The Ridgeway

The Ridgeway
The Ridgeway
	The Ridgeway National Trail on Grim's Ditch near Mongewell
Length	87 miles (139km)
Location	southern England, United Kingdom
Designation	UK National Trail
Trailheads	Overton Hill, near Avebury, Wiltshire and Ivinghoe Beacon, Buckinghamshire
Use	Hiking
Elevation change	3,881 feet (1,183 m)
Season	All year
Trail map
	Map of the Ridgeway National Trail in the south of England

Last updated April 14, 2024

The Ridgeway is a ridgeway or ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road.^[2] The section clearly identified as an ancient trackway extends from Wiltshire along the chalk ridge of the Berkshire Downs to the River Thames at the Goring Gap, part of the Icknield Way which ran, not always on the ridge, from Salisbury Plain to East Anglia.^[3] The route was adapted and extended as a National Trail, created in 1972. The Ridgeway National Trail follows the ancient Ridgeway from Overton Hill, near Avebury, to Streatley, then follows footpaths and parts of the ancient Icknield Way through the Chiltern Hills to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire. The National Trail is 87 miles (140 km) long.

History

For at least 5,000 years travellers have used the Ridgeway.^[4] The Ridgeway provided a reliable trading route to the Dorset coast and to the Wash in Norfolk. The high dry ground made travel easy and provided a measure of protection by giving traders a commanding view, warning against potential attacks. The Bronze Age saw the development of the Uffington White Horse and the stone circle at Avebury. During the Iron Age, inhabitants took advantage of the high ground by building hillforts along the Ridgeway to help defend the trading route. Following the collapse of Roman authority in Western Europe, invading Saxon and Viking armies used it. In medieval times and later, the Ridgeway found use by drovers, moving their livestock from the West Country and Wales to markets in the Home Counties and London. Before the Enclosure Acts of 1750, the Ridgeway existed as an informal series of tracks across the chalk downs, chosen by travellers based on path conditions. Once enclosures started, the current path developed through the building of earth banks and the planting of hedges.

National Trail

The idea for a long-distance path along the line of the Wessex Downs and Chilterns goes back to the Hobhouse Committee of 1947. The present route was designated by the Government in 1972, and opened as a National Trail in 1973.^[5]

One of fifteen long-distance National Trails in England and Wales, the Ridgeway travels for 87 miles (140 km) northeast from Overton Hill within the Avebury World Heritage Site to Ivinghoe Beacon near Tring. At Marlborough it meets the Wessex Ridgeway, a footpath opened in 1994 which follows the southwest section of the ancient track into Dorset, as far as Lyme Regis. At Ivinghoe Beacon the Ridgeway meets the Icknield Way Path which continues northeast towards Suffolk. The Ridgeway meets the more recent (1997) Thames Path National Trail at the Goring Gap, where the trails use opposite banks of the River Thames between Goring-on-Thames and Mongewell; the Thames Path follows the western bank and the Ridgeway the eastern.

The total height climbed along the path is 3,881 feet (1,183 m).^[1] The official guide to the trail divides The Ridgeway into six sections.^[6] It is possible to join or leave the trail at other locations with public transport links, including Avebury, Swindon, Wantage, Wallingford, Princes Risborough and Tring.

Sections of The Ridgeway
Section	Start point	Finish point	Distance	Ascent	Descent
1	Overton Hill	Ogbourne St George	9.0 miles (14.5 km)	627 feet (191 m)	866 feet (264 m)
2	Ogbourne St George	Sparsholt Firs	16 miles (25 km)	1,381 feet (421 m)	1,155 feet (352 m)
3	Sparsholt Firs	Streatley	17 miles (28 km)	794 feet (242 m)	1,362 feet (415 m)
4	Streatley	Watlington	15 miles (24 km)	1,300 feet (400 m)	1,076 feet (328 m)
5	Watlington	Wendover	17 miles (27 km)	1,800 feet (550 m)	1,821 feet (555 m)
6	Wendover	Ivinghoe Beacon	11.6 miles (18.6 km)	1,339 feet (408 m)	1,033 feet (315 m)

The Ridgeway is one of four long-distance footpaths that combine to run from Lyme Regis to Hunstanton, collectively referred to as the Greater Ridgeway or Greater Icknield Way.

The Ridgeway passes near many Neolithic, Iron Age and Bronze Age sites including Avebury Stone Circle; Barbury Castle, Liddington Castle, Uffington Castle, Segsbury Castle, Pulpit Hill and Ivinghoe Beacon Hill, all Iron Age and Bronze Age hill forts; Wayland's Smithy, a Neolithic chieftain burial tomb; the Uffington White Horse, an ancient 400-foot (120 m) chalk horse carved into the hillside near Uffington Castle; and Grim's Ditch, a 5-mile (8 km) section of earthwork near Mongewell created by Iron Age peoples as a possible demarcation line. Other points of interest include the Blowing Stone and Victory Drive, the private drive of Chequers (the British Prime Minister's country retreat).

The Ridgeway's surface varies from chalk-rutted farm paths and green lanes (which have a propensity for becoming extremely muddy and pot-holed after rain) to small sections of metalled roads. Designated as a bridleway (shared with horses and bicycles) for much of its length, the Ridgeway also includes parts designated as byway, which permits the use of motorised vehicles. Local restrictions along many byway sections limit the use of motorised vehicles to the summer months. Under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, many public rights of way in England and Wales that authorities had not explicitly classified as Bridleway or Byway defaulted to the classification "Restricted Byway" which precludes the use of motor vehicles at all times, except authorised vehicles and where required for access. As a result, much of the Ridgeway remains prohibited to motor vehicle use by the general public year-round.^[7] However, the Ridgeway is the only means of access for many farms, especially in the more remote parts of the Downs.

In 2024 the Ridgeway National Trail comprised 21 miles (34 km) of public footpath, 14 miles (23 km) of public bridleway, 20 miles (32 km) of byway (much of which has seasonal restrictions on motor vehicles), 22 miles (35 km) of restricted byway (all in Oxfordshire and Berkshire) and 10 miles (16 km) of public road. The 43 miles (69 km) of the Trail to the west of the River Thames has no sections of public footpath and is therefore open along its entire length to cyclists and those on horseback. The remaining 44 miles (71 km) of National Trail to the east of the River Thames contains the 21 miles (34 km) of public footpath in many noncontiguous parts, making it impractical for cyclists and those on horseback to follow this half of the Trail. The Ridgeway Partnership is currently in the process of creating a Ridgeway Riding Route.^[8]

Despite the Ridgeway's artificial creation, the TV programme Seven Natural Wonders featured it in 2005 as one of the wonders of the South.^[2]

Places along the Ridgeway

Places that are near (or on) the Ridgeway National Trail include (from west to east):

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uffington White Horse</span> Prehistoric carving in Uffington, England

The Uffington White Horse is a prehistoric hill figure, 110 m (360 ft) long, formed from deep trenches filled with crushed white chalk. The figure is situated on the upper slopes of Whitehorse Hill in the English civil parish of Uffington in Oxfordshire, some 16 km (10 mi) east of Swindon, 8 km (5.0 mi) south of the town of Faringdon and a similar distance west of the town of Wantage; or 2.5 km (1.6 mi) south of Uffington. The hill forms a part of the scarp of the Berkshire Downs and overlooks the Vale of White Horse to the north. The best views of the figure are obtained from the air, or from directly across the Vale, particularly around the villages of Great Coxwell, Longcot, and Fernham.

The Peddars Way is a long distance footpath that passes through Suffolk and Norfolk, England.

National Trails are long distance footpaths and bridleways in England and Wales. They are administered by Natural England, an agency of the UK government, and Natural Resources Wales, a Welsh government-sponsored body.

Knettishall Heath is a 91.7-hectare (227-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Knettishall in Suffolk. A larger area of 176 hectares is the Knettishall Heath Nature Reserve, which is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

The Icknield Way is an ancient trackway in southern and eastern England that runs from Norfolk to Wiltshire. It follows the chalk escarpment that includes the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills.

Ivinghoe Beacon is a prominent hill and landmark in Buckinghamshire, England, 233 m (757 ft) above sea level in the Chiltern Hills, close to Ivinghoe and Aldbury. Dunstable, Berkhamsted and Tring are nearby.

The Chiltern Hills are a chalk escarpment in southern England, northwest of London, covering 660 square miles (1,700 km²) across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire, 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.

The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway running along the South Downs in southern England. It is one of 16 National Trails in England and Wales. The trail runs for 160 km (100 mi) from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in East Sussex, with about 4,150 m (13,620 ft) of ascent and descent.

The North Downs Way National Trail is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Kent Downs AONB.

Uffington Castle is an early Iron Age univallate hillfort in Oxfordshire, England. It covers about 32,000 square metres and is surrounded by two earth banks separated by a ditch with an entrance in the western end. A second entrance in the eastern end was apparently blocked up a few centuries after it was built. The original defensive ditch was V-shaped with a small box rampart in front and a larger one behind it. Timber posts stood on the ramparts. Later the ditch was deepened and the extra material dumped on top of the ramparts to increase their size. A parapet wall of sarsen stones lined the top of the innermost rampart. It is very close to the Uffington White Horse on White Horse Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dagnall</span> Human settlement in England

Dagnall is a village in the parish of Edlesborough, in Buckinghamshire, England.

Ivinghoe is a village and civil parish in east Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders with Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. It is 33 miles northwest of London, 4 mi (6 km) north of Tring and 6 mi (10 km) south of Leighton Buzzard, close to the village of Pitstone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vale of White Horse</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

The Vale of White Horse is a local government district of Oxfordshire in England. It was historically part of Berkshire. The area is commonly referred to as the 'Vale of the White Horse'. It is crossed by the Ridgeway National Trail in its far south, across the North Wessex Downs AONB at the junction of four counties. The northern boundary is defined by the River Thames. The name refers to Uffington White Horse, a prehistoric hill figure.

In England and Wales, excluding the 12 Inner London boroughs and the City of London, the right of way is a legally protected right of the public to pass and re-pass on specific paths. The law in England and Wales differs from Scots law in that rights of way exist only where they are so designated, whereas in Scotland any route that meets certain conditions is defined as a right of way, and in addition, there is a general presumption of access to the countryside. Private rights of way or easements also exist.

A green lane is a type of road in the United Kingdom, usually an unmetalled or unpaved rural route.

Swan's Way is a long distance bridle route and footpath in Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, England. It runs 65 miles (105 km) from Salcey Forest, Northamptonshire to Goring-On-Thames, Oxfordshire. Although designed for horseriders by riders, it is a multi-use trail also available to walkers and cyclists.

The Greater Ridgeway, also known as the Great Chalk Way, is a 362 miles long-distance footpath crossing England from Lyme Regis in Dorset to Hunstanton in Norfolk. It is a combined route which is made by joining four long-distance footpaths: the Wessex Ridgeway, The Ridgeway National Trail, the Icknield Way and the Peddars Way National Trail.

The Icknield Way Path or Icknield Way Trail is a long distance footpath and riding route in East Anglia, England. The ancient Icknield Way itself is unique among long-distance trails because it can claim to be ‘the oldest road in Britain’. It consists of prehistoric pathways, ancient when the Romans came; the route is dotted with archaeological remains. It survives today in splendid tracks and green lanes along the ‘chalk spine’ of southern England.

Ivinghoe Hills is a 210.4 hectares Site of Special Scientific Interest in Ivinghoe in Buckinghamshire, and part of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is listed in A Nature Conservation Review. The Ridgeway long-distance footpath ends and the Icknield Way Path starts in the site on Ivinghoe Beacon. An Iron Age fort on Ivinghoe Beacon and a tumulus on Gallows Hill are Scheduled Monuments. The site is part of the National Trust's Ashridge Estate, apart from a small area which belongs to Buckinghamshire County Council.

References

1 2 "Ridgeway (Oxfordshire)". Walk & Cycle. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
1 2 "Seven Natural Wonders". BBC. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012.
↑ Darvill, Timothy (2002). Oxford Archaeological Guides: England . pp. 297–298. ISBN 0-19-284101-7.
↑ "The History of the Ridgeway, an ancient pathway". www.historic-uk.com. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
↑ Curtis, Neil (1994). The Ridgeway National Trail Guide. p. 18. ISBN 1-85410-268-0.
↑ Burton, Anthony (2013). The Ridgeway. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 9781781310632.
↑ "Ridgeway given 22-mile motor ban". BBC News. 22 May 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2007.
↑ "Cycling the Ridgeway" . Retrieved 27 March 2024.

Maps

Annotated map of the Ridgeway at Google Maps
Map in 2-mile sections at hikeview.co.uk

Bibliography

Ingrams, Richard (1988). The Ridgeway: Europe’s Oldest Road. Phaidon Press Limited. ISBN 0-7148-2506-9.
Crampton, Patrick (1965). The Prehistoric Ridge Way: A Journey. The Abbey Press, Abingdon-on-Thames.
Thomas, Edward (1916). The Icknield Way. Constable & Company Ltd, London.
Burton, Anthony (2016). The Ridgeway: National Trail Guide. Aurum Press Ltd. ISBN 1781315736.
Hill, Nick (2021). The Ridgeway: Two-way guide. Trailblazer Publications. ISBN 1912716208.
Davison, Steve (2016). Walking the Ridgeway National Trail: Avebury to Ivinghoe Beacon described in both directions. Cicerone Press. ISBN 185284874X.
Anderson, J.R.L.; Godwin, Fay (1975). The Oldest Road: An Exploration of the Ridgeway. Garden City Press Ltd. ISBN 0704501686.

External links

Official website of the National Trail
BBC description of the Ridgeway
Map in 2-mile sections at hikeview.co.uk
The Friends of the Ridgeway

51°33.8′N1°21′W / 51.5633°N 1.350°W / 51.5633; -1.350

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[walkand-1] 1 2 "Ridgeway (Oxfordshire)". Walk & Cycle. Retrieved 26 February 2017.

[seven-2] 1 2 "Seven Natural Wonders". BBC. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012.

[3] Darvill, Timothy (2002). Oxford Archaeological Guides: England . pp. 297–298. ISBN 0-19-284101-7.

[4] "The History of the Ridgeway, an ancient pathway". www.historic-uk.com. Retrieved 7 January 2017.

[5] Curtis, Neil (1994). The Ridgeway National Trail Guide. p. 18. ISBN 1-85410-268-0.

[6] Burton, Anthony (2013). The Ridgeway. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 9781781310632.

[7] "Ridgeway given 22-mile motor ban". BBC News. 22 May 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2007.

[8] "Cycling the Ridgeway" . Retrieved 27 March 2024.

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v t e Long-distance footpaths in the United Kingdom
National Trails (England and Wales)	Cleveland Way Coast to Coast Walk Cotswold Way Glyndŵr's Way Hadrian's Wall Path King Charles III England Coast Path North Downs Way Offa's Dyke Path Peddars Way Pembrokeshire Coast Path Pennine Bridleway Pennine Way The Ridgeway South Downs Way South West Coast Path Thames Path Yorkshire Wolds Way
Other trails (England and Wales)	Capital Ring Esk Valley Walk Lea Valley Walk London Outer Orbital Path Norfolk Coast Path Peak District Boundary Walk Pennine Journey Shakespeare's Way Vanguard Way Wales Coast Path Yorkshire Water Way
Scotland's Great Trails	Annandale Way Arran Coastal Way Ayrshire Coastal Path Berwickshire Coastal Path Borders Abbeys Way Cateran Trail Clyde Walkway Cross Borders Drove Road Dava Way Fife Coastal Path Formartine and Buchan Way Forth-Clyde/Union Canal Towpath Great Glen Canoe Trail Great Glen Way Great Trossachs Path John Muir Way Kintyre Way Loch Lomond and Cowal Way Moray Coast Trail Mull of Galloway Trail River Ayr Way Rob Roy Way Romans and Reivers Route St Cuthbert's Way Southern Upland Way Speyside Way Three Lochs Way West Highland Way West Island Way
Long-distance path (Northern Ireland)	Ulster Way