Stone circles, Iron Age hillforts and sleepy villages…Mary-Ann Ochota leaves modern life behind to roam the Ridgeway, the ancient trail through southern England’s mysterious chalklands.
The wind whips over the wide fields and a flock of starlings skitters across the sky, tumbling in the gusts. We lean into the weather, eyes stinging and cheeks burning. A few moments later, the squall has blown through and a glittering haze hangs in the air.
The landscape is gilded and magical. This elemental world, with huge skies and bold weather fronts, isn’t in a remote corner of Britain’s mountains – it’s in Wiltshire. And the route I’m following is an ancient one, a line cut through the landscape by pilgrims, traders, raiders and travellers for some 5,000 years.
The route is the Ridgeway. Now a designated National Trail, it follows a chalk ridgeline that rises and falls for 87 miles across southern England, from Wiltshire eastward to the Chiltern Hills north of London, via the counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.
If you like geology, geography, history and archaeology, wildlife or birdwatching, then the Ridgeway is a route for you
For the walker, the Ridgeway offers sweeping views across wide fields, through ancient woodlands, along wide droveways with wizened hawthorns, down deep green holloways and a string of intriguing prehistoric monuments. If you like geology, geography, history and archaeology, wildlife or birdwatching, then the Ridgeway is a route for you.
Many walkers take on the challenge of walking the whole route – either in one go, over a week, in a couple of long weekends, or a series of day walks. Others prefer to explore a shorter section as part of a circular walk. Whether you’re on foot, bike wheels or horseback, the gentle terrain and easy-to-follow route make the Ridgeway a perfect introduction to Britain’s long distance National Trails.
The Ridgeway National Trail
My Ridgeway adventure started at Avebury, at the western end of the trail. It’s such an extraordinary place that I gave myself a day to explore the ancient sites there before setting off on my hike.
The village is in the centre of a vast earthwork henge – a circuit of banks and ditches 10 times the size of Stonehenge and built by hand, using only stone tools, almost 5,000 years ago. Inside the earthwork is a circle of standing stones – absolute whoppers. From the circle, a stone-lined avenue leads towards other nearby ceremonial spots, including Silbury Hill and the Sanctuary.
There are no tickets or barriers in Avebury – anyone can move around the stones and explore, getting a feel for this mystical and ancient place. I give a big squarish stone a hug. With my cheek pressed against the cold roughness, I try to imagine all the things this stone has seen, the generations of human lives: the people of the late Stone Age who erected it; the Bronze Age people who ignored it; the Romans who marvelled at it; the medieval Christians who reviled it as the Devil’s work and tried to destroy it; and now us, including tourists, dog-walkers, modern-day pagans and any number of scientific researchers.
The bedroom window of the Silbury House B&B looks on to the stones of the ‘Cove’, an arrangement that has so far defied archaeological explanation. Is it strange, I ask owner Steve, to live in the middle of a prehistoric monument? “Odd things do sometimes happen here,” he smiles. “But it never feels malevolent. Obviously, the ancestors approve of what we’re doing.”
DAY 1 AVEBURY VILLAGE TO OGBOURNE ST GEORGE
(9.5 MILES)
The following morning dawns clear and I set off along a green lane that runs out of the village, the Herepath, from the old English words for ‘war path’. It would likely have been used by Anglo-Saxon soldiers under the command of King Alfred in the ninth century AD.
Later, there are meadow pipits and skylarks, a spindle tree in vibrant colour, wax cap mushrooms in the verge and a beetle known as a ‘devil’s coach horse’, which looks like a little scorpion
It’s another reminder that wherever you travel on the Ridgeway, you’re walking in the footsteps of the ancients. A round brown bird perched on a fencepost repeats a song that sounds like jingling keys. The corn bunting is an iconic species in arable farmland like this. Later, there are meadow pipits and skylarks, a spindle tree in vibrant colour, wax cap mushrooms in the verge and a beetle known as a ‘devil’s coach horse’, which looks like a little scorpion.
I make a detour at Fyfield Down. The rough grassland is scattered with boulders, a kind of sandstone called sarsen – the same as the standing stones at Avebury and the largest stones at Stonehenge. I head downhill, looking for a low flattish boulder with a series of deep, smooth grooves rubbed into it. This is a polisoir, or ‘polisher’ stone, used thousands of years ago by Stone Age people to polish axe-heads to a mirror finish.
It’s a gradual climb from Fyfield Down over wide, windswept fields to Barbury Castle hillfort, the first of a chain of Iron Age hillforts along the route; others include Uffington, Liddington and Segsbury. Beech trees grow in clumps on the top of ancient burial mounds.
My bed for the night is in the pretty village Ogbourne St George. Look out for the unusual thatched cottages built from blocks of chalk.
DAYS 2 AND 3 OGBOURNE ST GEORGE TO STREATLEY
(33 MILES)
After 10 miles or so, the Ridgeway passes two more remarkable ancient monuments: the boulder-and-earth remains of a 5,500-year-old tomb at Wayland’s Smithy, and a mile or so further, the astonishing Uffington White Horse hill figure, which was cut into the chalk hillside about 3,000 years ago.
A string of villages lies at the foot of the chalk ridge: among them Woolstone, Kingston Lisle and Sparsholt, and many have inns that offer a bed for the night.
The next day begins with one of the most dramatic natural landmarks on the Ridgeway: the Devil’s Punchbowl. This gaping chasm, according to legend, was created when the Devil fought with the god of thunder. When Thor tried to strike the Devil with a bolt of lightning, the vengeful Devil tore a giant fistful of earth from the hillside and flung it back.
Over the rolling downland, you might spot strings of racehorses being exercised. The open ridge can feel exposed in windy weather; there’s also little shade in summer. But in parts there are small patches of ancient mixed woodland; hawthorn and thick hedges create an abundant corridor for wildlife, so keep an eye and ear out for chalkland birds and butterflies.
On Bury Down, the Ridgeway is up to 40m wide; this area was once used by drovers to gather sheep before the sales at nearby East Ilsley village.
The day ends on the banks of the River Thames, at the twin towns of Goring-on-Thames and Streatley.
DAY 4 AND 5 STREATLEY TO WENDOVER
(32 MILES)
The Ridgeway winds north from Streatley along the banks of the Thames, then turns east on the route of the ancient Grim’s Ditch, one of a number of earthworks that probably marked tribal boundaries in the pre-Roman period.
Now into the Chilterns Area National Landscape (what used to be called an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), you will notice that the scenery is more wooded and the path meanders through and around the rippling landforms of the Chiltern Hills.
Some inclines are steep and can be slippery after rainfall, but all of them are short. The path remains well marked – look for the acorn icon on way markers.
The undulating section between Watlington and Wendover will feel a little more strenuous than the others, especially if your feet are already tired. Start the day following the ancient Icknield Way, through the glorious Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve and then over the fields to Princes Risborough.
Between mature beech woodlands lie stretches of open, ‘unimproved’ chalk grassland. This means it has never been ploughed or fertilised in the past. It can look unkempt, but peer closer and you’ll spot rare orchids, tiny native herbs and a host of uncommon butterflies. Many quaint villages are just off the trail, often well signposted.
DAY 6 WENDOVER TO IVINGHOE BEACON
(11.8 MILES)
A slightly shorter final day to the heights of Ivinghoe Beacon through multiple patches of ancient woodland – lime green in early summer, gloriously golden in autumn.
Around Wigginton, you will cross road, rail and canal in quick succession, squeezing into the flat valley floor between two chalk scarps. It’s a reminder that geology always has a say in this busy landscape.
After Tring station, the final miles offer glorious views over the Vale of Aylesbury and your end goal, the trig point at Ivinghoe Beacon. The Chilterns’ most prominent landmark, the Beacon rises high above the fertile plains of Bedfordshire.
Whether you commit yourself for the week, or dip in for a few hours of calm, the Ridgeway will deliver
This beautiful spot is a fitting place to end our trail: dramatic and windswept in winter, sun-kissed and speckled with wild orchids in summer. Red kites wheel overhead, making their plaintive cries. Whether you commit yourself for the week, or dip in for a few hours of calm, the Ridgeway will deliver.
It’s a walk through the history of Britain. It’s also a walk into nature restoration, and into the future, with makers’ spaces and microbreweries finding their place alongside veteran hawthorns and corn buntings.
Explore and enjoy – along its length or bit-by-bit. The Ridgeway is waiting to weave your story into its ancient fabric.
Listen to Mary-Ann on our podcast, The Plodcast
Explore this ancient pathway in Wiltshire with archaeologist and TV presenter Mary-Ann Ochota who is the patron for the Ridgeway National Trail – in episode 2, Season 15 of the Plodcast.
Ideas for days out on the Ridgeway National Trail
If you want to test the path before committing to the whole route, here are some of my favourite days out on the Ridgeway:
- Best afternoon: Stroll Take in the section of the Ridgeway through the water meadows of the River Thames, from Goring-on-Thames to North Stoke.
- Best stile-free circular walk: Fully way-marked and free of stiles, the 5½ mile (9km) Aston Rowant Discovery Trail south of Thame begins at the 1,000-year-old church in the village and heads into the woods. In the spring, the bluebells are glorious.
- Best sunset spot: Myriad paths take you to the Coombe Hill monument commemorating the men of Buckinghamshire who died fighting in the Second Boer War (1899–1902) in South Africa. The hilltop is the highest point in the Chilterns, with panoramic views across Aylesbury Vale.
- Top off-road wheelchair route: Ashdown House to Wayland’s Smithy, Oxfordshire. As recommended by Disabled Ramblers, this is a ramble for experienced mobility scooter users who have an off-road scooter like the Tramper. First journeying through the grounds of Ashdown House estate, you then follow the Ridgeway and other green lanes to reach Wayland’s Smithy burial tomb.
- Best bike ride: The wide droveway near Bury Down in West Berkshire makes for a rolling ride with plenty of space and views galore. Opt for a there-and-back, or pick out a circular route taking in quiet lanes and bridleways that link the Ridgeway with the villages in the valleys. Sections of the Ridgeway form part of the 350km King Alfred’s Way bike route, from Winchester, to Stonehenge, along the Ridgeway and to the South Downs. cyclinguk.org/king-alfreds-way
- Top family adventure spot: Uffington White Horse and Barbury Castle are both easy to park at and fun to run around and explore.
How to spot signs of an ancient way of life
Hillforts and long barrows are hard to miss, but subtler clues to our ancient ancestors are also written into the landscape of the Ridgeway.
Look for small depressions; these may be where ‘dewponds’ were created, lined with clay and straw to hold rainwater for the animals to drink as drovers gathered their stock on the droveway near market towns. Many dewponds fell into disrepair once livestock were no longer driven on foot.
Now they are being restored for nature, including some alongside the Ridgeway at Berwick Bassett and Barbury Castle (see the short film). There are natural features, too, awash with geological wonder and layers of folklore, such as the Devil’s Punchbowl, a vast natural amphitheatre at the northern edge of Lambourn Downs.
Where to stay on the Ridgeway National Trail
- Dorwyn Manor B&B, Avebury. Walking distance from the ancient henge, this environmentally conscious B&B with helpful owners offers a generous breakfast.
- White Mark Farm Campsite, Watlington. Alongside the Ridgeway trail, this small campsite and adjoining glamping is simple and clean, with a small on-site shop. You can reserve a fire basket to make a campfire, and you’ll see red kites overhead.
- YHA hostel Streatley-on-Thames. Private rooms from £30 per night; use of the kitchen, common areas and with cooked breakfasts available. Right on the junction of the Thames Path and Ridgeway National Trails.
Inspired to walk other trails?
Check out our guides to The Pennine Way, The South Downs Way, The West Highland Way and The Nidderdale Way in Yorkshire.