Wiltshire Ridgeway walk
Often described as Britain's Oldest Road, the Ridgeway runs for 85
miles (137km) between the chalk hills of Overton Hill, near Avebury
and Ivinghoe Beacon in Hertfordshire . The road goes through four
English counties and has probably been in use since the time of
prehistoric man. The Ridgeway is now very popular with walkers but the
stretch that runs through Wiltshire is still remarkably remote. The
route crosses the ridge of archaeologically rich downland between
Overton Hill in the south west of the county and Uffington White
Horse, on the Oxfordshire border. Walk here on the Ridgeway in
Wiltshire and you follow in the footsteps of walkers over thousands of
years as you travel through the historic landscape.
Starting from the east in Oxfordshire Wantage would be a convenient
place to stop the night before you set off on your trek. La Fontana is
an Italian family run restaurant with accommodation that’s situated on
the outskirts Wantage. The 15 spacious bedrooms there are all en-suite
and benefit from complimentary wireless broadband internet access. A
statue of King Alfred the Great stands in the market place at centre
of the town and hints at the rich and ancient history of the region.
From Wantage you join the Ridgeway as it enters the Vale of the White
Horse. The Uffington White Horse , the grand equine effigy carved into
the chalk at White Horse Hill, overlooks the entry of the Ridgeway
into Wiltshire. An Iron Age hill fort there guards the area and
watches over the ancient highway as it enters Wiltshire from
neighbouring Oxfordshire. As you head west you’ll pass close to the
village of Ashbury. Here you’ll find Wayland's Smithy , a Neolithic
long barrow and chamber tomb that was fully restored after excavations
in the 1960s. You rarely get to see these ancient burial mounds
looking as they would have done thousands of years ago so it’s worth
the short detour for a look. After Wayland’s Smithy the Ridgeway
passes near to Wanborough , a small Wiltshire village that dates back
to at least the fourth century. The parish church of Saint Andrew
there has a spire at one end and a tower at the other, making it one
of only three parish churches to have this feature in the UK. The
village tempts one to tarry a while by offering not only a post office
and village shop but also several pubs . If you happen to be in the
village on the third Saturday of the month you’ll even catch the
farmer’s market.
As the Ridgeway passes Swindon it also runs close to another site
deeply rooted in antiquity. Liddington Castle is the Iron Age hillfort
that is thought possibly to have been the site of the Battle of Badon,
where the British defeated the invading Saxons between 480 and 500AD
and checked their advance for 50 years. Such was the strategic
importance of the Ridgeway that many forts and battle sites can be
found along its route. Overton Hill is another area boasting a past so
distant that we can only guess at what sights it has seen. There are
several round barrows (burial mounds) there and it was once home to a
wooden circle known as the Sanctuary.The 571 ft (174 m) hill stands at
the southern edge of the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire, England, just
west of the village of West Overton and 4.5 miles from the town of
Marlborough and marks the one end of the Ridgeway National Trail.
Nearby is another famous ancient site at Silbury Hill. The ancient
Wiltshire market town of Marlborough is an ideal place to break for
food or even an overnight stop. You could leave the Ridgeway where it
crosses the A346, near Ogbourne St George and head south into
Marlborough. The Ivy House Hotel on the High Street in Marlborough is
a grade II listed Georgian building with a 300 year history as well as
28 bedrooms and an award winning restaurant. Oak timbers that predate
the coming of the Spanish Armada were used to build the Castle and
Ball Hotel and restaurant. Also on the High Street the hotel is
located on a plot that’s been home to an inn since at least the 15th
century.
If you head north back up the A346 after leaving Marlborough you will
pick up the Ridgeway near the Ogbourne group of villages. Heading west
from there you soon arrive at the site of Barbury Castle . This is
another of the many Iron Age hill forts found along the ancient
Ridgeway route. The castle, situated on Barbury Hill, is now managed
as a country park by Swindon Borough Council. The hill is a local
vantage point and can command a view across to the Cotswolds and the
River Severn if the weather favours the viewer. The old hill fort
features deep defensive ditches that are still clearly visible to the
visitor today. After Barbury Hill the Ridgeway swings to the south and
heads past Fyfield Down. Part of the Marlborough Downs, Fyfield Down
boasts a collection of sarsen stones known locally as Grey Wethers.
They stand just 1.5 miles north of the village of Fyfield in an area
now designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
To the west of Marlborough and Fyfield is Avebury. Situated just a few
miles from the Ridgeway, Avebury is on one of Britain’s most important
ancient sites. The famous standing stones at Avebury are just the
still visible part of a much larger site that itself sits within an
array of prehistoric sites, barrows and avenues. The ancient manor
house at Avebury is worth visiting. The buildings that make up the
house date from the early 16th century, but has Queen Anne alterations
and underwent an Edwardian renovation. Ancient walls and clipped box
hedges in the garden create outdoor 'rooms' there and it is an
excellent place to take a picnic in good weather. The Old Forge bed
and breakfast is in East Kennet, Avebury, and was once a smithy. Dates
back to the 1860s it is now a four-star bed and breakfast with
spacious rooms and makes an ideal place stay at the end of your short
trip along the Ridgeway.
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