The Ridgeway - walking in the footsteps of the ancients
The Ridgeway is an ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road running from Wiltshire to the Thames at Streatley. It has been extended to Ivinghoe Beacon in the Chilterns to form an 87 mile National Trail.
The ancient part of the Ridgeway runs from Overton Hill, near Avebury, to Streatley. Interesting ancient monuments are on or near the route - including the impressive standing stone circle at Avebury, Wayland's Smithy, and the Uffington White Horse.
The route has been used by travellers for at least 5,000 years.
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.
During the Iron Age, inhabitants took advantage of the high ground by building hill forts along the Ridgeway to help defend the trading route.
Following the collapse of Roman authority in Western Europe, invading Saxon and Viking armies used the route.
In medieval times and later, the Ridgeway found use by drovers, moving their livestock from theWest 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.
The Ridgeway National Trail opened in 1973. It follows footpaths and parts of the ancient Icknield Way to extend the ancient Ridgeway to the Chilterns.
Some of the transport hubs nearby for walkers include public transport at Swindon, Wantage, Wallingford, Princes Risborough and Tring. At the Chiltern end of the route, walkers pass the private drive of Chequers (the British Prime Minister's country retreat).
The National Trail celebrates 50 years of existence in 2023.
Further reading
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