The Wessex Ridgeway stretches from Lyme Regis in Dorset to Marlborough in Wiltshire and is one of the constituent trails comprising the Great Chalk Way. This page is all about my walks along the Wiltshire section that begins at Win Green. Wessex Ridgeway - Wiltshire Wessex Ridgeway - Wiltshire As I’ve mentioned numerous times in these blogs, for my challenge to walk the Great Chalk Way from coast to coast in 2025, I completed only the Dorset section of the Wessex Ridgeway, choosing to leave at Win Green and follow the Cranborne Droves Way to Salisbury and then the Sarsen Way to Overton Hill. At Overton Hill, the baton was handed over to The Ridgeway National Trail. I know that the Dorset / Wiltshire border is actually in Ashmore but for the sake of a few miles I’ve been referring to Lyme Regis to Win Green as the Dorset section of the Wessex Ridgeway. The Wiltshire section of the Wessex Ridgeway between Win Green and Marlborough is entirely in Wiltshire! A few miles before reaching Marlborough, the trail reaches The Ridgeway on Overton Down, less than 2 miles north of Overton Hill. A look at the map of this part of the GCW shows that the trail crosses Cranborne Chase and then skirts the west and north west of Salisbury Plain, much of which is owned by the MOD. Beyond Salisbury Plain, the trail passes across the North Wessex Downs. Whilst it’s not as demanding as the Dorset section, the Wiltshire section still has plenty of history to offer as well as some fantastic scenery. The Great Chalk Way information boards show 2 ways to reach The Ridgeway from Win Green. I wouldn’t feel happy not also walking the alternative route to Overton Hill via Warminster, so in spring 2026 I decided to complete this route and then continue to the official finish of the Wessex Ridgeway in the centre of Marlborough. Avebury has been mentioned so many times in my GCW blogs but the Wessex Ridgeway is the only one of the 6 trails comprising the GCW that actually passes through the village. Having looked at other people's blogs relating to this part of the Wessex Ridgeway, the most popular number of stages walked to complete was 7. From looking at the available public transport options, 7 was definitely the way to go for me. These are the stages I walked to reach Marlborough. Ludwell to Hindon Hindon to Heytesbury Heytesbury to Bratton Camp Bratton Camp to West Lavington West Lavington to Devizes Devizes to Avebury Avebury to Marlborough The numbers I’ve assigned to these stages are 28 to 34 being my 28th to 34th walks along the GCW. For various reasons I didn’t do these walks in order. UPDATE July 2026 - I hope to update this page with my blogs of this part of the GCW in the next few weeks. Stage 28 - Wessex Ridgeway - Ludwell to Hindon - May 23rd 2026 A good news story I could drink to. A Great Chalk Way information board hiding in the woods. 2 castles in a day. Great views all day Stage 29 - Wessex Ridgeway - Hindon to Heytesbury - April 29th 2026 Let the train take the strain. A walk through the woods. Can I beat the cloud and the clock. Stage 30 - Wessex Ridgeway - Heytesbury to Bratton Camp - April 30th 2026 Getting to know the Imber Range Perimeter Path. A couple of hillforts. Fabulous views. Noisy soldiers. A chalk horse to finish Stage 31 - Wessex Ridgeway - Bratton Camp to West Lavington - April 23rd 2026 Catastrophe averted. The best of human nature. A chalk horse & hillfort for the price of 1. Much more of the IRPP. Outstanding views Stage 32 - Wessex Ridgeway - West Lavington to Devizes - April 24th 2026 Continuing along the Imber Range Perimer Path. Urchfont - a 'Winner of Winners' best kept village. Vale of Pewsey. 2 for 1 chalk horses

Why I created this website about my walks along the Thames Path National Trail and why I subsequently expanded it to include other Long Distance Trails such as the Great Chalk Way About I created this website as a blog to document and share the walks I did to complete the Thames Path National Trail during 2020. At the time I didn’t have any plans to expand it beyond this. However, I enjoyed the trail so much that I did it again in 2021, then 2022 and before I knew it, I’d walked it each year up to 2025. It has now become an annual tradition of mine and having just completed it for the 7th time in 2026 I’m proud to call myself a Thames Path Nerd. In 2025 I expanded what was a site dedicated solely to the Thames Path, to include the 6 trails that together make the Great Chalk Way (GCW). The GCW is a family of established walking and riding routes linking the Dorset and Norfolk Coasts across central southern England following the ancient trading route along the chalk ridge, forming a coast to coast route of more than 360 miles. In between walking the Thames Path, I started the GCW in late April 2025 from Lyme Regis and finished in early September 2025 at Holme-next-the-Sea. The landscape of the GCW couldn't be further removed from that of the Thames Path, making for a fabulous year of walking. In time I’ll add further long distance trails that I have completed, including the Cotswold Way and the North Downs Way.

My 2020 walk along the Thames Path National Trail between Henley-On-Thames in Oxfordshire & Sonning-On-Thames in Berkshire Henley-on-Thames to Sonning - March 6th 2020 The Route This walk was meant to start at Henley and end at Tilehurst. However, flooding of the river in various places along the route put paid to this, resulting in a much shorter walk! Starting on the north bank of the river at Henley, the path follows the river as far as Lower Shiplake, where it takes to the streets before rejoining at Shiplake Lock. The path then continues through open countryside as far as Sonning Bridge where it switches to the south bank. The reality was that once I reached Shiplake College, the river was flooded and I had to walk up to the main road and walk along this instead to Sonning Bridge. This section from Henley to Sonning is meant to be about 6 miles. My Walk I was taught a lesson on this walk. Before setting off I should have checked the Government’s Flood Information Service – https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/warnings Alternatively, I should have brought my wellies with me! Anyway, in blissful ignorance I set off from home on yet another sunny morning. I drove to Henley and parked in the station car park. The walk started at Henley Bridge on the north bank of the river. For almost a mile, the path was tarmacked. I noticed that the water level was rather high but didn’t give it a second thought. Shortly before Marsh Lock, the path directed me onto a wooden bridge. Because the lock is unusually situated on the opposite side of the river to the path, a long wooden bridge was built from the bank to carry the path out to the lock island below the weir and then back again to the riverbank above the weir. This feature is unique on the River Thames. Once back on dry land, the path continued alongside the river through open meadows that gradually got muddier and muddier. Eventually the path went off to the right and into Lower Shiplake. Numerous Thames Path signs directed me through Lower Shiplake past large, mainly gated houses and eventually brought me back to the river at Shiplake Lock. I stopped here to eat my lunch. The walk through the village cut off a sizeable bend in the river and I assumed this was because the towpath was impassable for this section. The day’s fun started after lunch. I set off again alongside the river but due to the soggy nature of the fields I found that I was having to walk further and further away from the riverbank. At the Shiplake College boathouse the path was completely flooded and whilst my walking shoes were waterproof, they couldn’t deal with the depth of water ahead of me. I took the decision to leave the path here, walk up to the main road, walk along this road to Sonning and then continue along the path to Tilehurst. The A4155 is the main road between Henley and Reading and hence is very busy. It doesn’t have any pavements, just uneven grass verges. I ended up walking an unpleasant 3 miles along this road, with large trucks thundering by. Once off the A4155 I had to walk along the road into Sonning. I eventually reached Sonning Bridge, which is where the Thames Path would have brought me. Looking back along the path towards Shiplake, within just a few yards it was still flooded, so definitely the right decision. Thinking (or rather hoping) the path towards Reading and Tilehurst would be OK, I crossed Sonning Bridge to the south bank of the river as directed by the signs and continued towards Sonning Lock. About half a mile beyond the lock, the path opened up into Thames Valley Nature Reserve, which is a very large, very flat meadow by the side of the river – and was also under a lot of water, not surprising really since it was developed as a natural flood plain! Forward progress was not going to happen! Two fellow walkers were in the same predicament as me. I could see from the map on my phone that there were a number of paths to our left that theoretically would bring us out on a business park and dry land. So, the three of us set off but very soon we all had water in our shoes! The two ladies admitted defeat and decided to retrace their steps back to Sonning. I persisted in trying to reach the business park but all the buildings had security fencing around them with no means of getting through. Eventually I too conceded and walked back to Sonning. I now had to figure out how to get back to my car, as Sonning doesn’t have a railway station. After a half hour wait, I got a bus to Twyford, then a train to Henley. Before getting back in my car to drive home, I had a wander around the shops in the town, looking for a pair of socks, since the ones I had on were soaked. Back at my car, I changed my shoes and socks and drove to my sister’s house, as she had promised me a sneaky pint at her local and tea! This was to be my last Thames Path walk for nearly three months, as lockdown and the flooding of course, prevented me from doing any more. Gallery Bourne End to Henley Sonning to Tilehurst

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 11.74 miles Duration - 4 hours 44 mins Total ascent – 986 feet Total descent –931 feet Highest point – 850 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Drive to National Trust Avebury car park and park car Catch bus 49 from opposite Red Lion pub to Devizes Walk to Avebury, pick up car & drive to Premier Inn Swindon Town Centre My Walk In terms of history, today’s walk starting from Devizes would take in an Iron Age hillfort on Roundway Down, a Roman road, another ancient hillfort at Cherhill Down along with a 246 year old chalk horse and all this before reaching Avebury. The Wessex Ridgeway (WR) is the only one of the six trails comprising the Great Chalk Way that actually passes Avebury, a World Heritage Site that contains an extraordinary cluster of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments. Avebury - West Kennet Avenue My walk began with a drive from home to the National Trust car park at Avebury. Despite it being a Sunday and Easter Sunday at that, the 49 bus to Devizes was operating from the bus stop opposite the Red Lion pub. The bus only takes 30 minutes and by midday I was in Devizes town centre just as it had stopped raining and the sun was coming out. It wasn’t desperately warm and there was quite a wind blowing. Handel House Devizes owes its name to a former music shop on the ground floor I walked along London Road to the point where it crossed the Kennet & Avon Canal and joined the WR here. At the first bridge I came to, the WR left the canal and crossed the bridge, joining Quakers Walk. Quakers Walk is an attractive, dead-straight, tree-lined footpath. The Kennet & Avon Canal Quakers Walk At the end of the path, the trail continued alongside a field into the hamlet of Roundway, where a diversion forced me onto the steep road up Roundway Hill. The reason for the diversion is the project to bury almost 3 miles of existing electrical power lines and therefore remove a number of pylons from the area. It is one of five projects under National Grid’s Visual Impact Provision scheme to reduce the visual impact of high voltage power lines in protected areas across England and Wales. The works are expected to be completed by the end of 2026. I can certainly forgive the diversion for such a worthy cause!! Sharing the trail with the Mid Wilts Way & White Horse Trail This is where the Wessex Ridgeway should go Near the top of the hill the road forked right towards the Devizes White Horse – officially the Devizes Millennium White Horse. This horse is the youngest of the 8 Wiltshire chalk horses that and was cut in 1999 to celebrate the forthcoming third millennium. Unlike all the others, this horse faces right rather than left and also depicts the horse in motion. His design was based on that of an earlier Devizes White Horse about a mile away. Due to neglect, the original was completely lost from view by the 1920s. This pylon will soon be dismantled. Devizes White Horse on the right Devizes Millennium White Horse - August 2026 Diversion takes the left fork The diverted WR took the left fork in the road rather than the right and soon the curently-closed path up from Roundway rejoined. There were far reaching views of Devizes and beyond. The road became more of a wide, stony track. ½ mile along the track were signs for the WR taking me off to the left and onto Roundway Down Iron Age hillfort. During the English Civil War, the Battle of Roundway Down was fought here in 1643 and today the hillfort is known locally as ‘Oliver's Castle’ or ‘Oliver's Camp’. That said, it appears that Cromwell never camped there; it was one of his generals - Major General William Waller - who actually camped there with his troops. Maybe it should be called Waller's Camp! Anyway, what's important is that this was a beautiful spot with fantastic 360° views. Soon these pylons will be gone! Great views Oliver's Camp with Beacon Hill beyond - April 2026 The wind really picked up after my first drone picture (above) and I had to land it. I really wanted to show just how steep the sides of the hillfort were, so I vowed to return on a calmer day. I therefore returned in August when there was virtually no wind and having had just about no rain in what seemed like forever, the landscape had been transformed from green to brown! Oliver's Camp - August 2026 The original Devizes White Horse, historically known as the "Snobs' Horse," was cut into the chalk just below the summit of the hillfort in 1845 by local shoemakers. "Snob" was a regional dialect word for a shoemaker. Is the outline of part of Snob's Horse visible just below the summit? I like to think so! Is this his head? The WR continued beyond the hillfort before turning right in the direction of Morgan’s Hill, which with the trees of Furze Knoll on top, together with its 2 radio communications masts, would dominate the landscape for a couple of miles. Beacon Hill beyond the fort Looking back towards Oliver's Camp Morgan's Hill Before reaching Morgan’s Hill it was necessary to cross a minor road onto the North Wilts Golf Club. A brief but steepish climb on the golf course brought me to the point where the WR crossed the Wansdyke Path and said goodbye to the Mid Wilts Way, which had been ‘code sharing’ since I left Devizes. 3 miles in the distance the Lansdowne Monument aka the Cherhill Monument came into view for the first time. North Wilts Golf Club Mid Wilts Way leaves here. The WR goes left. Lansdowne Monument in the distance The WR skirted around the side of Morgan’s Hill to my right, so not too much to see but to my left I had wonderful views of Cherhill Down – so impressive! I noticed that the path from Morgan’s Hill was remarkably straight. The OS map has this marked as ‘Roman Road’, so that explains it! The WR eventually turned off in the direction of Cherhill Down and quickly climbed to the high point of this stage at the top of Cherhill Hill where I found the Lansdowne Monument, the Cherhill White Horse and Oldbury Castle. The Lansdowne Monument can be seen from miles away. The monument is a 125 foot tall slender stone obelisk built in 1845 by the 3rd Marquis of Lansdowne in memory of his ancestor, Sir William Petty. Petty was a founding member of the Royal Society and the man who, more than anyone, amassed the Lansdowne family fortune. One of his descendants, the 1st Marquis of Lansdowne, served as Prime Minister under King George III. The Cherhill White Horse was cut into the chalk in 1780 under the direction of Dr Christopher Allsop, a physician from Calne. A local tradition says that Allsop directed the operation by shouting instructions through a large speaking trumpet from a position on the Calne road at the base of the Down!! This horse is the 2nd oldest of the Wiltshire chalk horses after Westbury. Oldbury Castle is an Iron Age hillfort. It is bivallate, meaning it is defended by a double ditch and bank, except on the north-west side where the steep scarp acts as an additional defence for a single bank and ditch. The fortifications enclose an area of 22 acres and are built across part of an earlier Bronze Age site. As with all hillforts, Oldbury Castle is best viewed from the air. As I pointed out at the beginning, it was a pretty windy day and at the top of the hill it was just too windy for my drone. I therefore returned the following morning when the wind had calmed down to get some drone images and footage. Needless to say, I got some pretty amazing views from the top of the hill. After spending about half an hour on the hill I followed the WR down the hill towards the A4. The path turned right shortly before the road onto a grass covered path on what was the Old Bath Road. Such beautiful countryside I missed this turn initially & ended up on the A4 At the end of the path was a small car park and gallops. I don’t know who owns the gallops but the owner allows public access from 12:30 onwards after his/her horses have trained. The path crossed onto the busy A4 road and then continued along a grass verge towards the Beckhampton roundabout. Shortly before reaching the roundabout the path veered left and continued towards Avebury Trusloe. I passed my first two sarsen stones of the day, known as The Longstones. The larger of the two is named ‘Adam’ and the other, ‘Eve’. The Longstones Adam & Eve The path crossed the infant River Kennet. The Kennet has its source from a number of springs in the area and eventually joins the River Thames in Reading. As I crossed the river, Silbury Hill became visible to my right. It’s an amazing sight to see, right by the side of the A4. At 129 feet high, the hill is the tallest prehistoric man-made mound in Europe and one of the largest in the world. You can get an idea of scale from the cars driving past A couple of minutes later I was in the village of Avebury. Avebury itself along with the other sites that make up Avebury World Heritage Site is an unbelievably beautiful and fascinating place to visit. You could easily spend a day visiting all the sites. Avebury village makes a perfect finish to any walk. Not only do you have the stone circles, henge and West Kennet Avenue on your doorstep but you have a museum, local shops, a pub, National Trust café and a 7 days a week bus service! A little further on you have Silbury Hill, West Kennet Long Barrow, the Sanctuary and Windmill Hill, all within walking distance of the village. What a place! I’ve visited Avebury so many times in the past, so after a quick walk amongst the stones, I had a pint at the Red Lion before returning to my car and driving to the Swindon Town Centre Premier Inn where I was going to stay for a couple of nights. With all that it has to offer in terms of history, I really feel that Avebury is a much better place to visit than Stonehenge. The WR would continue from Avebury for just over 6 miles to finish in Marlbrough. It would cross paths with The Ridgeway on Overton Down, about 1½ miles beyond Avebury and this would mark the finish of the alternative Great Chalk Way route between Win Green and Overton.

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 10.58 miles Duration - 4 hours 15 mins Total ascent – 861 feet Total descent –700 feet Highest point – 710 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Stay overnight at Premier Inn Trowbridge Drive to Devizes & park - Station Road Car Park SN10 1BZ Catch bus X2 to West Lavington 08:55 arriving 09:19 Walk to Devizes Pick up car & drive home My Walk Today’s walk would begin with a climb back up to rejoin the Imber Range Perimeter Path (IRPP) and White Horse Trail (WHT), which the Wessex Ridgeway would follow for 3 miles. After steadily climbing to the highest point of the stage, the path would then peel off to the left leaving both the IRPP and WHT and it would then descend into the picture perfect village of Urchfont. Beyond Urchfont, a slow and steady climb for 2½ miles would bring me to Etchilhampton Hill, which it would skirt around. Another 2 miles would bring me to the Kennet and Avon Canal in Devizes and a short walk alongside the canal would bring me to the town centre and the end of this stage. After yesterday’s drama with my phone I was hoping for a less stressful day! I’d stayed overnight at the Trowbridge Premier Inn. I had a ‘spare’ booking that I had left over from last year – that’s why I chose to stay here, plus it would make today’s logistics work well. I began by driving to Devizes and parking in the Station Road long-term carpark. I then caught the X2 bus back to West Lavington and by 9:30 I was climbing up a track towards the IRPP and WHT on what was yet another gorgeous day. West Lavington All Saints' Church West Lavington Gorgeous house! The path climbs upwards along this ditch for a while Path continues along this track At the top of the hill, I turned left onto the IRPP byway which was relatively wide and made for easy walking. I was immediately reminded that to my right was a military training area and in this case, the Westdown Artillery Range. However, there were no red flags flying and all was quiet today on the firing front! Nice views at the top Back on the IRPP Westdown Artillery Range out of bounds on the right but no red flag today The blue sky, rapeseed fields and the views made for a lovely landscape. After passing another vedette – this one named ‘VD 11 Lavington’, I came across a memorial on the right hand side to a German soldier, Jager Dirk Knöffel, who “passed away by accident on 5th September 1993”. It seems that Knöffel was a member of a German parachute regiment, presumably training in the vicinity. He was killed when his anti-tank vehicle rolled over. From what I can find out, the memorial was funded by members of a UK parachute regiment. What's not to like about this! VD11 Lavington Market Lavington We keep on going along the IRPP Memorial to Jager Dirk Knöffel After 3 miles of walking along the byway, it was time for the Wessex Ridgeway to part company once more with the IRPP and WHT. For about 0.8 miles, the path slowly descended off the ridge towards the village of Urchfont. Tanks like to play around in here! Time to say farewell to the IRPP Now descending towards Urchfont Stark warning from the MOD I can see across to the other side of the Vale of Pewsey with the Alton Barnes white horse in the distance On reaching the village the ‘Wow!’s started. What a beautiful village. It’s no wonder they proudly display that they have twice been voted ‘Winner of Winners’ in the Wiltshire branch of the Campaign For Rural England’s ‘Best Kept Village’ competition, most recently in 2025. It's astounding that I didn't see 1 piece of litter as I walked through the village! I was waylaid in the village for a few minutes longer than I’d anticipated due to not being able to find where the Wessex Ridgeway continued. Eventually however, I found the gate I had to go through. It was quite well concealed in my defence! Found the Wessex Ridgeway waymarker at last! The gate led me into a field of cows. They were bored of eating grass and decided I was more interesting, so they followed me across the field. I’ve never been hit by a cow yet but some of these were getting a little uncomfortably close! Beyond the cows, the path continued across a few fields towards a railway line. Four flights of stairs led up to the GWR mainline tracks which I had to cross. Beyond the railway, the path continued through more fields and another field of cows. These cows however weren’t really too bothered about me. Another field of cows Motocross track?? 4 flights up to the railway tracks. Very pleasing on the eye! The other side of the railway line These cows weren't bothered by me The path eventually joined a small road that led up to the A342 in the village of Stert. On the other side of the road the path continued towards Etchilhampton Hill, which it would skirt around to the left rather than climb. As I passed the hill, the Vale of Pewsey opened up. The vale is an area of low land between Salisbury Plain to the south and Marlborough Down to the north. It stretches east-west for about 19 miles and north-south for about 3 miles. Vale of Pewsey Looking back at Etchilhampton Hill To the left, Devizes itself could be seen and the Devizes White Horse (officially the Devizes Millennium White Horse) became clearer. This is the youngest of the Wiltshire white horses, having been cut in 1999 to commemorate the forthcoming third millennium. I’d pass close to this horse on the next stage. As I carried on, the Alton Barnes White Horse also came into view again in the very far distance, so 2 horses for the price of 1! As the crow flies the horses are about 6 miles apart, so I couldn’t get a photo with both of them in it. You can just about see the Alton Barnes White Horse! By mistake, I left the path a couple of hundred yards too soon and consequently missed the short walk alongside the Kennet and Avon Canal to reach Devizes town centre. I would make up for this on the next stage however! I reached the town centre at about 1:30. What an enjoyable morning I'd had. Devizes Wadworth Brewery. In 2023 the company moved to a new brewery on the outskirts of town The highlight of today’s walk had undoubtedly been Urchfont; I could see myself living there! Back to reality however, I walked back to my car and drove home.

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 10.79 miles Duration - 4 hours 13 mins Total ascent – 778 feet Total descent –1233 feet Highest point – 754 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Stay overnight at Premier Inn Salisbury South Drive to Central Car Park in Salisbury & park car Walk to railway station Catch train from Salisbury to Westbury Station Taxi from Westbury Station to Westbury White Horse Walk from Westbury White Horse to West Lavington Catch bus 2A from West Lavington to Salisbury at 15:41 Journey time 1 hour 11 mins Drive to Premier Inn Trowbridge & stay overnight My Walk This west to east stage across the northern edge of Salisbury Plain would begin at the top of Westbury Hill with a short walk to the Westbury White Horse and Bratton Camp. Almost immediately the path would rejoin the Imber Range Perimeter Path (IRPP) and the White Horse Trail (WHT) would also join the party. Much of today’s walk would be shared with one or both of these trails. Parts of the IRPP are byways open to all traffic (BOATs), so I’d have to watch out for vehicles. Whilst this stage might not have too much ancient history associated with it (apart from Bratton Camp), the far-reaching views throughout the day would make up for it. For this stage I’d driven from home to Salisbury the day before and stayed overnight in the Premier Inn South hotel so that I could I have an early start for my walk. It was a cracking morning with a clear blue sky. After parking my car in the Central car park, I walked to Salisbury station and caught a train to Westbury. Westbury station to Westbury Hill and the white horse is about 2½ miles and much of it is up a steep hill. Whilst I was happy to walk it in the reverse direction, I didn’t fancy this uphill walk, so I got a waiting taxi at Westbury station. The taxi driver dropped me off at Westbury Hill and I set off towards the chalk horse and Bratton Camp. Looking back down towards Westbury from the top of Westbury Hill The ‘Respect The Range Westbury Giants’ artwork at the top of the hill and close to the IRPP immediately caught my attention. These steel figures represent how members of the public carrying out common activities on the training estate such as dog walking, hiking and cycling can carry out these everyday activities close to military training. When I first saw them, I immediately thought of the ‘Standing With Giants – For Your Tomorrow’ installation that commemorates the 1,476 lives lost on 6 June 1944 under British command on D-Day. It therefore didn’t surprise me that the Westbury Giants were designed by the same charity. 'Standing With Giants - For Your Tomorrow' at National Trust Stowe The Westbury Giants installation was originally intended to be just temporary in 2024 but after planning permission was granted in 2025, the figures are now a permanent fixture. So effective and apparently very popular! About 15 minutes later I reached into my jacket pocket for my phone but it wasn’t there. I checked all the pockets of my trousers and rucksack……and it wasn’t in any of them! OMG – what do I do now? I retraced all my steps to where the taxi driver had dropped me off but no joy. I knew I’d had the phone at Westbury station because I took a photo of the attractive stone ‘WESTBURY’ sign ‘planted’ in an embankment, so I assumed it had fallen out of my packet in the taxi. There was nothing for it but to walk back down the hill to the station. Hopefully the driver would be back there, or if not, I could explain to other taxi drivers what had happened and hopefully one would know who my driver was. I was about ½ mile from the station and suddenly I saw the taxi coming the other way. The driver recognised me, opened his window and held out my phone! I was ecstatic!! He had a passenger in his taxi but told me to jump in and after he’d dropped her off, he’d take me back up the hill again. He explained what he’d done to try to find me and his actions were far and away above and beyond what I’d expect anyone to have done. Needless to say, I gave him a healthy tip as well as paying again for the ride back to the top of Westbury Hill. An expensive start to my walk but in the end, worth every penny. So, thank you once again the driver from A2BTaxis Westbury One of my dad’s sayings was ‘Better to be born lucky than rich’. Never had this been more the case! I would enjoy today’s walk all the more thinking of this man’s honesty and kindness. Right. Reunited with my phone, now in a trouser pocket, I could proceed and thoroughly enjoy my walk. Across from the Westbury Giants was the Westbury White Horse. This horse is the oldest of the 8 Wiltshire chalk horses; nobody is certain but it’s believed to date back to the late seventeenth century, probably to commemorate the supposed Battle of Ethandun, thought to have taken place at Bratton Camp in AD 878. In 1957, the local council concreted it over and painted it white in an attempt to save on long-term maintenance costs. However, since then it has had to have regular cleans including this one in 2018 White Horse Clean It was last cleaned, repaired and repainted in 2023. The paint alone was rumoured to have cost about £25000; was it really a good decision to concrete over? On the day of my visit, it was looking in tip-top condition. The horse was carved on the same hill as Bratton Camp, a bivallate (two ramparts) Iron Age hillfort at least 2000 years old, covering about 23 acres. Bratton Long Barrow within the fort is estimated to date back to 3000 BC, following excavations in the 19th century that uncovered human skeletons and cremations. The fort is intersected by the road from Bratton at its eastern side. It’s unfortunate but from the air, the horse is too close to the fort – a bit late to move it now however! I managed to get some photos of the horse and hillfort with my drone. I’d been half expecting to get warnings on its controller that I was in a restricted area, being so close to the firing ranges but I didn’t. Finally, I got going in earnest. The path took me from the hillfort towards the IRPP, which at this point was a wide, straight byway, the surface of which was easy to walk on. To my left were great views over to Edington Hill and beyond. All the land to my right was off limits. All around Salisbury Plain, the roads connecting the plain with the surrounding countryside feature brick-built guard-posts, staffed by security officers whenever there is military activity beyond such points. They are known as vedettes. Just after passing vedette post 6 (unmanned on the day of my walk), the Wessex Ridgeway and IRPP parted company with the WHT and continued along a more traditional ‘green’ walking path along the edges of fields. With this being rapeseed season and the sky being so blue, it was wonderful walking along the path. An entry point to the village of Imber We turn off from the gravel path here The Ukranian flag! Edington Hill Stoke Hill trig point The path gave way to a gravel byway again and the WHT rejoined us. 2 miles further on at New Zealand Farm Camp, the Wessex Ridgeway parted company with both the IRPP and WHT for the last time today. Back onto gravel again This is where the Wessex Ridgeway leaves the IRPP for the last time today I was now walking across wide downland with fabulous views. Soon I could see the village of West Lavington where this stage ends. As I got closer, I passed the playing fields of Dauntsey’s School, which I assumed just had to be a private school. Sure enough - £30000 a year for day pupils and £49000 for boarding pupils – inclusive of VAT of course)! 10 minutes later I arrived in the village. It was 3 o’clock. My bus back to Salisbury was due at 15:42. Time for a pint at The Churchill Arms to celebrate the completion of this stage and not losing my phone for the duration of the walk! Despite the drama at the start of the day, this had been yet another fantastic walk. I'm really enjoying the Wiltshire section of the Wessex Ridgeway. West Lavington My bus arrived a few minutes late and was full of school students but at least there was an empty seat for the 70 minute journey to Salisbury. I really couldn’t care less how rowdy they were; I was just grateful to have a comfortable seat. Back in Salisbury, I had an early tea at Wetherspoons. Being a Thursday I went for the curry deal! I then drove to Old Sarum to get some drone footage, before driving to the Premier Inn Trowbridge, which is where I’d be staying tonight.