Friday evening). 4 screens in extremely nicely converted Art Deco building. [6]
• Outdoor swimming pool (open summer months only) Rare survivor of the 'Lido' style, Butts Close (Bedford Road)
• Travelling fairs On Butts Close for a few days at a time, 2 or 3 times a year.
• Squash. Courts in North Herts College on Cambridge Rd (£4.40 for 45 mins, booking required) and in Ickleford (members only).  edit

[edit][add listing] Buy

• Allinghams Traditional butcher with excellent sausages, game, etc. (Market Square)
• Brookers [7] Local hardware and kitchenware shop (postoffice inside) (Bucklersbury, note: trade counters on Cadwell lane in industrial estate)
• Clement Joscelyne Expensive furniture and china (cnr Bancroft/Hermitage)
• Colanders A wide range of kitchen and dining-ware (Churchgate)
• Early Learning Centre Toys (Bancroft)
• Eric T. Moore Books [8] Other-worldly secondhand bookshop, a fascinating Aladdin's cave of a place (Queen St/Bridge St junction)
• Garden House Hospice Charity Shop A local charity - clothes, bric-a-brac, some furniture (Bancroft)
• Halsey's [9] (Deli) Delicatessen with a good range of premium foods and goodies, great cheese, also local produce (Market Square)
• Hawkins of Hitchin Clothes for everybody and toys for kids (Bucklersbury)
• Hedley Wright Wine Merchants Regular wine tastings, over 1000 wines, (The Wyevale Centre, Cambridge Road - between Hitchin and Letchworth)
• John Myatt [10] Specialist music/musical instrument sales and repairs (Nightingale Road)
• Machine Head Music [11] Large range of guitars etc (Bucklersbury)
• Merryfields Very well-stocked newsagent, lots of obscure mags, also travel guides. (Sun Street)
• Millets Outdoor activities, chain (Market Place)
• Open Market [12] General stalls Tue, Fri, & Sat; plus "antique" stalls on Fri, garage/boot sale on Sun, and a farmers' and craft market on the last Saturday of each month (between Churchgate and Queen Street)
• Oxfam Charity Shop Clothes, bric-a-brac, fair-trade goods (near St. Mary's church)
• Picture Framer The obvious thing (Sun street)
• Quotidian Bakery Good quality craft baker (cnr Sun/Tilehouse Streets)
• Sainsbury's Groceries, 11-5 on Sundays (off Bancroft or Whinbush Road)
• The Arcade Slightly quaint, small-scale covered way with a dozen or so shops and cafés (off Market Square)
• Waitrose Groceries, 10-4 on Sundays (top of Brand Street, parking off Old Park Road)
• Wilkinson Large, extremely cheap chain hardware-n-homewares store (Bancroft, Hermitage junction)

[edit][add listing] Eat

There is a good selection of places to eat in Hitchin including pubs, cafes and the usual range of cuisines such as Italian, Indian, Chinese and Thai.

• "Takeaway City" Nightingale Road/Verulam Road junction - Parade of takeaway joints - kebabs/chips, pizzas, Chinese, Indian all represented. Area sometimes rather rowdy late at night
• Bar Meze 35 Bucklersbury - Greek restaurant, £15-20 person (32 Bucklersbury)
• Curry Express Bancroft - best curry take away in the county, amazing food, low prices, great staff (Bancroft)
• Just 32 Expensive English restaurant Sun Street, £20-30 person (Sun Street)
• Khushma Cottage Tiny Bangladeshi restaurant, some unusual dishes, less overwhelming servings than the Dhaka, £10+ per person (Walsworth Road)
• McDonalds Near railway station, what you'd expect, closes 10pm, non-free ATM out front (Nightingale Road)
• Murphy's Best local chippy according to some locals, though some favour The Town Fryer (Queen Street)
• No12 Very nice English restaurant with friendly staff, a selection of very nice wines, and novel English cuisine, £30+ person for a 3 course menu (Bridge Street)
• Pizza Express Ubiquitous chain pizza-place, well managed and serves good food round the clock. Currently with live music on Tuesday evenings. Always popular and with a nice buzzing atmosphere, although service can be slow (12 Market place)
• Prezzo Italian-style chain restaurant. Worthy competitor for Pizza Express, but a little more pricey (Bancroft)
• Regent Cottage Good quality Chinese restaurant on the first floor, the only 'eat-in' Chinese in town (11C High Street)
• Sirichai Nice Thai restaurant £20+ person for a 3 course menu, Thai wine is OK (Bancroft)
• Strada Stylish and minimalist Italian-style chain restaurant, with friendly service and a good choice of excellent food, £15+ per person, complimentary bottles of water were a welcome surprise (Sun Street)
• Sukawatee Serves Thai/Malaysian/Japanese food, outstanding quality, well presented food, £15+ per person (Hermitage Road)
• Sun Spice (formerly Dhaka) Reliably good value Bangladeshi cuisine, £10+ per person (Sun Street)
• The Radcliffe Arms (The Radcliffe Arms), 31 Walsworth Road, Hitchin, ☎ 01462 456111, [13]. Former pub re-opened in 2009, rather good quality and value food, nice cafe-restaurant atmosphere during the day, not a pub but has a good beer selection including real ale.  edit
• The Well (The Well), 181 Stevenage Rd, ☎ 01462 458738. New management and a facelift in 2005/2006 turned this into a gastro pub / restaurant on the fringe of town. Good food, reasonably priced. £15 per person. £15.  edit
• Town Fryer Best local chippy according to some locals, though some favour Murphys (Hermitage Road)
• Zizzi Italian-style chain restaurant, good pizzeria with a large wood fired pizza oven, £10-20 person (Sun Street)

[edit][add listing] Drink

Hitchin is an excellent town for a real-ale crawl; the Sunrunner, Half Moon, and Nightingale will supply you with 15 to 20 ales between them, and several other pubs have a hand pump or two.

• BOM BORA - 107a/b Bancroft. Aussie bar, large drinks, food (kangaroo!)
• CLUB 85 [14] - 74 Whinbush Road. Lively local music venue.
• IVORY - 10 Brand Street. Bar with music in former town hall building.
• MILLSTREAM - 97 Cambridge Road, a few hundred yards turning right out of the station. Large McMullen pub serving good quality but expensive food £15+ per person. Pints are expensive, coffees are lovingly prepared.
• MOLLY MALONE'S [15] (formerly Gloucester Arms) - 117 Nightingale Road. Notably friendly Irish-run pub, Greene King IPA + one other GK ale, rather a lot of TV screens. A great variety and volume of live music.
• QUE PASA - 31 Market Place, town square. In the old Corn Exchange building; barn-like but interesting interior.
• THE COCK - 8 High Street. Small, friendly, Greene King pub, with generous lunchtime food of a high standard.
• THE COOPERS ARMS - 81 Tilehouse Street, near library. McMullen pub, interesting old building, nice outdoor yard at rear.
• THE HALF MOON - 57 Queen Street. Pleasant free house with 6 frequently changing real ales, several ciders/perrys, stays open late. Eccentric cat, excitable springer spaniel. Excellent homemade food, including burgers and tapas.
• THE NIGHTINGALE [16] - Nightingale Road. Proper locals' pub with 5 real ales, a cider and a scrumpy. Closest pub to the railway station - great spot to start or finish a crawl. Darts, a pool table, covered patio with heaters.
• THE SUNRUNNER [17]- 24 Bancroft. Rambling and friendly free house with up to 8 real ales, also Leffe blond. Good lunches, door-burstingly busy some evenings.
• Numerous other pubs mostly unremarkable, some very youth-oriented especially in the town centre.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

There are a number of acceptable small hotels and bed & breakfast type places to stay in and around Hitchin.

• Sun Hotel Sun Street. Moderately expensive rooms in very old (16th century) building in the heart of town.
• Lord Lister Hotel Queen Street (next to Half Moon pub). No restaurant but many nearby.
• Firs Hotel Bedford Road. Restaurant lacklustre when tried recently, but easy walking distance to town centre.
• Thistle Hotel Little Wymondley (2 miles South of Hitchin, off A602). Modern buildings in woods on edge of village.

[edit] Get out

• Cambridge, 30 miles from Hitchin is one of England's most famous academic cities. Approx 2 trains/hour.
• London is 32 miles south of Hitchin and can be reached via the motorway A1 or by train. Approx 4 trains/hour, 30-40 mins journey. Beware of ticket restrictions on trains leaving London 4:30 - 7:00pm weekdays.
• Luton is ten miles west of Hitchin and is an airtravel hub. Buses to town centre from Brand Street: Arriva route 100 runs via airport, 101/102 don't.
• Stevenage is 3 miles south of Hitchin, 5 mins by train.
• Bedford about 15 miles north. Direct bus M1 from Bancroft, 55 mins. Goes through Shefford, with glorious brewery tap in main street, and passes the gigantic "R101" airship hangars at Cardington.
• Letchworth is 3 miles north-east of Hitchin on the Cambridge railway line. Of minor interest (apart from the Broadway Cinema) unless you are a student of the Garden City movement: it was the first such in England.

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!