The Ridgeway

The Ridgeway is often called Britain's oldest road. It is an ancient path that runs along the high, chalk ridge of the Berkshire Downs. This special route stretches from Wiltshire to where the River Thames flows, near a place called the Goring Gap.

People have walked this path for many years, long before modern roads were built. In 1972, it was officially named a National Trail, which means people can still follow this old route today. The Ridgeway National Trail starts near Avebury and goes all the way to a hill called Ivinghoe Beacon.

All together, the trail is about 87 miles long, offering a wonderful journey through beautiful countryside. It lets everyone experience a piece of Britain's ancient past.

History

For thousands of years, people have used the Ridgeway as a path for travel. It offered a good way to get to the Dorset coast and to the Wash in Norfolk. The high, dry ground made it easier to walk and gave traders a good view to watch for danger. During the Bronze Age, important landmarks like the Uffington White Horse and the stone circle at Avebury were created nearby. Later, in the Iron Age, people built hillforts along the Ridgeway to protect the route. Even after the Romans left Western Europe, groups like the Saxon and Viking armies used it. In later times, people used the Ridgeway to move animals from Wales and the West Country to markets near London. Before the 1700s, the Ridgeway was just a collection of paths people chose based on conditions. When rules about land changed, the path we know today was formed with dirt walls and hedges.

National Trail

The idea for a long path along the Wessex Downs and Chilterns started in 1947. The Ridgeway became a National Trail in 1973, stretching 87 miles from Overton Hill near the Avebury World Heritage Site to Ivinghoe Beacon near Tring. It connects with other paths like the Wessex Ridgeway and the Icknield Way Path.

The Ridgeway passes many old sites, such as the Avebury Stone Circle and the Uffington White Horse. It can be walked in sections and has parts for horses and bicycles, though some areas are only for walking.

Places along the Ridgeway

The Ridgeway National Trail passes by many interesting places from west to east.

Some of these places include Avebury, Overton Hill, Fyfield Down, Hackpen White Horse, Barbury Castle, Swindon, Marlborough, Liddington Castle, Wanborough, Charlbury Hill, Wayland's Smithy, Whitehorse Hill with Uffington Castle and Uffington White Horse, Lambourn, Segsbury Camp, Wantage, and many more towns and hills along the way.