Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 10.19 miles Total ascent – 775 feet Total descent - 719 feet Highest point – 369 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Drive to Salisbury & park in Central car park SP1 3SL - MIPortal 710180 or scan QR Code Walk to Amesbury Catch 8, X4 or X5 bus to Salisbury - 20 mins Drive to Salisbury South Premier Inn SP1 2FF & stay the night My Walk I did this walk out of sequence before I’d finished the Wessex Ridgeway and Cranborne Droves Way stages. This was because ahead of doing these stages I had a spare afternoon in Salisbury and I hate wasting time. It was clear from the stats and fly-through of this stage that it would be pretty easy to complete in less than 4 hours which I did. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a cloudy day on May 8th so my photos of the walk weren’t as good as I’d wish them to be. As it's highly unlikely I'll ever repeat the Great Chalk Way and I want my blog to reflect the path at its best, I repeated this stage in its entirety later in August on what was an absolutely gorgeous day. Most of my photos are therefore from August which explains the brown grass and fields! This wouldn't be the only stage I'd repeat before reaching Holme-next-the-Sea; I also repeated a couple of stages along The Ridgeway for the same reason! In all I walked an extra 40 miles. I know I'm crazy but that's just the way I am! Starting from the Cathedral, the path would take me northbound alongside the River Avon a short distance before turning off and heading uphill to Old Sarum. Turning left at Old Sarum I’d walk almost straight ahead for the next 3 miles to the pretty village of Upper Woodford, followed by the equally pretty village of Great Durnford. Another 2½ miles through some woodland and across fields and I’d reach the end of the walk in Amesbury. Setting off from Salisbury Cathedral I couldn’t see any fingerposts or waymarkers for either the Sarsen Way or its close friend the Pewsey Avon Trail. I knew however which way to go through the city centre and towards Salisbury River Park. Salisbury Cathedral has the tallest church spire in the UK at 404 feet Cathedral Close Salisbury High Street Gate is one of the main gates to Cathedral Close The River Avon The first of six boards promoting the Great Chalk Way along the trail Very soon I reached Salisbury River Park. Lifted from local.gov.uk “The Salisbury River Park Project is an ongoing collaborative project between Wiltshire Council and the Environment Agency, with support from both the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (SWLEP) and Salisbury City Council to deliver essential flood alleviation and major environmental improvements through the central riverside spine of the historic city of Salisbury.” Whilst the work hasn’t finished, I could see how attractive this part of Salisbury will eventually look. For now, there are loads of metal fences keeping you away from the building works. I took the option to walk along the official path between this fencing. I didn’t know at the time that there was also another option to walk along an attractive boardwalk through Avon Valley Nature Reserve alongside the river which would bring me out on the official path – not to worry. River Avon Salisbury River Park Salisbury River Park Old Sarum on the hill in the distance Eventually the path crossed the Avon & emerged onto Stratford Road in Salisbury where I turned right and crossed to the other side of the road. At a gap between 2 houses was a path leading up to Old Sarum. Dogs enjoying playing in the water First of many thatched roof cottages today The path up towards Old Sarum Old Sarum is a fascinating place to visit. It began life as a large Iron Age fort dug around 400 BC. It was the site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury, about 2 miles north of modern Salisbury. Centuries later the Normans constructed a motte and bailey castle, a stone curtain wall and a great cathedral within the fort. A royal palace was built within Old Sarum Castle for King Henry I. Constant disputes between the monarchs of the day and church powers eventually led to the construction of a new cathedral in ‘New Salisbury’. Construction began in 1220 and was completed in 1258 using some of the stone from the original cathedral that was slowly dismantled. The foundations of the original cathedral can still be seen however. Today English Heritage manages Old Sarum and entrance costs £6.50. Note however, that you’re paying to view the remains of the Norman castle as everything else including the old cathedral’s foundations and walking along the ramparts of the original fort is free. I really enjoyed spending some time there. Old Sarum - a fort within a fort! The footprint of the first Salisbury Cathedral at Old Sarum The rampart is pretty high! Rampart and ditch to keep intruders out! The Sarsen Way takes a left at Old Sarum After Old Sarum the trail continued along a dead straight chalk path that seemed to go on forever. I could imagine traders from thousands of years ago driving their ox carts along this path! Eventually this path came to an end and gave way to a steep descent through the woods of Little Durnford Hill into the riverside village of Netton. The path beyond Old Sarum Another attractive cottage Still going straight Descending Little Durnford Hill Cabbage Cottage in Netton A short walk along the road and I came to Woodford Bridge and the village of Upper Woodford. Wow! A lovely view of thatched roof properties, the River Avon and a pub! Crossing the Avon at Upper Woodford. How pretty! The Bridge Inn at Upper Woodford Beyond Upper Woodford the path continued alongside the River Avon and reached yet another pretty village - Great Durnford. A climb up the road out of the village was followed by a moderately steep climb up through Beech Wood before the path opened up onto fields with far reaching views. Continuing alongside the River Avon Great Durnford - thatched roof heaven! The Great Bustard at Great Durnford. We're still in August and look at the leaves on this tree Great Durnford Great Durnford Great Durnford Loads of conkers! So pretty! Walk up through these woods Woods open up to this view Path beyond the woods Sheep really aren't bothered by me Final 'ascent' of this stage Soon the houses of Amesbury appeared and the path descended gently towards the town. What a thoroughly enjoyable walk this had been! Amesbury ahead Crossing the River Avon once again .....................and once more! Historic road bridge across the River Avon Amesbury Parish Church of St Mary and St Melor Sunny Amesbury Amesbury is really well blessed with buses back to Salisbury, even on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Being south of the A303 and the Stonehenge pinch point means that the buses can get back to Salisbury in around 20 minutes. Market Square Salisbury

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 13.22 miles Total ascent – 994 feet Total descent - 926 feet Highest point – 582 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Drive to Amesbury and park car in Central Car Park SP4 7JE - MIPermit 700174 - £5.50 a day Walk to Upavon The Ship Catch X5/X4 bus to Amesbury 14:21 - 30 mins Drive to Stonehenge Visitor Centre SP4 7DE. Free parking and entrance for English Heritage and National Trust members Drive to Whalebridge Car Park in Swindon & park car - SN1 1TN – free for the duration of my stay in Swindon as the barriers weren't working Walk to Premier Inn Swindon Town Centre and stay overnight My Walk After a few days back home it was time for my third batch of walks along the Great Chalk Way. Over the next 5 days my plan for this batch was to reach Overton Hill on the Sarsen Way where I’d meet up with The Ridgeway. I’d then continue along The Ridgeway as far as Letcombe Bassett. My home for the next few days would be the Swindon Town Centre Premier Inn. I’d used this hotel on a number of previous occasions whilst walking the Thames Path. It’s a new hotel right in the middle of Swindon and of all the Premier Inns I’ve stayed in over the years, this is easily my favourite. The staff here are so friendly and helpful; they were even more than happy for me to have the camera battery charger I'd ordered on Amazon to be addressed to my room (I'd left mine at home)! The hotel is also just 32 steps from Wetherspoons - ideal for steak night and curry night! Finally, the hotel is less than 5 minutes walk away from the Whalebridge Multi-Storey Car Park. For the duration of my stay, parking was free due to the barriers being out of action. I saved more than £50 by parking here. Another tip - the Town Centre hotel is considerably cheaper than the other 2 Swindon Premier Inns! Despite people’s misgivings about the town, it has excellent road, bus and train links – including its own Magic Roundabout. In fact, at the end of August 2025, the run-down bus station was at last consigned to history and a new ‘Transport Hub’ in Fleming Way opened in its place. Demolition of the bus station is due to start in November 2025 with completion by Christmas. Swindon is well situated for both the Sarsen Way and parts of The Ridgeway. For the first 10 miles, today’s walk would take me along the valley of the River Avon again through a number of pretty villages. The whole walk lies within Salisbury Plain. Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau within Wiltshire and Hampshire, covering about 300 square miles. The British Army owns about half of the land, 11% of the area of Wiltshire. This land is known as Salisbury Plain Training Area making it the largest military training area in the United Kingdom. There are a number of camps and barracks within the training area and about 47 square miles are used for live firing. The last 3 miles of today’s walk would take me pretty close to a live firing area. Having stayed overnight in Swindon I began today’s stage by first driving to Amesbury and parking in the car park in the centre of town. I bought myself a sandwich for lunch at the Co-Op. Amesbury on yet another sunny day To the walk itself. It was another warm, sunny day with no clouds. I knew I had to cross the narrow footbridge over the busy A303 Amesbury Bypass, something I wasn’t looking forward to as I have an irrational fear of such narrow bridges. This fear even has a name - gephyrophobia! A hypnotherapist did once try to drive this from the depths of my brain but without success. Part of my planning for any walk I do involves checking if I’m going to have to cross any bridge that might give me an issue; if I find one, I look to see if I can divert away from it. For this footbridge at Amesbury there was no safe alternative so I had to just grin and bear it. Thankfully, with this anxiety out of the way within ½ mile of starting the walk, I could really enjoy my day now. As it turns out this bridge over the A303 wasn't that long The path continued alongside fields into Bulford and then into Durrington, where it crossed the River Avon. I lost track of the number of pretty little villages I then passed through, each with its fair share of thatched roof cottages. Across a few more fields and I was in another village with the River Avon either alongside or never very far away. This carried on until I reached Enford. Up to this point the terrain had been pretty flat but beyond Enford the path climbed quite steeply and this is where I first started noticing MOD Salisbury Plain Military Lands Byelaws signs. At last, the Sarsen Way stopped tracking the river and instead decided on a dramatic change of scenery to big fields and wide open spaces with views for miles. On a day like today this was absolute bliss. I passed through a quirky farm - Compton Farm - complete with it's own canon and a life-size model of a Great Bustard! I wondered what the relevance of this model was and this got me Googling. A change in farming methods and hunting killed off the last British Bustard in the 1830s. The passion and vision of a former policeman resulted in the founding of the Great Bustard Group in 1998 and the re-introduction of the species to Salisbury Plain. The first birds were imported from Russia and subsequently eggs were imported and hatched from Russia and Spain up until 2019. There are now a fair number of breeding birds in the UK and all chicks are born naturally. Following a visit in 2017 to Salisbury, King Charles became Patron of the group in 2019. The things you learn! A change of scenery from the quaint villages I'd walked through This is more like it Compton Farm Compton Farm. Note the Sarsen Way waymarker! Which farm doesn't have its own canon! Salisbury Plain - pretty flat and almost treeless but still beautiful All of a sudden I felt very regimented by the long, wide, almost dead straight chalk bridleways; I was definitely on the MOD’s training land! The OS map showed me that I was going to follow 3 sides of a large square for almost 3 miles rather than the 4th side which would be the river – interesting! Despite passing a couple of red danger flags I didn’t hear any live firing. An official looking van with headlights on did come up to me however and the driver stopped me. I thought I was in trouble for something I’d done. He told me he’d noticed my camera from a short distance away and that’s why he stopped me. He asked me what I was taking photos of. He was unphased when I truthfully answered ‘landscapes’. Uh-oh I thought, is he going to tell me to stop, or worse, confiscate my SD card? In fact, he told me where some deer were grazing and if I was patient I should get some good shots. Phew! He went on to say that there had been live firing the day before and that the smoke I could see in the not too far distance was from grass fires that had started from ammunition rounds hitting the ground – nothing to worry about! No need to be alarmed! Smoke from grass fire I was relieved to finally leave the training area and head downhill towards the village of Upavon where this stage would end. I’d made good time today and reached The Ship pub in the village at 13:50; this gave me half an hour before the next bus back to Amesbury was due. On such a gorgeous day I ordered a pint and sat outside in front of the pub eating my sandwich. With the stop right by the pub there was no need to move until the bus turned up. Back in Amesbury it wasn’t even 3 o’clock, so as a National Trust member I decided I’d drive the short distance to Stonehenge for the nth time. I certainly wouldn’t have done this were I not a member of either NT or English Heritage because of the high cost of entrance and car parking. From the A303, the hundreds of visitors at the stones look like ants! As I have countless photos of the stones from all angles, I just wished there was a stopping place on the A303 to capture pictures of these ants as they looked so funny against the large stones! For today I settled on taking a few more photos of the stones and full size visitors! Replica of one of Stonehenge's upright sarsen stones. On average each stone weighs about 25 tons

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 11.54 miles Total ascent – 857 feet Total descent - 441 feet Highest point – 815 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Walk to Swindon Bus Station & catch X5 bus at 08:40 to Upavon arriving 09:51 Walk to Avebury Catch bus 49 back to Swindon Bus Station from Red Lion at 13 & 48 mins past the hour Walk to Premier Swindon Town Centre and stay overnight NB – Since August 2025 Swindon Bus Station has thankfully closed as buses now leave/arrive from the new public transport hub in Fleming Way My Walk Today’s walk would begin by following the River Avon for about 3½ miles as far as Manningford Abbots. Here the Sarsen Way would briefly join company with the White Horse Trail (WHT) and finally part company with the Pewsey Avon Trail (PAT), with the PAT veering off to the right towards Pewsey. Beyond Manningford Abbots I’d follow the Kennet and Avon Canal for about 2 miles before turning right at Alton Barnes. A steep climb would take me to Walker’s Hill, the Alton Barnes White Horse and provide so many ‘Wow!’ moments. This is where the WHT parted company in its quest to find more white horses! Following a final climb to the point at which the path crossed the Wansdyke, the last couple of miles would be a steady descent to the A4 at Overton Hill where the Sarsen Way would meet The Ridgeway. Overton Hill is part of the Avebury section of the UNESCO Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site; as such, you can’t not stop here to take in some or all of the fascinating historic sites. In any case, the bus back to Swindon leaves from the pub at Avebury so you can’t help but marvel at the stones and ditch which surround the pub whilst waiting for a bus. To my mind, Avebury is so much more interesting than Stonehenge and everything is free to National Trust and English Heritage members, including car parking. Non-members pay for car parking, entrance to the museum and Avebury Manor Garden but everything else is free. So, my day started with the short walk from my Premier Inn to Swindon bus station to catch the X5 bus back to Upavon. The bus took over an hour but sitting on the top deck I wasn’t bothered as I could admire the countryside. Picking up from where I’d left off yesterday at The Ship in Upavon, the path crossed the River Avon and then more of less tracked its course into the village of North Newnton where its defibrillator and library were hard to miss outside the Woodbridge Inn pub! The path continued past a trout farm and across a couple of fields, all of which are on the Manningford Bohune Estate. There are 3 ‘Manningfords’ – Bohune, Bruce and Abbots which in 1934 became the single civil parish of Manningford. None of them is very large so it was difficult to know which village I was walking in at any one time! Anyway, at the end of a field I reached a gate which saw the parting of the ways. The Pewsey Avon Trail took a right towards Pewsey and the Sarsen Way and its new friend the White Horse Trail took a left, emerging eventually in Manningford Bruce. St James Church North Newnton St James Church North Newnton right by the Avon Manningford Trout Farm Beautiful setting for one of Manningford Trout Fishery's lakes It's goodbye to the Pewsey & Avon Trail at last After walking through the village of thatched roof cottages I crossed over the railway tracks carrying the GWR mainline between London and Penzance. At the end of the next field I came across a couple of stones that mark the location of Swanborough Tump. A tump is defined as a British Hill with more than 30 metres of prominence. Swanborough Tump dates from the Bronze Age but over thousands of years of being ground down it can no longer be easily seen - Swanborough Tump. It was chosen in A.D. 871 as the meeting place for King Aethelred and his brother, the future King Alfred the Great on their way to fight the Danes. They promised each other that if one of them should die then the dead man's children would inherit land belonging to their father King Aethelwulf. A plaque on one of the stone monuments commemorates this event. Manningford Bruce Crossing the GWR main line Stones commemorating Swanborough Tump The Sarsen Way continued down a rather grand driveway to Cocklebury Farm – a working farm that has diversified into also running a holiday lets business. Beyond the farm buildings I crossed Ladies Bridge, a very ornate bridge over the Kennet and Avon Canal. For the next couple of miles I walked along the towpath, crossing back over at Woodbrough Fields Bridge. To my right was Picked Hill and its neighbour Woodborough Hill. With my first sightings of cygnets this year, what a brilliant walk this was turning into. Driveway to Cocklebury Farm Ladies Bridge over the Avon & Kennet Canal Picked Hill (right) & Woodborough Hill (left) I left the canal and crossed over one more time at Bridge 124 – Honeystreet Bridge. On one side was Honeystreet Wharf, now a private residence. On the other side was Honeystreet Mill, which offers a café, The India Shop (furniture warehouse showroom), a farm shop and a holiday boat company. There was certainly a lot going on here. I chose not to stop here and with my first sight of the Alton Barnes White Horse and the highest hills in Wiltshire, I carried on. Honeystreet Bridge where the path leaves the canal Alton Barnes White Horse comes into view The path continued into Alton Barnes where I was directed to follow a fantastic cobbled stone path towards All Saints’ Church in Alton Priors. Before reaching the church, I turned off this cobbled stone path towards the imposing hills named Walker’s Hill and Knap Hill. No idea who this lady was but she certainly looked the part! I love this old turnstile & cobbled stone path leading to the church Over Easter 2026 I revisited the area and continued to the church which was built in the 12th century but was declared redundant in 1972. I didn’t know at the time of my visit that underneath each of the 2 trapdoors in the church there is a sarsen stone. It is claimed by some that these stones are part of a stone circle on which the church was built. In the churchyard is a yew tree that has been estimated to be more than 1,700 years old i.e. older than the church itself, possibly indicative of an earlier sacred site. All Saints’ Church in Alton Priors This looks like 2 trees but is definitely only 1! Anyway, back to my walk in May 2025, the Sarsen Way began a steep climb up Walker’s Hill. At the summit of Walker’s Hill and overlooking the Vale of Pewsey was a Neolithic long barrow known as Adam’s Grave. Whoever Adam was, he couldn’t have chosen a finer location. According to folklore the barrow is the grave of a giant, which explains the dimensions of it – 70 metres long and 7 metres high! Walker's Hill Adam's Grave. Presumably the ditches either side provided the building material Adam's Grave Adam's Grave At this point I decided to briefly go off-piste and head higher and closer to Milk Hill, the highest point in Wiltshire. From there I got even better views of Adam’s Grave and the surrounding area; so many ‘Wow!’s. Milk Hill is 966 feet high. I didn’t walk all the way round to it but the OS map tells me I got to 944 feet. The Alton Barnes White Horse is located on the southern slope of Milk Hill. He’s approximately 180 feet high and 160 feet long and was cut in 1812 under the commission of local farmer Robert Pile. He can be seen for miles around. At the time of my walk he was looking in mighty fine condition. The Alton Barns White Horse Walkers Hill, Adam's Grave, Knap Hill & the Vale of Pewsey. What views! More of Knap Hill, Golden Ball Hill & the Vale of Pewsey - just gorgeous! You get a better idea of the height of Adam's Grave Having got all the photos and videos I wanted, I returned to the Sarsen Way which took me down Walker’s Hill to a road. On the other side of the road was Knap Hill and a car park. Knap Hill is another steep hill that has a neolithic causewayed camp (an enclosure marked out by ditches and banks, with a number of causeways crossing the ditches) at the top. As there was so much more I wanted to see today, I decided not to climb the hill, which in any case wasn’t on the Sarsen Way. Knap Hill However, over Easter 2026, I returned to the area and climbed to the top of Knap Hill for more ‘Wow!’ moments. Unfortunately it was way too windy to get my little drone up in the sky to fully appreciate the earthworks here; a little frustrating, so I’ll just have to return another time soon and also continue along Golden Ball Hill. The climb to the top of Knap Hill - April 2026 You can see just a little of the ditch but really need a drone's view to fully appreciate Looking across to Walker's Hill from the top of Knap Hill - April 2026 Golden Ball Hill Back to my May 2025 walk - continuing beyond Walkers Hill, the Sarsen Way initially climbed towards the Wansdyke (an early medieval defensive ditch and embankment – think of it as a kind of Hadrian’s Wall). From there, the path descended slowly towards East Kennett. The views were spectacular all the way along here. Before reaching East Kennett was East Kennet Long Barrow. There is no public access and it’s not located on the Sarsen Way anyway, so I gave this a miss. East Kennett is a small village just ½ mile from the A4 and Overton Hill. By the way, I’m confused by the spelling of Kennet/t! Road signs and OS maps spell it with 2 ‘t’s, whereas English Heritage & National Trust choose to use just 1 ‘t’. Who’s right – goodness only knows! Descending towards East Kennett Just before the A4 is The Sanctuary, originally a complex arrangement of 6 circles of timber posts and standing stones begun in about 2500 BC. The Sanctuary is at one end of the West Kennet Avenue - 2 parallel rows of standing stones that stretch over 1½ miles linking the site to the henge and stone circles at Avebury. Nobody is 100% sure what the purpose of The Sanctuary was. When archaeologists excavated the site in 1930 they found many objects such as flint tools, animal bones and pottery fragments, suggesting that Neolithic people were placing offerings in and around the standing posts. Other excavations discovered the body of a teenage boy from the early Bronze Age, about 200 years after the Sanctuary was constructed; he’d been buried against the base of one of the stones. As the monument was destroyed in the 18th century by a local farmer digging up the stones and posts, today they have been replaced with concrete blocks painted blue on top for stones and red on top for wooden posts. Fortunately, detailed drawings of the monument existed from before it was destroyed! Site of The Sanctuary After crossing the A4 at The Sanctuary I arrived at the official start of The Ridgeway National Trail at Overton Hill. Whilst the Sarsen Way ‘code shares’ with The Ridgeway as far as Barbury Castle near Swindon, for the purposes of my blogs I finished the Sarsen Way here and my next walk would be along The Ridgway. 114 miles completed officially As mentioned at the start, there is so much more to see whilst you’re at Overton Hill – West Kennet Long Barrow, Silbury Hill, West Kennet Avenue and Avebury itself being the most spectacular. I also mentioned that you catch buses at the Red Lion pub in Avebury. The 49 bus travels between Swindon, Devizes and Trowbridge all day until late in the evening. A – The Sanctuary B – Overton Hill – start (or finish) of The Ridgeway National Trail C – West Kennet Long Barrow - one of the largest, accessible Neolithic chambered tombs in Britain D – Silbury Hill - the largest artificial mound in Europe E – West Kennet Avenue - An avenue, originally of around 100 pairs of prehistoric standing stones F – Avebury - the largest stone circle in Britain G – Windmill Hill - one of the first sites excavated to provide evidence of the life of early farming communities in southern Britain I won’t bore readers with any more history of the sites, so here’s a link to the English Heritage site which tells you everything you need to know about Avebury - Avebury UNESCO World Heritage Site Here are some photos from the other Avebury sites. Windmill Hill is getting on for about a 2 mile walk from the centre of Avebury. West Kennet Long Barrow West Kennet Long Barrow West Kennet Long Barrow West Kennet Long Barrow West Kennet Long Barrow - November 2025 Silbury Hill West Kennet Avenue West Kennet Avenue Avebury. The village & pub are in the centre Avebury Avebury Avebury The Red Lion Avebury where buses stop The view from the pub! Windmill Hill Windmill Hill Windmill Hill

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 9.85 miles Total ascent – 639 feet Total descent - 689 feet Highest point – 887 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Walk to Swindon Bus Station Catch bus 49 from Swindon Bus Station to Red Lion Avebury. Journey time 34 mins Walk to Ogbourne St George Liddiard's Green Catch bus 80 to Swindon Bus Station. Journey time 35 mins Walk to Premier Swindon Town Centre and stay overnight NB – Since August 2025 Swindon Bus Station has thankfully closed as buses now leave/arrive from the new public transport hub in Fleming Way My Walk This first stage of The Ridgeway to Ogbourne St George is really just a half day walk but so many blogs and guides you look at suggest stopping here. The village has a good bus service with the number 80 bus and if you’re prepared to walk to the bypass there is also the hourly X5 service that runs between Swindon, Marlborough and Salisbury. Today’s walk would involve a 3½ mile steady climb along a wide chalk track up to Hackpen Hill, the highest point of this stage. From there, the path would continue for a couple of miles along the ridge to Barbury Castle, a very impressive Iron Age hillfort. The rest of the stage as far as the outskirts of Ogbourne St George is one of my favourites, as you’re walking along Smeathe’s Ridge, a wide, grass covered ridge with the most amazing views. Local racehorse trainers use one side of this as gallops. My day began at the Swindon Premier Inn and my 3rd consecutive full English breakfast! Buses are generally quite rare on a Sunday but the 49 service runs an hourly service and stops at the Red Lion in Avebury. It was little bit overcast but already the clouds were starting to break up. Overcast Avebury The day before I’d walked to Avebury from Overton Hill, so rather than walking back to the Overton Hill car park to begin the stage, I didn’t feel guilty about starting from Avebury today to meet up with The Ridgeway. Having visited Avebury and most of the Avebury World Heritage Site the previous day, I wrote at length about the sites and monuments in my Stage 10 blog 'Sarsen Way - Upavon to Avebury'. The path from Avebury to its crossing point with The Ridgeway is actually along the Wessex Ridgeway, on its way to its end point in Marlborough. Like much of the first few miles, the path was what I call a ‘standard’ chalk track with vehicle tyre tracks which I’m sure in winter become deeply rutted and a central track for walkers & cyclists. Looking back towards Avebury. Clouds clearing This is where the Wessex Ridgeway crosses The Ridgeway Continuing the climb up to Hackpen Hill Anyway, by now it was turning into yet another gorgeous day, with fabulous 360° views. From Hackpen Hill you can see for miles. It’s also well known for its chalk horse, another of Wiltshire’s 8 such horses. This one was carved in 1838 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Victoria. You can walk down from the top of the hill to the horse, as the field it’s in isn’t that steep. Ironically the field itself is home to a number of real life wild horses! View from Hackpen Hill Having a good scratch against the kissing gate! The Hackpen Hill White Horse Continuing past Hackpen Hill along the chalk track I arrived at the foot of Barbury Hill where The Ridgeway left the track and continued up a path to the top of the outer rampart of Barbury Castle. Barbury Castle is an Iron Age hillfort built around 700 BC. It has 2 ramparts (3 in places) and ditches to keep invaders out. At 860 feet above sea level it has a commanding position of the landscapes all around, so seems like it was a good decision to build the fort here. The Ridgeway passes east-west across the middle of the fort via entrances which over the years have been widened, most latterly by American troops in the 1940s who used the fort for training purposes. They widened the entrances to get their trucks into the interior! The fort is located in Barbury Castle Country Park, a 150 acre public space managed by Swindon Borough Council. Barbury Castle Hillfort The ramparts are quite high! Barbury Castle Hillfort - November 2025 In the car park of the country park, The Ridgeway and the Sarsen Way parted company, with the Sarsen Way heading towards Swindon. The Ridgeway continued down a single track road for about 200 yards past a horse trainer’s yard (Neil King – Ridgeway Racing), before taking a left through a wooden gate onto Smeathe’s Ridge. I’ve done this particular stage a couple of times before and each time I reach this gate it’s just a ‘Wow!’ moment with the spectacular views ahead of me. The Ridgeway National Trail (I assume) have erected a unique and striking metal fingerpost here with the letters of the word ‘RIDGEWAY’ cut out as if it’s a stencil. I really like this unique fingerpost The views along this wide, grass covered ridge are just spectacular. To the left were gallops running along the ridge. To the right and in a hollow at the base of the ridge were more gallops and the training yard of Alan King (coincidently not a relative of Neil King). Coupled with the spring flowers and views that went on forever, this was a gorgeous ridge to walk along. Obviously, I’m sure that in the middle of winter with thick fog it would be a different kettle of fish! It was hardly surprising to come across 2 racehorse training yards here, as it’s close to Lambourn, the 2nd largest horse training centre after Newmarket. Lambourn has been dubbed the ‘Valley of the Racehorse’ as the road signs leading into the village proudly tell you. At the end of the ridge, the path narrowed and eventually I came to a fingerpost pointing to Ogbourne St George which is where I was going to leave The Ridgeway and end this stage. I walked into the village and found my bus stop. I had to wait about 20 minutes for the number 80 bus to arrive which was no big deal. Back in Swindon I walked back to my ‘home’ at the Premier Inn.

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 9.97 miles Total ascent – 801 feet Total descent – 610 feet Highest point – 905 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Walk to Swindon Bus Station Catch bus X5 at 08:25 to Ogbourne St George Southend stop arriving at 08:57 Walk to Ashbury Rose & Crown Catch 17:17 bus 47 to Swindon Bus Station arriving 17:45 OR If early call for a taxi - Wayland Private Hire - 0800 7999682 to Shrivenham Catch S6 bus to Swindon Bus Station OR (if you have a car) Drive to The Ridgeway car park on Ashbury Hill and park car Catch bus 47 from the car park to Great Western Hospital in Swindon at 08:10 Catch bus X5 from Great Western Hospital in Swindon to Ogbourne St George Southend stop at 08:52 Walk to Ashbury, pick up car and drive to Swindon Premier Inn NB – Since August 2025 Swindon Bus Station has thankfully closed as buses now leave/arrive from the new public transport hub in Fleming Way My Walk Like the previous stage, Ogbourne to Ashbury is really just a half day walk but provides public transport at both ends for solo walkers like me which is the main thing. The first 3½ miles of today’s walk would involve a steady climb from the busy Swindon to Marlborough main road up onto the ridge. Much of this would be walking along a path with trees and high hedges on both sides so limiting the views. At this point the path would open up to give some great views of the countryside. After reaching the highest point of the walk at Liddington Hill, the site of another Iron Age hillfort, I’d make a descent from the ridge, down to the M4 which I’d cross. The final 3½ miles would involve a gentle climb back up onto the ridge followed by a relatively flat, almost dead straight walk along it to the car park at the top of Ashbury Hill. This was another stage that I walked twice – firstly in May and then in September. In May it was pretty overcast for the whole walk so I resolved to repeat it on a sunnier day and my photos are mostly from September. In May my day began at the Swindon Town Centre Premier Inn with my 4th consecutive full English breakfast. By now I’d got to know the staff quite well! The X5 bus from the bus station dropped me at the ‘Southend’ stop at Ogbourne St George on the busy A346. A short walk back along the road and there was a familiar black Ridgeway fingerpost pointing up to a path towards Liddington Castle, just over 5 miles away. The path up from the main road The path up to the top of the ridge wasn’t desperately interesting as it was relatively narrow and had trees and high hedges on both sides. There were occasional breaks however which gave good views of the landscape. After almost 3 miles of gentle climbing, the path opened up briefly at the top of Whitefield Hill where there is a tall mobile phone mast. It didn’t take long however before I was back to trees and hedges on both sides of the path, with openings here and there. It was about now that I noticed the sound of almost constant shooting going on to my left in the distance. This went on for quite a while and I assume it must be coming from a gun club. Eventually the path opened up once again to give great views as it dipped up and down before climbing up towards Liddington Castle. Liddington Castle is another Iron Age hillfort and sits at the top of Liddington Hill, 902 feet above sea level. It's the highest spot in the Borough of Swindon! There is a trigpoint within the fort and next to it is a toposcope installed by the local council to commemorate the year 2000. It’s quite a bit smaller than Barbury Castle and is one of the earliest hillforts, constructed about 700 BC. To reach it there is a very short diversion off The Ridgeway. I took a look when I did this walk in May but in September I let my drone do the hard work! Liddington Castle Hillfort - September 2025 May 2025 Continuing past the hillfort I couldn’t help but notice what looked like a pillbox under a small clump of trees. Subsequent googling revealed that during the Second World War, the hilltop surrounding Liddington Castle was used as a Starfish site - a large-scale bombing decoy designed to appear as a burning town or city. The idea of this one was to divert German night bombers away from Swindon so that they would drop their bombs over the countryside instead. Starfish sites consisted of elaborate light arrays and fires, controlled from a nearby bunker and laid out to simulate a fire-bombed town. So, what I thought was a pillbox was actually a command bunker. The things you learn! The path now descended from the ridge to a fairly busy main road, before turning down an almost equally busy road that took me across a bridge over the M4 to the village of Foxhill. This one mile second road was less than satisfactory as the verges were almost non-existent in places and it was easier to walk along the road; I expect that’s why there’s such a large warning sign to motorists advising them that the road is part of The Ridgeway National Trail. Coming down off the ridge In Foxhill, the path left the road and immediately started climbing up to Charlbury Hill. Before the climb started there was a large green sign that looked more like a road sign than the normal fingerpost for walkers and riders. In fact, it was a road sign, dating back to the time before 2006 when The Ridgeway was classified as a RUPP – a Road Used as a Public Path. It was for this reason that the Friends of The Ridgeway was first established in 1982 with a primary aim to preserve and maintain the special nature of The Ridgeway National Trail, mainly in response to its abuse west of the Thames by off-road vehicles. These vehicles were responsible for the serious level of rutting in winter, making it really difficult for walkers to enjoy the path. Tireless campaigning by the FofR and others resulted in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (2006). All RUPPs, including parts of The Ridgeway (all Oxfordshire and parts of West Berkshire and Wiltshire), were reclassified as Restricted Byways, meaning that recreational vehicles could no longer drive on these parts of the trail. So, this green road sign was a throwback to when The Ridgeway was a RUPP. The top of Charlbury Hill could be seen a short distance from the path. From the path it looked like it could be another hillfort but in fact it’s been found to be 100% completely natural with no recorded archaeological discoveries. The path continues on the road past The Burj before heading off to the right Dating back to when The Ridgeway was a RUPP, I'd love to see this sign restored Climbing up the hill The great views continue Charlbury Hill looks man-made but is entirely natural About ½ mile further on and to my left, I reached the entrance to a striking, steep dry valley known as a coombe. This had been sculpted by the action of water long ago when this area still supported surface streams. Along the steep sides of the coombe you can see examples of vertical strip lynchets. Lynchets are a feature of ancient field systems in the British Isles and are found close to Iron Age forts. It is most likely that lynchets were dug to maximise the use of land for agriculture, although they may have had other, ceremonial uses. The coombe descends more than 100 feet to the village of Bishopstone. The final couple of miles of this stage were uneventful, the path being almost flat and straight. It was lovely though walking along it in the sunshine with large rolling fields either side. There is a car park at the top of Ashbury Hill where it crosses The Ridgeway. Handily, there are also bus stops here for the Lambourn to Swindon bus 47. When I did the walk in May, before reaching the car park, I turned off to my left and followed a footpath into Ashbury. At the planning stage I’d intended catching the bus from there back to Swindon. However, I finished the walk way too early, so instead of hanging about for 4 hours, I called a taxi firm in nearby Shrivenham in the hope that I could be picked up a little sooner than this – Wayland Private Hire . John the proprietor arrived quite quickly and brought me back to Shrivenham. He charged me a very reasonable £10. I then caught the S6 bus to Swindon Bus station and walked ‘home’ to the Premier Inn for my final night. In September I had a better plan not involving taxis. I first drove to the car park at Ashbury Hill and got 2 buses to Ogbourne St George. Despite this sounding rather convoluted, I arrived at Ogbourne by 09:30. I then did the walk to where my car was parked, finishing just before 14:00.

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 8.10 miles Total ascent – 567 feet Total descent – 539 feet Highest point – 846 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Walk to Swindon Bus Station Catch bus 47 to Ashbury Hill Walk to Letcombe Regis & leave Ridgeway Walk to Wantage Catch X36 bus to Didcot Parkway - journey time 42 mins Catch train to Swindon - £9.55 - journey time 15 mins Pick up car from Whalebridge Car Park and drive home NB – Since August 2025 Swindon Bus Station has thankfully closed as buses now leave/arrive from the new public transport hub in Fleming Way My Walk This was yet another easy walk and once again the end point was determined by the availability of public transport. In this instance, I was aiming to leave The Ridgeway at the closest spot to Wantage - the rub being that this would require me to walk a further 3 miles to catch a bus! Carrying on to Wantage actually became part of the walk. This really didn’t bother me since it was downhill all the way from The Ridgeway to Wantage. Today’s walk would take me past 2 Iron Age hillforts, the oldest chalk horse in Britain and a 5000 year old long barrow. All of this and great views along the way. My residence at the Swindon Town Centre Premier Inn finally came to an end! £234 for 5 nights was a bit of a bargain I thought. After one last cooked breakfast, I loaded my luggage into my car at the Whalebridge Car Park, walked to the bus station and caught the 47 bus to the top of Ashbury Hill where it intersects with The Ridgeway. In less than a mile along the path I arrived at Wayland’s Smithy – an early Neolithic chambered long barrow, completed around 3430 BC. Various excavations over the year and restorations have resulted in how the site looks today. It is very impressive in a lovely setting surrounded by trees. Modern day Pagans still use the site for ritual purposes. Wayland's Smithy The entrance to the barrow Looking towards the front of the barrow from the rear Wayland's Smithy - April 2026 After another 1½ miles of gentle climbing I reached Uffington Castle at the top of White Horse Hill, the highest point in Oxfordshire at 856 feet. Uffington Castle is another Iron Age hillfort built around 700 BC. It covers about 8 acres. Heading towards White Horse Hill Uffington Castle - November 2025 Ditch & rampart Views from White Horse Hill are spectacular Also on the slopes of the hill is the Uffington White Horse, a 360 foot long chalk horse that is probably about 3000 years old and the oldest such carving in Britain. Unlike most other chalk horses, the design of this one is very minimalistic! Regular cleaning or ‘scouring’ of the horse is required and this is carried out by volunteers, organised by the National Trust. Because of the angle of the slope the horse is carved into, it isn’t easy to view the horse head on. The best way to view it is from the air. Even from the roads below it's not easy to see the whole horse The Uffington White Horse Below the horse in the valley is Dragon Hill, a striking natural chalk hill with an artificial flattened top. According to legend, this is where St George slew the dragon! A bare patch of chalk on top of the hill where no grass will grow is allegedly where the dragon’s blood spilled. Dragon Hill The valley over which the White Horse looks is called The Manger. The Manger is a strangely shaped valley, which is thought to have been formed by the melting of ice in the last Ice Age. Folklore suggests that the Manger is the supernatural feeding place for the White Horse which would travel from its vantage point on the crest of the hill on moonlit nights! The views from the top of White Horse Hill are absolutely stunning (well – on a sunny day anyway). Beyond Whitehorse Hill the path continued as a byway which thankfully was dry and not rutted. With the lovely views it made for very pleasant walking. I was in the vicinity of a racehorse trainer’s yard and a number of horses were training on the gallops. The next feature of note was Hackpen Hill – not to be confused with the Hackpen Hill in Wiltshire that I’d passed a couple of days ago. This is Hackpen Hill near Sparsholt Firs in Oxfordshire. In the valley between The Ridgeway and the top of the hill is a striking natural feature called Crowhole Bottom but is also known as the Devil’s Punchbowl. The top of the hill has 2 clumps of beech trees which from a distance resemble 2 caterpillars! Hackpen Hill The Devil's Punchbowl Another mile and I reached Segsbury Camp (AKA Segsbury Castle). The Ridgeway continued straight on but I chose to leave the trail here. Segsbury Camp is yet another Iron Age hillfort. This one is a bit of a whopper, covering about 30 acres. At about 700 feet above sea level, it’s not as high as some of the others I’d passed. The north of the camp has fantastic views of the Vale of the White Horse. It is so large that it has a byway running roughly north to south across it. It is this byway that I’d follow down into Letcombe Regis and then on into Wantage. Due to its sheer size, you can’t see the full extent of the fort – you can only see it properly from the air. The walk from the fort into Letcombe Regis is brilliant as it’s downhill all the way and it’s a pretty steep hill. Lower down it becomes a single track road open to all traffic. I didn’t especially enjoy walking up the hill when I walked The Ridgeway in the opposite direction a couple of years ago! The route into Wantage is well signposted with fingerposts made of the same material as the regular Ridgeway ones. I reached the market place in Wantage at about 2 o’clock. I was a bit peckish so treated myself to a Greggs sausage roll whilst waiting for the bus to Didcot Parkway. At Didcot I caught a train back to Swindon and from there I picked up my car and drove home. This is where I leave The Ridgeway today Letcombe Regis Letcombe Regis Letcombe Regis Another mile to go St Peter's & St Paul's Church in the centre of Wantage With 142 miles completed, this was the end of my third batch of walks along the Great Chalk Way. From now until I reached Holme-next-the-Sea I wouldn’t need to stay away from home for longer than I night at a time and for a number of stages, day trips from home would become practical. Also, apart from 1 more short walk, the remaining stages would be much longer than my first 3 Ridgeway walks. Happy days!

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 14.25 miles Total ascent – 553 feet Total descent – 1169 feet Highest point – 750 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Drive from home to Portway Wantage car park - OX12 9BU - £7 for day - Pay by Phone – location 810582 Walk to Market Place & get taxi to Manor Road intersection with The Ridgeway Walk to Goring Walk to Goring & Streatley Station & catch train to Didcot Parkway Catch X36 bus to Wantage & pick up car Drive to Whalebridge Car Park in Swindon Stay overnight at Premier Inn Swindon Town Centre My Walk After all the historical sites I’d passed on the first 3 stages of The Ridgeway, today would be a bit of an anti-climax. On the other hand, I’d reach the halfway point of The Ridgeway and towards the end of my walk I’d be joined by Wendy, a Thames Path National Trail volunteer who does so much to promote this trail. I’d begin today’s stage more or less where I’d finished the previous stage at Segsbury Camp. The route would continue a slow descent, roughly west to east, along a wide, easy underfoot path with views of large fields far into the distance on both sides. After passing underneath the busy A34 near West Ilsley, the descent would continue along Compton Downs, with much of the land given over to racehorse gallops. After crossing a dismantled railway, I’d climb for the first and only time today. The nature of the path would also change from being mainly wide and grass covered to being narrower, mostly exposed stone with trees and bushes on both sides giving hardly any views. Nearing the end, the path would descend into a valley with Streatley Warren on one side and Thurle Down on the other side. The stony path would give way to a tarmacked road which I’d follow into the village of Streatley. Finally, I’d cross the road bridge over the River Thames into Goring-on-Thames. My day began from home with an early morning 80 mile drive to Wantage. The morning weekday traffic is usually lightest on a Friday morning and I had a good run. I parked in the Portway car park, walked to the Market Square and got a taxi to take me up to where the A338 intersects with The Ridgeway. I could have walked the 3 miles from Wantage but I’ve done this before and as it’s mainly uphill, it’s not much fun! So, by 9:15 I was ready to continue towards Goring. I was actually about 0.7 miles further along The Ridgeway from Segsbury Camp, which is where I’d ended the previous stage but what’s 0.7 miles amongst friends; in any case, I didn’t miss anything of note, having previously walked it in 2023. I could go to Segsbury Camp & back again....... ........but choose not to! The first 9 miles or so of this stage were going to be downhill all the way on a mainly wide, grass covered path. On a sunny day at the end of May what’s not to like about this. The Ridgeway has a habit of intersecting with roads and tracks and it wasn’t long before I crossed the B4494. Just beyond the intersection I reached the Loyd-Lindsay Monument (AKA Wantage Monument). Robert Loyd-Lindsay was a benefactor to Wantage and the first chairman and co-founder of the British National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War (later the British Red Cross Society). For being an all round good egg, he was elevated to the title of 1st Baron of Wantage in 1893. The monument was erected by his wife after his death in 1901. As they had no children, the title ‘Baron of Wantage’ died with him. April 2026 Shortly before reaching the point where the Ridgeway crosses a road down into East Hendred, I passed Scutchamer Knob - also known as Cuckhamsley Hill - an early Iron Age round barrow adjacent to The Ridgeway. It is said to be the place where King Edwin of Northumbria killed Cwichelm of Wessex in 636AD. Believing it to be Cwichelm's burial place, there were several excavations in the past that left the barrow with its misshapen form. I also passed Scutchamer Knob in 2023 and on both occasions I didn't know because it was just so overgrown. However, I'd read that valiant groups of volunteers had now cleared the area, so in April 2026 I made a special journey to visit it. Having seen photos of how it looked beforehand, on a gorgeous sunny day I have to say it looked amazing, giving great views across the North Wessex Downs National Landscape. The volunteers even created a bench out of a couple of pallets. I found it quite atmospheric and certainly very calming. As I got closer to the A34, the path left Oxfordshire and entered West Berkshire. I’d stay in West Berkshire for the remainder of today’s walk, until I crossed the Thames into Goring, when I’d be back in Oxfordshire. As I walked, the chimneys of Didcot ‘B’ Power Station could be clearly seen in the distance. I always thought it was a shame that the 6 cooling towers of Didcot ‘A’ Power Station were demolished – but then I don’t live in Didcot! For me the towers were an iconic sight whenever I drove down the A34. I could also see Harwell Campus in front of the power station. Harwell used to be the main research establishment of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, built on the former RAF Harwell. Today the nuclear facilities are being decommissioned and its new role is as a science and business park. Its most striking building is the Diamond Light Source which resembles a huge silver doughnut! The Ridgeway has plenty of these helpful 'You are here' maps Heading towards the A34 Harwell Campus & Didcot 'B' Power Station not that far away On reaching the A34 near West Ilsley, The Ridgeway crossed under the road by way of a concrete tunnel. Beyond the tunnel the path initially continued as a wide grassy track over downland. The area’s links to racehorse training were to be seen almost everywhere. At Compton Downs the path took a very decisive 90 degree left turn away from the village of Compton. Tunnel under the A34 Memorial at Gore Hill just beyond the A34 Beyond the A34 Gallops everywhere Gallops Compton Gallops Bridge over the dismantled railway - February 2023 A little further on the path narrowed to a ‘standard width’ chalk track with trees and hedges either side blocking out most of the views. A 2 mile climb then ensued. As the path levelled off, I saw Wendy coming towards me. As mentioned, Wendy is a volunteer for the Thames Path National Trail and manages the social media accounts for this trail. However, to say just this is grossly understating the work she undertakes promoting the Thames and the Thames Path. She’s also very happy to get her hands dirty in the installation of fingerposts, clearing of paths etc! She’s always been very kind in promoting my walks along the Thames Path. She’s also a very active member of the Friends of The Ridgeway and these are just a few of things she gets involved with; she’s a bit of a human dynamo! Wendy had parked her car in the Thurle Down car park in Streatley and the idea was that she would start walking towards me and once we met, would walk with me to the end in Goring. You can't see a great deal when the trees & bushes are in full leaf As we began to descend towards Streatley, on our right we passed Streatley Warren, a 77 acre SSSI. In use by the Romans, it was during the Middle Ages this land was used for farming rabbits, hence the name! To our left were the slopes of Thurle Down. This short little stretch of The Ridgeway has some really stunning views! Unfortunately, we were talking so much that I barely took any photos, so me being me, I returned in late September to get some more photos! Streatley Warren Streatley Warren Thurle Down on the left & Streatley Warren on the right Thurle Down Just before reaching the Thurle Down car park is a fingerpost pointing to Overton Hill in one direction and Ivinghoe Beacon in the other direction. It’s a bit short of being quite halfway along The Ridgeway but I regard it as being quite iconic. Almost half of The Ridgeway completed Beyond the car park the path joined Rectory Road, a narrow, metalled road which for 1½ miles gave fabulous views both left and right towards Streatley. As it got closer to Streatley we passed the entrance to Goring & Streatley Golf Club and the road became more residential. Very colourful! Very well to do golf course In Streatley we crossed Goring & Streatley Bridge over the River Thames and in so doing we left West Berkshire and re-entered Oxfordshire. After taking some photos, Wendy very kindly bought me coffee and cake! We then went our separate ways, Wendy back to her car at Thurle Down car park and me to Goring & Streatley Railway Station. Wendy on Goring & Streatley Bridge Goring Lock Collection of photos by Matt Writtle taken along The Ridgeway called 'Pathways'. 25 of the 50 have been erected along the trail Looking upstream from Goring & Streatley Bridge - September 2025 I’d done this stage in February 2023, albeit in the opposite direction and so enjoyed it. I was quite excited about doing it again in May 2025 but something was missing. In winter 2023 there were very few trees and hedges with leaves alongside the path, whereas in spring 2025 I felt quite hemmed in at times by the foliage and lack of views. So, same walk but different time of year can make quite a lot of difference! Anyway, it was still a good walk and I really enjoyed Wendy’s company. I got the train from Goring to Didcot Parkway, then the bus back to Wantage where my car was. Tomorrow I was going to walk the very short section from Goring to Mongewell, so rather than driving all the way home and then back again for a short walk, I stayed in the Swindon Town Centre Premier Inn overnight, driving back to Goring on Saturday morning. Why Swindon you ask? Well, booking a room at short notice for a Friday night can be very expensive. This Premier Inn is almost always cheaper than anywhere around, so I’d rather drive a little further and feel I’m getting better value for money!

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 6.02 miles Total ascent – 158 feet Total descent – 94 feet Highest point – 219 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Drive to Wheel Orchard Car Park in Goring - RG8 9HB - £6 for day - Pay by Phone – location 810584 Walk to Mongewell Get lift back to Goring & pick up car Drive home My Walk At only 6 miles, this walk was the shortest and undoubtedly the easiest of my 27 Great Chalk Way stages. I probably could have tacked it on to the end of yesterday’s walk from Letcombe which would then have become the 2nd longest. However, I was in no rush to complete The Ridgeway and I do so enjoy this particular section as it takes in my beloved River Thames! This stage and beyond would mark a change in the nature of the path. I would now be walking in the Chiltern Hills, which by definition means more ups and downs! Relatively speaking, the walks now would become less rural in nature and the wide paths along the top of the ridge, with views for miles would generally be replaced with more varied (but no less attractive) landscapes, narrower paths, more villages, woodland, large fields, even golf courses. The walk would begin in the streets of Goring-on-Thames - a picture perfect Oxfordshire village. The late George Michael owned a house in the middle of the village – Mill Cottage - and lived here for his last 15 years. He played his part as a resident and his fellow residents treated him as just another neighbour. As far as the village of South Stoke, the path would be sandwiched between the Thames and the railway with a fair amount of riverside walking. Beyond South Stoke the path would pass under Moulsford Railway Bridge and then continue mostly riverside to North Stoke. Beyond North Stoke the path would continue for a mile to the village of Mongewell where it would turn away from the river for a final ½ mile down to the A4074 Oxford to Reading road. I chose this as the end point because the X40 bus stops here; it’s called ‘Mongewell Turn’. My day began at the Swindon Town Centre Premier Inn and after breakfast I drove to Goring and parked the car. The Thames Path National Trail between Goring and Wallingford follows alongside the south bank of the river, whereas The Ridgeway National Trail follows alongside the north bank. I have to say I much prefer the route taken by The Ridgeway. Anyway, today’s walk began in Thames Road, a street of large, expensive looking houses with the river to my left and the railway to my right. Beyond this for the next mile or so, the path continued as a mixture of residential roads and bridleways with occasional glimpses of the river. Goring Thames Road where this stage starts Goring Thames Sailing Club House envy! You get a bonus front garden living here! .....but you do have trains thundering by all day at the back of your house! I soon entered the beautiful village of South Stoke. There were many posters publicising a forthcoming public meeting regarding the recent closure of the village’s pub, The Perch & Pike, after yet another tenant had thrown in the towel, having been unable to make a go of it. As of October 2025, the latest tenant is planning on reopening in early November according to the pub’s Facebook page. I wish them every luck! Please join our public meeting! The Perch & Pike South Stoke. So glad it will be reopening once again The path continued through the village and turned down towards the river. It emerged opposite the Beetle & Wedge pub which all Thames Path walkers must know. This was once a ferry crossing. South Stoke South Stoke South Stoke South Stoke The Beetle & Wedge on the Thames Path side. I now walked alongside the river towards Moulsford Railway Bridge. Just like its sibling Gatehampton Railway bridge a few miles away on the other side of Goring, this Grade II listed, brick built bridge designed by IK Brunel, is actually a pair of bridges, built in 2 phases 50 years apart. You have to admire the architecture of Moulsford Bridge in particular. Moulsford on the other side of the river Moulsford. You don't get to see this on the Thames Path Moulsford Moulsford Railway Bridge. The 2nd bridge was built to allow expansion of the line Moulsford Railway Bridge The bridge was built at a 60 degree angle across the river After walking under the bridge, the path continued alongside the river as far as Little Stoke, where it was forced to turn off to the right. For Thames Path walkers it’s opposite the Cholsey slipway and like at South Stoke, there was a ferry crossing here in the distant past. Cholsey Nature Reserve on the opposite bank The Ridgeway leaves the river opposite the Cholsey slipway Continuing along the edge of a couple of large fields, I reached the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin in North Stoke. This led to the houses and cottages of the impossibly pretty village! I was treated to a chorus of a group of whistling red kites. North Stoke North Stoke North Stoke North Stoke Beyond the village the path headed towards the village Mongewell, intersecting the Springs Golf club in a couple of places. The Springs Resort & Golf Club was previously owned by legendary Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan. He had a swimming pool built in the shape of a guitar. The pool was subsequently filled in but until recently, the outline could still be seen in Google Maps. On the left was Mongewell Park, site of a derelict mansion which over the years had various uses. Before being closed in 1997, it was a Jewish boarding school called Carmel College which at the time was the most expensive school in England. The buildings have been derelict since the closure. Springs Golf Club & Spa. Previously owned by Ian Gillan of Deep Purple fame as a private estate Ian Gillan's guitar shaped swimming pool Somewhere to stop for a coffee 1 of the 25 photos taken along The Ridgeway by Max Writtle that has been posted on the trail At the next T-junction, had I wanted to visit Wallingford I could have turned left to cross Winterbrook Bridge over the Thames. The Ridgeway however turned right for the last ½ mile to the finish. Wendy, who I’d met the day before, had very kindly offered to give me a lift back to my car in Goring. Our paths crossed on this final stretch. In her role as a Friend of the Ridgeway, she took some photos of me at the Mongewell Turn fingerpost and then drove me to my car – what an amazing service!! Once back at my car I drove home. It might only have been a 6 mile walk but it was so enjoyable. My next stage from Mongewell to Princes Risborough would be a 20 miler but I’d wait a week before resuming my journey.

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 19.64 miles Total ascent – 1786 feet Total descent – 1646 feet Highest point – 706 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Drive to Goldsmith's Lane Wallingford Car Park OX10 0DN - £6 for day - Pay by Phone – location 810589 Walk to Market Place & catch X40 bus to Mongewell Turn Walk to Princes Risborough Station Catch train to Oxford Catch train to Didcot Parkway Catch X40 bus to Wallingford Pick up car & drive home My Walk This was going to be my longest walk along The Ridgeway and the 2nd longest overall along the Great Chalk Way. So why on earth did I walk it twice – firstly in May and then again in September? It was for the same old reason; in May it was a pretty overcast day but in September it was a glorious day. This was to be the 3rd and last of my repeated walks. By the time I reached Princes Risborough I would be more or less at the halfway point of the Great Chalk Way. This would be the first stage that I would do as a day trip from home. Starting from Mongewell (which is really part of Wallingford), the first few miles would be following the Grim’s Ditch (AKA Grim’s Dyke) as far as Nuffield. There are a number of Grim’s Ditches in England, mainly in the South East. They are prehistoric bank and ditch linear earthworks. The purpose of them remains a mystery but as they are too small for military use, they may have served to demarcate territory. This Grim’s Ditch stretches for about 5 miles but The Ridgeway follows it for about 3½ miles. I’d come across another Grim’s Ditch on the final stage of The Ridgeway. At Nuffield the trail would turn left and cross numerous fairways of Huntercombe Golf Club. After crossing a couple of large fields and walking through some woodland, the path would climb to its highest point near Swyncombe before dropping back down. For the next 7 or so miles beyond Swyncombe the trail would level out and I’d be walking along a virtually straight path, which at times was completely open with great 360° views. At other times it would also pass through woodland and least appealing, the path would have trees and bushes on either side giving limited views of the landscape. For this 7 miles the trail would intersect numerous roads and tracks, leading to towns and villages like Watlington and Chinnor. Beyond Chinnor, the path would bear right and climb up to the top of Lodge Hill, before a final 2½ mile descent into Princes Risborough. My day began with an early morning 80 mile drive from home to Wallingford. I parked my car and caught the X40 bus from the Market Place to the ‘Mongewell Turn’ stop - 100 yards from The Ridgeway. At first the path was narrow with loads of trees and hedges on both sides but also with some breaks to allow some nice views of the landscape. After crossing a single track road, the climbing began in earnest up Grim’s Ditch along one of its banks. The ditch itself was pretty overgrown with vegetation and fallen tree branches, making it difficult to fully appreciate it. For this reason, I’m adding a photo from when I first walked The Ridgeway in February 2023. This really highlights the ditch and supports the theory that maybe it was for demarcation purposes as it would certainly be useless to keep marauders at bay! Shortly after the off - what a glorious day Odd place for a trig point Grim's Ditch - May 2025 Grim's Ditch - February 2023. Not much use as a defence! At the top of the slope, the path turned left and very soon I emerged by the church in the village of Nuffield. The fingerpost directing you onto the golf course was partially hidden by vegetation so I walked past it when I did this walk in May. I managed to find a way to get back on track but this did involve walking along a busy road. You’d have thought when I did the walk again in September that I’d be more careful not to miss the sign – but I walked straight past again! This time however I quickly realised my error and backtracked until I finally saw the sign. After walking over a number of fairways I emerged at The Maker Space – a modern craft venue, shop, café and community space in a former 17th century pub building. I didn’t really fancy a coffee at this time but it’s good to know that the place is here. Lovely view from the top of Grim's Ditch The church in Nuffield The Ridgeway crosses a few fairways The Maker Space is a multi-purpose building including a café After crossing the busy main road, the path crossed 2 very large fields before reaching a side entrance gate to the Ewelme Park Estate. From what I’ve read, the estate covers over 600 acres and the main house built in 1913 has 8 bedrooms and is Grade II listed. I believe the estate is owned by Mr Jaisal Singh. He operates his polo team from the equestrian facilities on the site – the Sujan Indian Tigers. One of the 2 large fields the path crossed An entrance to the Ewelme Park Estate Continuing past Ewelme Park, the path descended quite steeply through woodland down to Swyncombe. There had been a considerable amount of tree clearance between my walks in May and September, resulting in some really nice views. Trees have been thinned out making a great view Some of the logs from the tree felling St Botolph’s Church in Swyncombe is well known for its snowdrops and ‘Snowdrop Teas’ each year. My Ridgeway walk past the church in 2023 fortunately coincided with one of the Snowdrop Tea days and I happily stopped to avail myself! St Botolph's Church St Botolph's Church - February 2023 St Botolph's Snowdrop Tea - yummy cakes to go with coffee - February 2023 Beyond Swyncombe the path climbed steeply to the highest point of the walk, before descending through woodland just as steeply with views of the imposing Britwell House in the distance. 2025 was a bumper year for conkers! A climb to the highest point of today's walk After the climb - the descent! Britwell House in the distance At the bottom of the hill at Britwell Salome the path took a definite 90° turn to the right, marking the start of about 7 miles of flat and virtually straight walking along a restricted byway known as the Lower Icknield Way. The whole 7 miles were easy on the feet and as a stand-alone walk it was really pleasant. All the way along to the right of the path was the top of the ridge at about 800 feet, whereas The Ridgeway path hovered between about 450 and 500 feet. The Upper Icknield Way runs parallel to the Lower Icknield Way as a tarmac road along the top of the ridge. This is a good illustration of how trails such as The Ridgeway are forced to take the practical route at times (i.e. avoid the road) rather than the ridgetop route that would have been expected for a trail called The Ridgeway! On the left hand side of the path it was mainly farmland with great views beyond but as is often the case, the trees and hedges on both sides of the path obscured the views at times. Watlington Hill and a really wide path I do so like The Ridgeway fingerposts! This isn't me jogging by the way! Beacon Hill on the other side of the M40 About halfway between Watlington & Chinnor the path passed underneath the busy and noisy M40 through its own concrete tunnel. Either side of the M40 and up to the right was Aston Rowant Nature Reserve, a 400 acre nature reserve at the top of the ridge that looks down on the motorway. Very soon after the tunnel the path crossed the A40, now considerably quieter since the M40 was built. It was here that I saw the first mention of the Icknield Way on fingerposts and this confused me a little but more of that on my dedicated page for the Icknield Way section. The M40 tunnel Lovely colours of the trees Nice views to the left too At Chinnor, the path passed by former chalk quarries, although from the ground it wasn’t too easy to see all of them. The quarries were on the site of what started life in 1906 as The Chinnor Lime Company, a small company creating lime. Over the next 90+ years the site expanded to over 200 acres, was eventually taken over by Rugby Cement and became 1 of just 6 major cement production plants in the UK. Production ended in 2000 and the buildings were demolished in 2007/8 after the land was acquired by Taylor Wimpey. Today, the land & quarries on the Chinnor village side of The Ridgeway have been redeveloped and landscaped as a housing estate known as Old Kiln Lakes as well as recreational areas. One of the original lime kilns is now Grade II listed and can be seen in the housing estate near the playground. On the other side of the path, the large, extremely deep quarry has been filled with water and is strictly off limits to the public. Site of the former lime & cement plant These signs are so useful Beyond the old Chinnor chalk quarries, at Hempton Wainhill I said goodbye to Oxfordshire and hello to Buckinghamshire, as the path veered off to the right and climbed up through woods to emerge onto sheep grazing fields, about 1 mile from the village of Bledlow Ridge. This was a bit of a ‘Wow’ moment because for quite a bit of of today’s walk up to this point I’d felt relatively hemmed in compared to this. On the climb up Wain Hill in Buckinghamshire Some shade from the warm sunshine So simple but so effective! It was lovely to walk across this large, open field Now in the open I could see Princes Risborough in the distance but rather than making a beeline for the town, The Ridgeway took a more circular route via a short but steep climb to the top of Lodge Hill. It has to be said that the views from the hilltop were worth the climb. Before carrying on I checked the times of trains to Oxford from Princes Risborough. It was 3 o’clock and the next train was at 15:50. I’d have to wait another hour if I missed this one so I decided to get a wriggle on. Lodge Hill ahead The path up to the top of Lodge Hill On top of the hill Great views from Lodge Hill Lodge Hill overlooking Princes Risborough From the top of Lodge Hill, the final 2 and a bit miles to the railway station were thankfully pretty much downhill all the way. The Ridgeway passed alongside the golf course, crossed a couple of railway lines and a large field before taking to residential streets in Princes Risborough. I reached the station at 15:40 giving me 10 minutes to cool down a little before my train to Oxford arrived. More welcome shade Railway line crossing Princes Risborough Station with 10 minutes to spare Back in Oxford, I changed trains for Didcot Parkway, got the X40 bus back to Wallingford, picked up my car and drove home. A long but really successful day and I was now halfway along the Great Chalk Way! Now that was quite a walk! The final stage of The Ridgeway would be Princes Risborough to Ivinghoe Beacon. My sister, who is fortunate enough to live within a couple of miles of The Ridgeway, had said from the outset that she’d like to do a Ridgeway Walk with me. I’ve done so many Chilterns walks with her in the past, including the Rennie Grove Hospice Chilterns 3 Peaks Challenge 3 times. The 3 Peaks challenge takes the route of this final stage, so I knew we’d be able to do this brilliant walk. The problem was trying to find a suitable day when we would both be free as she is unfortunate enough to still have to work! In the end it would be 8 weeks before we’d set off from Princes Risborough. Whilst I could have started along the Icknield Way whilst waiting for her, I really didn’t want to do walks out of turn, so instead, to keep myself occupied I completed the Thames Path for the 6th time!

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 18.57 miles Total ascent – 2371 feet Total descent – 1979 feet Highest point – 846 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Drive to the Mount Car Park Princes Risborough HP27 9AN and park car - £3.70 all day - RingGo Location - 5251251 Walk to Ivinghoe Beacon Get picked up and taken back to Princes Risborough to collect car Tea at pub Drive home My Walk It was more than 8 weeks since I completed the Mongewell to Princes Risborough stage but finally the moon and stars aligned and my sister Nicky and I set off to complete the final stage of The Ridgeway. We’ve done this walk 3 times before by taking part in the annual Rennie Grove Hospice Chilterns 3 Peak Challenge, so we knew exactly what to expect – except this time we wouldn’t have lots of volunteers along the route cheering us on and providing us with water, cakes and sweets! Today would be very much an up and down day, this stage providing the largest ascent and descent figures of the entire Great Chalk Way. The walk would begin in the town of Princes Risborough with a steep climb up to the top of Whiteleaf Hill. This would set the tone for the rest of the day with drops and climbs through woodland and downland. Coombe Hill would be the 2nd of the 3 peaks with the path then dropping down into Wendover. Another climb up through woodland would be followed by a long and steady drop down into Tring. Finally, we’d do a steady climb up towards Ivinghoe Beacon, the 3rd peak, culminating with a relatively steep climb to the top. I regard this stage as one of the very best of the whole Great Chalk Way. It offers some spectacular views of the Chilterns. My day began with a 60 mile drive to Nicky’s house to pick her up. We drove to Princes Risborough and parked the car. Within a few minutes we were out of the centre of town and climbing up through Brush Hill Nature Reserve towards the top of Whiteleaf Hill. The views from the top were truly fabulous on what was a glorious day. The climb through woods to the top of Whiteleaf Hill Nice to have my sister's company today View from the top Whiteleaf Cross is a cross-shaped chalk hill carving with a triangular base, cut into the slope of the hill that faces the town. Whilst you can walk down the steep slope to see the cross, like all such chalk carvings, it is best viewed from the air. I hadn’t brought my drone with me on this walk to save bulk and weight in my backpack. I did however do a revisit a few weeks later with my drone and full-size camera to get more pictures and I’ve added a few of these to this post. Whiteleaf Cross - September 2025 Panorama from Whiteleaf Hill - September 2025 From Whiteleaf Hill we descended quite steeply through woodland, emerging in the village of Cadsden at The Plough. This pub is quite famous, being the ‘local’ for Chequers, the Prime Minister’s country residence, which we would pass further on. David Cameron (remember him?) famously took the Chinese President Xi Jinping there for a pint of IPA during his state visit in 2015, at a time when we were friends with China! There are numerous photos inside the pub of the occasion. A year later, a Chinese company bought the pub! The pub became famous in Chinese circles following the visit of the President and it has become quite a tourist attraction for Chinese visitors ever since. The Plough is the same pub where in 2012, the Cameron’s left their daughter Nancy – albeit only for about 15 minutes. Mr Cameron had left the pub in one car with his bodyguards, whilst Mrs Cameron left in another car with their other children. Mrs Cameron assumed Nancy was with her dad and it was only when they got back to Chequers that they realised Nancy was missing. She dashed back to the pub and found Nancy helping the staff, so all was well! The Plough at Cadsden Cameron & Xi Jinping in 2015 Cameron & Xi Jinping in 2015 It has to be done! From Cadsden, naturally, the path climbed through a mixture of woodland and downland. It levelled off as we approached the fencing surrounding the Chequers estate. There were plenty of stern warning signs advising us that it would be best not to climb over the fences. You have been warned! Chequers - the Coombe Hill monument can be seen in the background Chequers Further warning! After skirting around Chequers the path continued its climb through woodland before we emerged onto Coombe Hill and more spectacular views. The summit of Coombe Hill is 852 feet high. The National Trust, who maintain the site, claim it’s the highest point of the Chilterns. However, Haddington Hill, less than 3 miles away is 876 feet high and has a series of large stones bearing the inscription 'The Chiltern Summit'. I think the National Trust’s claim might be a case of a little wishful thinking! Heading towards the top of Coombe Hill Chequers from the side of Coombe Hill The viewpoint on Coombe Hill is marked with a monument dedicated to the men of Buckinghamshire who gave their lives in the Boer War. The monument is an iconic Buckinghamshire landmark and is Grade II listed. There are always people there taking selfies against the backdrop of the monument. We always stop here for a snack, admiring the views. The monument at Coombe Hill Perfect place to sit and take a break Cows holding a mothers meeting! From the top of the hill, the carnage inflicted by HS2 on Wendover was plain to see. Rather than tunnelling deeper down, which local people were less unhappy to accept, it was decided by HS2 to construct a 1 mile ‘green’ tunnel for Wendover. A green tunnel comprises shallow concrete tunnels that are built on the surface before being buried, with trees, plants and shrubs planted on top to blend into the landscape. HS2 claim that building green tunnels helps reduce the impact on people and nature. This cut and cover approach is also claimed to be considerably cheaper than bored tunnels using tunnel boring machines. Despite huge local opposition, work finally began in earnest in 2021. HS2 workings As we descended into the town and crossed the temporary metal bridge over the excavations, the scale of works could be seen at close quarters. It looks so awful now and goodness knows how many years it will be before people can finally say “You’d never know that there are HS2 railway tunnels below us!”. 'Cut & Cover' HS2 tunnel sections - eventually all the earth on the left will cover them 'Cut & Cover' HS2 tunnel sections There are still people living in these houses Temporary bridge over the workings If you are ever in Wendover and in need of coffee and cake I can thoroughly recommend calling in at Rumsey’s Chocolaterie at number 26 High Street. They sell some divine cakes and many chocolate products that are made on the premises. They have plenty of tables and also do take-aways. As it was the height of summer, we decided to carry on without stopping today and anyway, I’d brought cake from home for us to eat at some point. Wendover - such a pretty town Rumsey's in Wendover The kind of yummy cakes you get at Rumsey’s Chocolaterie! At the end of the High Street we turned right down an alleyway and began a gentle climb along footpaths and narrow lanes into woodland. After about 3 miles of mostly woods we emerged at Hastoe, where after a bit of road walking we entered Tring Park, a 330 acre SSSI comprising a mixture of woodland and grassland, with plenty of footpaths. The wide, main path through the wooded area is at its best in autumn after the leaves have turned. Woods provided some pleasant shade Another Grim's Ditch Crong Radio Site Tring Park Tring Park A carved bench in Tring Park that overlooks the town and beyond provided the perfect excuse to stop to eat our cake that I’d brought with me. It’s a tradition for whenever we do a walk in the Chilterns that I provide coffee and walnut cake. Lovely bench It's definitely time for cake! Definitely a favourite Ridgeway fingerpost in Tring Park On exiting Tring Park, my heart rate started to increase because I knew what was coming up very soon. The path descended alongside fields towards the A41 and the railway, with lovely views of the countryside. There is a narrow concrete footbridge across the A41. I don’t know how high above the road it is but it’s very high is all I can say. I read somewhere that it’s about 100 feet high. As I mentioned much earlier when I was having to cross a similar bridge over the A303 at Amesbury, I suffer from an irrational fear of narrow bridges – gephyrophobia! I’ve crossed this particular bridge many times in the past when walking with members of my family and each time it puts the fear of God up me! Knowing that the bridge is coming up sets off my anxiety. You’d have thought by now that it wouldn’t bother me but every time I cross it I feel exactly the same. That's Ivinghoe Beacon in the background Heading towards that bridge! It's got to be done! Off we go. Just keep looking ahead and don't stop! Yikes! It looks even worse from this angle. © Cathy Cox Anyway, once across the bridge, my heart rate dropped and I could start to enjoy the walk again. The path carried on downhill before reaching Tring Station. Just beyond the station we turned off to the left and began our final 3 mile climb up towards Ivinghoe Beacon at the top of Beacon Hill. If you’re doing this walk and you have some time to spare, it’s well worth making a short (about 0.7 miles) detour into the village of Aldbury by continuing along the Tring Station road, rather than turning off for the final climb. Aldbury is a picture prefect village complete with village pond. This explains why it’s been used as a filming location for countless films and TV programmes. It goes without saying that Midsommer Murders has used Aldbury in the past; it’s acted as the villages of Midsomer Worthy and Binwell! It also has 2 pubs and a village store. What’s not to like! Tring Station. The Posting House used to be a hotel but is now apartments Aldbury Aldbury So, back to the walk. This was a bit of a slog after walking all day but so worth it for the views all the way up and of course, on reaching the trig point at the top. Ivinghoe Beacon is a late Bronze Age hillfort and the 360° views from the top explain why this was such a good location to choose to defend. Only 3 miles to go now! Up we go. Aldbury Nowers is a 50 acre SSSI home to more than 30 types of butterfly At least there are some steps! Great views on the way up You have to work to get to the top! Thankfully we didn't have to tackle Incombe Hole! 550 metres to get to the top. If you must use metric at least get the spelling right!! That's the Whipsnade White Horse in the background. The next stage will take me there You're made to work right to the very top! And we've made it! The GCW Information Board in the Ivinghoe Beacon car park Normally, we would now have to find our way back to Princes Risborough by bus or train in order to pick up my car. However, as mentioned, Nicky lives more or less on the route we’d taken today and her ever obliging husband was able to pick us up and drive us to Princes Risborough where I collected my car. We then drove back to their local pub where we celebrated our achievement and had our tea. What a great day we’d had! Ivinghoe Beacon marks the end (or start) of The Ridgeway. I’d now completed 201 of the 360 miles of the Great Chalk Way. 2 days later I’d be back here to begin the Icknield Way section with a walk to Toddington. Aerial view of Ivinghoe Beacon - frosty morning in November 2025 The Icknield Way starts before the final climb to the top of Ivinghoe Beacon A magnificent stone to mark the start of the Icknield Way