Hitchin in the context of St Mary's Church, Hitchin

Baldock (/ˈbɔːldək/ BAWL-dək) is a historic market town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. The River Ivel rises from springs in the town. It lies 33 miles (53 km) north of London and 14 miles (23 km) north northwest of the county town of Hertford. Nearby towns include Royston to the northeast, Letchworth and Hitchin to the southwest and Stevenage to the south. In 2021 it had a population of 10,615.

The Chiltern Hills or the Chilterns are a chalk escarpment in southern England to the northwest of London, covering 660 square miles (1700 sq km) across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire and stretching 45 miles (72 km) from Goring-on-Thames in the southwest to Hitchin in the northeast. The hills are 12 miles (19 km) at their widest.

In 1964, 833 square kilometres - almost half of the Chiltern Hills - were designated by the Countryside Commissionas an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) under the powers established by the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.

North Hertfordshire is one of ten local government districts in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Letchworth Garden City and the largest town is Hitchin. The district also includes the towns of Baldock and Royston and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. Part of the district lies within the Chiltern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The neighbouring districts are East Hertfordshire, Stevenage, Welwyn Hatfield, St Albans, Luton, Central Bedfordshire, South Cambridgeshire and Uttlesford.

Hitchin railway station serves the market town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire. It is located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) north east of the town centre and 31 miles 74 chains (51.4 km) north of London King's Cross on the East Coast Main Line.

Until the current Stevenage station opened in 1973, many InterCity services stopped at Hitchin.