The Ridgeway: The North Wessex Downs

The Start

The official start of the Ridgeway is at Overton Hill just off the A4 between Beckhampton and Marlborough. It’s often described as an uninspiring start point. Unless you are determined to walk every step of the trail, we suggest you set off from Avebury and follow the Herepath on the Wessex Ridgeway, crossing Avebury down and meeting up with the Ridgeway about a mile and a half into the trail by the gate to Fyfield Down National Nature Reserve. Alternatively, should you wish to, there are a number of ways to reach Overton Hill. One being a fairly straightforward walk over Avebury Down which will add around two miles to your day. Another is to detour and explore Silbury Hill, West Kennet Long Barrow and The Sanctuary before reaching Overton Hill. This will add a touch over three miles to your day.

Avebury to Bishopstone

Heading north on the Ridgeway there are numerous interesting sites to see including many tumuli. These ancient burial mounds date back around 4000 years.

If you’re happy to break from the trail for a short time near Hackpen Hill, then cut into the chalk of the hillside you’ll see Hackpen White Horse. This stretch of the Ridgeway is also part of the White Horse Trail, a 90 mile circuit visiting each of the white horses in Wiltshire.

Turning for Ogbourne St George the trail cuts directly through the impressive 11-acre Iron Age Fort of Barbury Castle before joining Smeathe’s Ridge. This is a glorious stretch of trail, walking on soft grass and enjoying stunning views. Unless Ogbourne St George is your destination for the evening you’ll skirt round, passing through the delightful village of Hallam with its collection of charming cottages.

Beyond Ogbourne St George the trail heads north, first over Round Hill Downs, and then Liddington Hill the site of another castle fort. There are a number of earthworks, tumuli and long barrows along this stretch of the trail.

Bypassing Liddington it’s only a short while before you reach Ridgeway Farm, the natural point to break off the trail for Bishopstone.

Bishopstone to Letcombe Regis

The Ridgeway continues on a good, level, tree-lined track. Progress can be measured by looking down to your left from the ridge, first to see is the hamlet of Idestone, followed by the delightful village of Ashbury then the wonderfully named Compton Beauchamp.

With eyes fixed on the trail ahead you’ll come to Wayland’s Smithy, an Early Neolithic chambered long barrow. Descriptions range from atmospheric to eerie, depending on how much morning mist is still lingering.

A little further on and you reach a host of fascinating sites, most notably Uffington Castle and White Horse. Uffington Castle Iron Age hill fort is considerably smaller than the previously visited Barbury Castle, however it is no less impressive and the views from here are simply stunning. To the north of the castle, on the side of the hill, is Uffington White Horse, said to be the inspiration for the others that followed. Also in this area is The Manager, a spectacular coombe lined with terraces, as well as the immaculately formed, flat-topped Dragon Hill, where St George fought and slew the dragon!

Those spending the evening in the Woolstone or Uffington will enjoy the walk downhill into the villages. The walk back uphill in the morning, less so!

Continuing on the trail your route takes you over Rams Hill and Sparsholt Down before reaching Folly Clump where the valley falls away steeply rewarding you with excellent views of the Devil’s Punchbowl.

Soon after, at Segsbury Farm, you can break from the trail and head over Castle Hill into Letcombe Regis.

Letcombe Regis to Goring

The first point of interest on this section of the trail is the Baron Wantage Monument. An impressive structure comprising a marble column with a cross on top, set upon a large square base with steps on all sides. The monument is in memory of Baron Wantage, a distinguished soldier, awarded the Victoria Cross in the Crimean War and one of the founders of the British Red Cross.

Moving on the walking is easy on broad grassy tracks. The trail is paralleled by horse gallops, but you’d need to be up and about very early to catch them on the morning ride out.

The trail continues over Bury Down above West and East Ilsley, passing through a tunnel beneath the busy A34. Once through the tunnel look out for the stone memorial to Hugh Frederick Grosveror, a 2nd lieutenant in the Lifeguards, who at just 19 years old, was sadly killed here in an armoured vehicle accident in 1947.

Yet more idyllic, easy walking, tree-lined at times, as you make your way to Streatley Warren. Look out for red kites here. On reaching the pretty named, Post Box Cottage, your surroundings begin to change as you wave goodbye to the wide and windswept grassy expanse that has become commonplace, and you enter the urban environment of the villages of Streatley and its larger neighbour, Goring.

A double-span bridge links the villages of Streatley and Goring and provides wonderful views of Goring Lock and the River Thames. Both the Ridgeway and the Thames Path share the bridge!

Easy to Moderate

The Ridgeway is a relatively easy National Trail which is clearly way-marked along its length. As a note of caution, the North Wessex Downs can leave you a little exposed to the elements, both hot and cold, but adequately prepared, the trail can be completed by anyone with a reasonable level of fitness.

Terrain: Two prominent hill ranges, the North Wessex Downs and the Chiltern Hills, separated by Goring Gap and the River Thames.

What’s it like underfoot? Much of the trail, particularly the western section over the North Wessex Downs is on a mixture of wide, soft grasslands and chalky tracks. In dry weather this makes for easy and enjoyable walking. To the east of Goring in the Chilterns there is a real mixture of woodland, farmland and country tracks, which is a little rougher underfoot, but never troublesome. Naturally things can get a bit muddy in wet weather.

How Much Up & Down? There will be a couple of steep climbs each day, but really nothing too demanding. On a number of days you will need to descend from the trail to your overnight accommodation. Inevitably, you will need to regain the height the following morning. Once you are on the Downs the trail is undulating rather than hilly.

Signposting: Very good. There are regular ‘Ridgeway’ signposts, particularly at junctions, showing the direction of the trail. These are usually also marked with the National Trail acorn symbol. At times there will simply be waymarkers displaying the yellow acorn. Occasionally, other paths may be indicated on the waymarkers, however you’ll stay on track if you simply ‘follow the acorn’.

Navigation: Really straightforward. As a National Trail, the Ridgeway is very well signposted. The map and guidebook are incredibly detailed and the trail itself follows well defined tracks and paths over both the North Wessex Downs and the Chiltern Hills. Although the trail does pass through some of your overnight stops, on a number of days you will need to leave the trail and make your way along lanes and minor roads to your accommodation. These routes will be detailed in your holiday pack and easy to follow on your map.

Weather: You may be lucky enough to encounter warm, dry weather over the whole route and enjoy dry paths and tremendous views, but you must be prepared because the weather can change quickly. Good clothing, comfortable footwear and reliable waterproofs are essential. It is important you carry plenty of water on warm days. There are long sections on the downs where there is little shade. Pack your floppy hat and sun cream also!

Good accommodation and friendly hosts are an essential part of any holiday. We understand this and go out of our way to find the best. We put a great deal of effort into hand picking our accommodation and matching it to individual customer requirements. As well as visiting the accommodation ourselves, we ask all our customers to complete a short evaluation on each night’s accommodation, which then gives us an insight into the day-to-day operation and lets us spot any potential issues before they become a problem.

We use a variety of accommodation. Over the course of your trip you might stay in a village inn, a bed and breakfast in a converted barn, a Victorian guest house, or on a working farm. In selecting the accommodation we look for helpful, friendly hosts with good quality, characterful accommodation close to the trail. Occasionally we may use a chain hotel.

We always try to arrange en suite accommodation, i.e. rooms with their own bathrooms for each night of your stay. However, in some of the more remote locations accommodation is limited and occasionally we may have to book rooms with shared bathrooms for one or two nights of your holiday, (especially if the booking is made at short notice), but we will always let you know if this is likely to be the case.

We are happy to book single rooms on our holidays but cannot normally book more than two for any one group. Single room bookings include a supplement.

Here are some examples of the accommodation we use on the Ridgeway:

Helen Browning’s Royal Oak in Bishopstone is a gently eccentric English pub and rooms set within 1500 acres of their own spectacular organic farmland which is home to 2000 head of free ranging livestock. They have a large garden, decks and stunning private picnic and lounging spaces spread between their hedges, old buildings and ponds. Visit their website

Located in the beautiful downland village of Letcombe Regis is the delightful Quince Cottage, a large thatched house, dating from the 17th Century. Louise offers you a warm welcome and with 30 years’ experience she knows exactly what her guests want. Delicious Aga cooked breakfasts for hungry walkers are the norm here! Visit their website

The Greyhound Inn is a charming traditional country pub in the picturesque village of Aldbury. The pub has a traditional feel with extensive dining areas, as well as a lovely outside terrace for those warm summer evenings. The perfect place to relax and unwind having completed the Ridgeway. Visit their website

General travel information for The Ridgeway Way will be in your holiday pack.

Detailed instructions on getting to your first night’s accommodation by car, or on foot from the nearest train or bus station, will also be included in the holiday pack on individual accommodation maps.

To view train times please visit trainline where you can also purchase tickets in advance. For information on bus timetables please visit traveline

We recommend using public transport to get to and from the North Wessex Downs as long stay parking is limited.

Getting to Avebury:
By Air: The most convenient International Airports for the trail are Bristol, Birmingham or London (both Heathrow and Gatwick). There is a railway station at Birmingham Airport with frequent services to Swindon station changing at Reading. Both Heathrow and Gatwick airports have rail links to London Paddington Station from where you can catch a train direct to Swindon.

If travelling via Bristol Airport, shuttlebuses run frequently to and from Bristol Temple Meads railway station from where you can catch a train direct to Swindon.

By Public Transport: The most convenient railway station for Avebury is Swindon. Swindon Station is located on the Great Western Mainline with frequent services to London Paddington, Didcot Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads.

Stagecoach West bus service 49 runs hourly (every 2 hours on Sundays) between Swindon Bus Station and the Red Lion in Avebury (journey time approx. 40 mins).

By Road: Avebury is located on the A4361 between Swindon and Beckhampton and just off the A4 between Marlborough and Calne.

From the M4, exit at Junction 16 and follow signs for Wroughton B4005. Just after passing the Studley Grange Garden Centre & Butterfly Farm, leave the B4005 and continue straight on towards Salthrop until you reach the crossroads with the A4361. Turn right towards Devizes to arrive in Avebury.

Returning from Goring:
By Public Transport: There is a railway station at Goring. Goring & Streatley Station is located on the Great Western Mainline with frequent services to London Paddington, Didcot Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads.

By Road: Goring is located just off the A329 between Wallingford and Pangbourne.

From the North, exit the M40 at Junction 6 then follow signs for B4009 Watlington. Stay on the B4009 as it passes through Watlington and Britwell Salome to meet the A4074 at Benson. Head towards Wallingford and on reaching the Crowmarsh roundabout, follow signs for the B4009 Goring.

From the South, exit the M4 at Junction 12 then follow signs for A4 Theale then for the A340 Pangbourne. On reaching Pangbourne, at the mini-roundabout, continue straight on to join the A329 to Goring & Streatley.

Avebury

Unless you can be assured of arriving early on the day prior to setting off on your Ridgeway walk, then we’d suggest you consider adding an additional day in Avebury. The Unique landscape in and around Avebury forms part of the UNESCO Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site and is worthy of proper exploration.

Avebury is one of the most renowned prehistoric sites in Britain and is home to the largest megalithic stone circle in the world. Within short walking distance are a host of other intriguing monuments including the ditches on Windmill Hill, Kennet Long Barrow - one of the most impressive Neolithic graves in Britain. Also West Kennet Avenue where a series of standing stones not only mark the route to Avebury but appear to have acted as grave markers too. The Sanctuary is an extraordinary ceremonial temple, built of concentric rings of standing stones and wooden posts and Silbury Hill is the largest artificial prehistoric mound in Europe.

The Alexander Keiller Museum tells the story of this fascinating place and houses finds from across the Avebury region of the World Heritage site.

You can learn more about the Avebury World Heritage Site ahead of your stay by visiting the Avebury page on the English Heritage website