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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. The pond is called The Crammer. In August 2026 it has virtually dried up 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 pocket 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.

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 10.13 miles Duration - 4 hours 26 mins Total ascent – 1515 feet Total descent – 969 feet Highest point – 711 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics PR 15 bus from Premier Inn Salisbury South to City Centre Drop off luggage at Nannybag location Catch 24 bus from New Canal to Heytesbury 08:45 Walk to Bratton Camp Walk to Westbury railway station Catch train to Salisbury Collect luggage Catch trains to Huntingdon My Walk Yesterday’s walk was OK but not the most interesting. Thankfully, today the Wessex Ridgeway would more than make up for this with Iron Age hillforts, barrows, climbs and views a plenty, finishing up with a chalk horse. What’s not to like about all that! I’d also be introduced to the Imber Range Perimeter Path which would feature in the following stage too. My day began at the Premier Inn Salisbury South where I’d stayed overnight. This is literally 200 yards from the Petersfinger Park & Ride as well as a large Tesco. Of the 2 Salisbury Premier Inn hotels, this is definitely the better one for getting to the city centre by bus. Having stayed at both, even when I’ve had my car, I prefer the South one to the North one. I got the P&R bus into the city centre and left my luggage at The Chapter House hotel in St John’s Street which I’d booked the day before using Nannybag . I prefer hotels to shops because you don’t have to worry about opening and closing times. Any excuse to walk past Salisbury Cathedral on the way to the bus I caught the 8:45 number 24 bus back to Heytesbury. This service is operated by Beeline Coaches rather than Salisbury Reds. During the week my bus pass is only valid from 9:30 but Beeline handily accepts it from 8:45. £3 saved – every little helps! The Church of St Peter & St Paul Heytesbury Heytesbury High Street By 9:30 I was walking along Heytesbury High Street following Wessex Ridgeway waymarkers through the village. The other side of a stile was the busy A36. After crossing the road, a flight of stairs brought me out onto a field and after another 600 yards of climbing through light woodland to the top of Cotley Hill, the Wessex Ridgeway joined forces with the Imber Range Perimeter Path (IRPP). A stile in great condition! The A36 - not quite so busy as I crossed! Up we go! Nice views The trees open up on the climb up Cotley Hill The IRPP does what it says on the tin. It’s a 30 mile path around the perimeter of a military training firing range (Imber Range) on Salisbury Plain, mainly following the escarpment above. The entire route is signed and waymarked using the IRPP logo. Imber Range is part of the Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA). SPTA is the largest military training area in the UK and covers an area of about 150 square miles. The IRPP logo Imber itself is a village that was swallowed up by the army during WWII supposedly for training purposes. Villagers were told that after the war, they would be allowed to return to their properties. As is often the case, the army reneged on this assurance, so today the village lies deserted. For a few days each year, people are allowed to visit the village, including a day in August when Imberbus Day takes place. First started in 2009, a vintage bus service from Warminster runs to Imber, allowing people to see parts of Salisbury Plain that they would never ordinarily be allowed to see, including the abandoned village. It proved so popular that it's now an annual event. Any profits on the day are shared amongst charities, including the Imber Church fund. St Giles Church in the village is open for a handful of days each year including for a carol concert in December. In 2026, Imberbus Day took place on Saturday August 15th and I decided I'd have to go along. You can read all about how I got on by following the link at the bottom of this page. So, back to my walk. More climbing brought me to the top of Cotley Hill and a round barrow with a cairn (a man-made pile of rocks) marking its position. Wow! What fantastic views. The path continued along the top of the hill towards Scratchbury Hill, passing a pair of long barrows. Round barrow on top of Cotley Hill Cairn on top of the round barrow Walking along the top of Cotley Hill towards Scratchbury Hill Still heading towards Scratchbury Hill Long barrow Scratchbury Camp is an Iron Age hillfort from about 100 BC. It occupies an area of about 40 acres on top of Scratchbury Hill. I spent a while walking around it before taking a steep path down towards a small car park. As I descended strip lynchets at the base of Middle Hill could be clearly seen. These probably date from medieval times. Scratchbury Camp Scratchbury Camp Gap in the rampart Rampart & ditch Following the path across the top of Scratchbury Camp Descending Scratchbury Hill. Strip lynchets on Middle Hill clearly visible Looking back at Scratchbury Hill I next began the climb up to the top of Middle Hill. I passed a couple of fellow walkers, John & Graham, who were taking a break, admiring the views. Middle Hill is aptly named as it’s certainly a hill lying between Scratchbury Hill and Battlesbury Hill. At the top of this hill is an ancient bowl barrow with a diameter of about 100 feet. It’s presumed that this was once circular but it’s now oval in shape due to modern ploughing. A number of trees cover the barrow. Graham & John who were walking the Wessex Ridgeway. I'd meet them a few times today Middle Hill Middle Hill Looking back at Scratchbury Hill from Middle Hill Having climbed and descended Middle Hill, today’s piece de resistance came next – Battlesbury Camp on top of Battlesbury Hill. The hill is 682 feet high. The hillfort has mostly 2 ditches and ramparts but in places has 3. The highest rampart is about 60 feet. As with the other hills I’d walked across today, Battlesbury has fabulous views across the Wylye (pronounced Why-lee) Valley. Battlesbury Hill ahead It is reasonably steep! A gap in the rampart Looking back to Middle Hill & Scratchbury Hill Trig point at the top of the hill Descending towards the army training facility Battlesbury Camp At the bottom of Battlesbury Hill the trail turned left along Imber Road in Warminster, past the entrance to Waterloo Lines - the name of the British Army barracks, previously known as the Land Warfare Centre and before that, Warminster Training Centre. The barracks are home to a number of MOD and army specialist training schools. Warminster is also the home of Battlesbury Barracks, a short distance from Waterloo Lines. The Royal Dragoon Guards and a couple of other units are based here. Right on cue, live firing started in the distance and this would carry on for much of the rest of this stage. Waterloo Lines The trail took me past St Giles Garrison Church, a not particularly attractive building it has to be said! The church was dedicated in 1968. Its foundation stone came from St Giles Church in Imber – the village the army took over in 1943 and never returned to the residents. Beyond the church, the path began a steady climb away from the centre of Warminster up towards West Wilts Golf Club. The path then continued climbing with good views of the barracks and Battlesbury Hill to my right and a very impressive valley called Kidnapper’s Hole! The whole time, the Wessex Ridgeway was sharing with the IRPP and this is where the firing was at its loudest. I think a golfer would fall to the bottom of Kidnapper's Hole if they did climb over! Kidnapper's Hole Great views back to Scratchbury Hill & beyond It's pretty windy on top of the hill A steady descent was followed by a steep climb to the top of Upton Cow Down (what a lovely name!). The noise of the live firing was enough to know I shouldn't enter but instead bear left Pretty but noisy! Descent followed by climb up to Upton Cow Down On top of Upton Cow Down After another ½ mile of walking along the ridge, the Wessex Ridgeway briefly parted company with the IRPP. It carried on through a narrow strip of woodland that had recently been thinned out. Carrying on, the path continued along the escarpment with far reaching views over Westbury. The Wessex Ridgeway & IRPP part company opposite the red flag Overlooking Westbury Overlooking Westbury After passing a disused chalk quarry I arrived at Westbury Hill and the road down that led down to Westbury. This is where I was going to finish this stage. A couple of hundred yards further on however was the Westbury White Horse and Bratton Camp. I’d investigate these more fully on the next stage but for now I had to get to Westbury Station for a train back to Salisbury. The road down the hill to the centre of Westbury is steep and about 1½ miles. The railway station is almost another mile further on, so my 10 mile walk turned into a 12½ mile walk. I’d factored this in as part of my planning, so knew what to expect. Former chalk quarry Westbury Hill. End of my walk. I now turn left to descend into Westbury Westbury White Horse can be seen for miles around Even with the walk down the hill to the station, this had been a cracking walk in beautiful countryside. In case there is any doubt, this is Westbury Station! By 4 o’clock I was back in Salisbury. It had been quite a warm day so before retrieving my luggage from The Chapter House, I stopped for a pint. Duly refreshed & reunited with my luggage I returned to Salisbury Station for the first of 3 trains back to Huntingdon. It was great letting the trains take the strain; I do so love it when all my connections work. This had been a very successful trip.

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 – 10.40 miles Duration - 4 hours 28 mins Total ascent – 1377 feet Total descent – 1366 feet Highest point – 707 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Drive to Salisbury Central Car Park and park car Bus 29 to Ludwell from Salibury Blue Boar Row (Stop N) Walk to Hindon Bus 25 to Salisbury from Hindon The Square Pick up car and drive to Premier Inn Salisbury South My Walk I've numbered this stage 28 of the Great Chalk Way. The first 27 stages cover my walks in 2025 from Lyme Regis to Holme-next-the-Sea via Salisbury. In 2025, I left the Wessex Ridgeway (WR) at Win Green and reached The Ridgeway at Overton Down by way of the Cranborne Droves Way and Sarsen Way. Stages 28 to 34 will cover the alternative way of reaching Overton Down by continuing along the Wessex Ridgeway from Win Green via Warminster. I refer to these stages as walking the 'Wessex Ridgeway - Wiltshire' section. In 2025 I walked the yellow and orange trails from Win Green When I completed the Dorset section at Win Green last year, I still had to walk a little further along the WR down to the A30 at Ludwell in order to catch a bus to Shaftesbury. Therefore, Ludwell was to be the start of the Wiltshire section for me. Win Green For various reasons I didn’t walk the Wiltshire section of the WR stages in order, so whilst I’ve called Ludwell to Hindon stage 28, in practice it was the final stage I walked in order to complete the full Wessex Ridgeway. This stage would begin at Ludwell with a gentle walk across fields mainly, with views across to the ridge between Win Green & Salisbury. After reaching Donhead St Andrews the path would enter Wardour, a 200 acre ancient woodland owned by The Wardour Estate but leased to the Forestry Commission. Wardour Park would bring the highlight of the day – Old Wardour Castle, a 14th century ruined castle. Beyond the old castle, I’d pass New Wardour Castle, built in the late 18th century. After crossing the London to Exeter railway, a steep climb would eventually bring me to the village of Newtown which would give me fabulous views back to Wardour and beyond. I would then descend alongside the Pythouse Estate with great views of rolling countryside. A final climb alongside and through woodland would open up to farmland and a gentle descent into Hindon. My day began with a drive to Salisbury where I parked in the Central car park. I'm a big fan of Salisbury. One of the reasons why I like it so much is that it makes a great hub for much of this half of the Wessex Ridgeway, due mainly to its transport links and in particular, buses. I’m very impressed with the number of bus routes in and around Salisbury, provided by the main operator Salisbury Reds – part of the Go-Ahead Group. Salisbury I caught the 29 bus to Ludwell and by 11:30 I was back outside the Grove Arms pub. When I was last here in May 2025 at the end of Stage 6, the pub had been closed for a few months. Today however it was back open for business with new owners, who took over in July 2025. It's a gorgeous building both inside and out. A good news story! The Grove Arms at Ludwell reopened in July 2025 The Wessex Ridgeway continued just to the left of the pub with a gentle climb along a footpath that quickly opened up onto fields before narrowing again into a path enclosed either side by trees. After a few descents and ascents, the trail reached Donhead St Andrews and the entrance to Wardour ancient woodland. A decidedly unstable stile step! Views across to the clump of birch trees at Win Green Lower Berrycourt Farmhouse is Grade II listed Lovely views 2 for the price of 1 The entrance to Wardour I’d read that a GCW information board had been erected in the woods and discovered it by the side of a fingerpost pointing towards both Old Wardour Castle and New Wardour Castle. Needless to say, I had to have my selfie with the board to compete my collection! This one was sponsored by Cranborne Chase National Landscape It had to be done! The shape of the woods and route of the WR meant that my time in the woods was very short (about ¼ mile) and on the other side of a gate, I emerged into a field of cows within an 850 acre area of land called Wardour Park. The park contains 17 listed buildings including both Wardour castles. The park is an example of an 18th century picturesque designed landscape. Wardour Park In the distance, mostly covered by trees, I caught my first glimpse of New Wardour Castle. The cows weren’t bothered by me and at the bottom of the field I passed through a gate and continued alongside an attractive lake, known as Pale Park Pond. This is just one of a number of artificial lakes created within the parkland. Pale Park Pond New Wardour Castle A little further on and just to the right of the path, I came across the ruins of the gates to the grounds of Old Wardour Castle. Old Wardour Castle entrance gates My first sighting of Old Wardour Castle A few minutes later I reached Old Wardour Castle itself. It was such a nice day that I thought I’d explore the castle and grounds - manged by English Heritage. I was also hoping to top up my water bottle as I was sure English Heritage must have mains water on site since they were selling tea and coffee. Not to be – I was told they don’t have mains water and couldn’t vouch for the safety of the water from their taps. I had to settle on buying bottled water. I only hope their tea and coffee was made using bottled water! The Banqueting House is the first building you come to as you follow the WR The castle overlooks this lake Very colourful outside wall Old Wardour Castle Old Wardour Castle Old Wardour Castle Old Wardour Castle with New Wardour Castle in the distance Old Wardour Castle The castle was built at the end of the 14th century by Baron John Lovell. Its design was inspired by hexagonal castles that were all the rage in Europe at the time. During the 17th century English Civil War it was badly damaged by Parliamentarians who eventually captured and occupied it. However, subsequent to this, the then owners (the Arundell family) got their castle back by blowing up one side of the castle, only to later have it confiscated once again at the end of the war, before finally getting it back in 1660! Today, the Arundell family still owns the site and most of the surrounding parkland but the castle is maintained by English Heritage. The whole story including how Wardour Park came into being can be read here – English Heritage - Old Wardour Castle The grounds of the castle are landscaped After leaving Old Wardour Castle I continued along the WR and after about ⅔ mile I arrived at New Wardour Castle. The Arundell family had the house built in the late 18th century at the same time as creating Wardour Park. Old Wardour Castle was included as a landscaped feature of the park. The famous landscape gardener, Capability Brown had a hand in the design. Looking back towards Wardour Forest New Wardour Castle New Wardour Castle New Wardour Castle Following the death of the last Baron Arundell of Wardour in 1944, the house was very briefly a Leonard Cheshire Foundation home, before becoming home to Cranborne Chase School in 1961 for 30 years. In 1992 the house and grounds were sold for less than £1 million and converted into 10 private apartments. However, the apartments aren’t exactly what normal people would conjure up in their minds. The principal apartment has 8 reception rooms!! A more modest 3 reception, 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom apartment is currently on sale (June 2026) for £1.85 million - Ground Floor Apartment New Wardour Castle The grounds of the castle have so many footpaths and rights of way and I couldn't find the right one to exit them. Eventually I got lucky as a van came through the electic gate and I was able to sneak out before it shut again. Back on the WR, the path descended slowly across a number of fields, crossed the River Nadder and then a bridge over the London to Exeter railway. New Wardour Castle security gate It's buttercup season Crossing the mighty River Nadder Bridge over the London to Exeter railway A steady climb for another mile across fields brought me into the village of Newtown. There were plenty of great views back to Wardour. Looking back towards Wardour Harold was a lucky man Climb up towards Newtown Still climbing Made it! Newtown Free range hens Former church in Newtown converted to residential use Nice fingerpost! After Newtown, the next couple of miles involved a descent both across and alongside fields, followed by an ascent into woodland at Fonthill Gifford. Far reaching views Far reaching views Buttercups galore Climb up towards woodland Beyond the woodland, the path dropped steadily in between fields of grazing cattle, to the finish in High Street Hindon. Hindon High Street I did this walk over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend 2026. People might remember that this was an insanely hot weekend with temperature records being broken all over the UK. Consequently, I was rather hot by the time I reached Hindon. My bus back to Salisbury was due at 17:42 and it was now 17:15 – just time to have a pint at 1 of the 2 pubs in the village. I chose the Lamb as its beer garden was right next to the bus stop. I could quite happily have spent a lot longer there. My bus turned up on time and it was a new minibus with air conditioning that actually worked. The driver certainly didn’t hang about and I enjoyed the bus ride back to Salisbury. After my tea at Wetherspoons in the city centre I drove to the Salisbury South Premier Inn where I was staying that night. I’d really enjoyed today’s walk. As mentioned above, whilst this was the first of the Wiltshire WR stages beyond Win Green towards Marlborough, it was in fact the final stage I actually walked to complete the full Wessex Ridgeway. I therefore felt doubly satisfied at the end of today’s walk!

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 8.16 miles Duration - 3 hours 12 mins Total ascent – 540 feet Total descent – 611 feet Highest point – 732 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Catch trains to Salisbury Drop off luggage at Nannybag location Bus 25 to Hindon The Square from Salisbury New Canal (Stop S) Walk to Heytesbury The Angel Bus 24 from Heytesbury The Angel to Salisbury Blue Boar Row Collect luggage Bus PR 15 to Petersfinger P&R. Walk 200 yards to Premier Inn Salisbury South My Walk This was going to be the second leg along the half of the Wessex Ridgeway that I didn’t walk in 2025 as part of my Great Chalk Way challenge. For anyone who hasn’t been following my Great Chalk Way blog posts, in 2025 I left the Wessex Ridgeway at Win Green and headed east towards Salisbury along the Cranborne Droves Way. Today’s walk would really be all about a climb up to Great Ridge Wood, followed by a descent into the village of Corton, before following alongside the River Wylye into Heytesbury. At just over 8 miles, this would be one of the shortest legs of the trail. I’d read other people’s blogs of this leg and concluded it would be a pleasant enough walk with a number of fine views but nothing particularly stand-out. Despite its distance from Hindon (16 miles), Salisbury makes a great hub for much of this half of the Wessex Ridgeway, due mainly to its transport links and in particular, buses. For this reason, I’d booked a night at the Premier Inn Salisbury South hotel to enable me to do this stage and the next stage from Heytesbury to Bratton Camp. Trump’s reckless and pointless war that had resulted in large rises in the cost of fuel made me think twice about driving the 130 miles from home, so instead I thought I’d experiment with letting the train take the strain for this trip. This worked out really well. Yes – it took an extra half an hour to get to Salisbury but it was completely stress-free as the trains all ran to time. I saved a lot of money by buying split tickets beforehand rather than a straight through ticket. So, I bought a ticket from Huntingdon (my local station) to Andover (the stop before Salisbury) and another from Andover to Salisbury. This shouldn’t be the case but split tickets can save you a great deal of money on longer journeys as long as you're happy to accept that one or more tickets might be for a specified time (an Advance Single). It’s often the case that the earlier you book such tickets the cheaper they are. As long as the train you get on at the start stops at the intermediate station, you don't have to change trains. There are numerous websites that do the hard work for you to find the best deal. I’ve always used TicketySplit to do this hard work for me. London Waterloo - let's let the train take the strain for a change I pre-booked a drop-off point for my luggage at a shop in Brown Street Salisbury using Nannybag (there are plenty of other businesses that offer the same service and I’ve never had any issues with any of them). I caught the 11:40 bus 25 from New Canal in the city centre and by 12:30 I was in Hindon, ready for the off. At the end of my walk in Heytesbury I would need to catch the 24 bus back to Salisbury at either 15:16 or 17:04. I knew that if I wanted to make the 15:16 bus I’d have to get a wiggle on. How I’d hate to just miss this bus and have to wait almost two hours for the next one. With this in mind I took a few quick photos of Hindon and set off up the High Street. Hindon Hindon Hindon A small and quite well camouflaged fingerpost pointed me up a few steps and onto a narrow footpath between fences. After a while I’d well and truly left the village and the path opened up to give me views across to Great Ridge Wood (formerly also known as Chicklade Wood). Having been steadily climbing since setting off, the path then dropped down towards the busy A303, which I crossed when I eventually found a gap in the fast-moving traffic. Wow! Lovely view The A303 Now the walk started in earnest with a steepish climb up towards Great Ridge Wood. The wind was a noticeable feature of this climb! Beyond the A303 It was still very much bluebell season and the light woodland through which I was passing was covered in the delicate blue flowers. The narrow paths gave way to a straight broad track through the wood, with numerous piles of logs on both sides of the track indicating that this part of the wood was being used to farm trees - mainly conifers. The woodland is owned by the Fonthill Estate. The surface of the track through the wood made for easy and fast walking, which was great as I was conscious that I needed to reach Heytesbury by 15:16! I’d also been following the progress of a huge band of cloud that had been creeping up on me since the start of my walk. Slowly but surely it was catching up! Follow the path round to the left After a 90° bend in the path I started a slow descent down Rowdean Hill, initially through the woods but this eventually opened up to give great views on both the left and the right across Corton Down. Carrying on, I eventually reached the village of Corton. Very much rapeseed season I assume this must be linked to the military The cloud has caught up with me! Corton Corton After passing under a bridge carrying the Bath to Salisbury railway line, the path eventually reached the River Wylye. Here I got a little confused by which footbridges over the river I had to cross and wasted a few valuable minutes backtracking. Eventually I came across a reassuring Wessex Ridgeway waymarker and I was back on course again. River Wylye River Wylye For the final ½ mile I was walking alongside the river before finally emerging onto Heytesbury High Street a few yards from my bus stop. It was just after 15:00, so I'd averaged 3.3 mph - not bad. Needless to say, after rushing the walk so as not to miss my bus, it was a few minutes late. When it turned up it was full of school students and there was standing room only. I was immediately offered a seat and on this occasion I certainly wasn’t too proud to gratefully accept – what a kind person!! Whilst it was quite rowdy on board, everything was good natured, making for an entertaining journey back to the city. River Wylye The Angel Inn Heytesbury - possibly reopening some time in 2026 I retrieved my luggage from the shop I’d left it at earlier in the day and then got the Park & Ride bus to the Premier Inn I was going to stay at that night. This hadn’t been the most exciting of walks but it was pleasant enough. However, I was really looking forward to tomorrow’s walk from Heytesbury to Bratton Camp which promised ancient earthworks galore and a white horse to boot!

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 17.44 miles Duration - 6 hours 31 mins Total ascent – 538 feet Total descent – 849 feet Highest point – 366 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Drive to Newmarket & park in The Guineas car park - CB8 8EQ £3 all day Catch 903 bus to Stetchworth at 08:45 (but only on Thursdays!) OR Get a taxi - NewTax - 01638 561561 - £13 Walk to Icklingham Catch 16 bus from Icklingham adj Red Lion (actually The Guinness Arms!) to Newmarket Bus station. Journey time 57 mins Drive home My Walk The penultimate stage of the Icknield Way Path would begin with more racehorse studs between Stetchworth, Cheveley and Ashley. Beyond Ashley the path would continue for a mile or so along the road towards the River Kennett, crossing into Suffolk as it did so. After reaching and following the river for nearly a mile, the path would cross over it into the pretty village of Dalham. Beyond Dalham, the path would skirt around Dalham Hall, climbing steadily to reach Gazeley, before dropping slowly for 2 miles down to the A14, which it would pass under. Continuing north, along a pleasant mixture of country lanes, footpaths and farm tracks, the path would head towards the small village of Herringswell. It would then veer north-east into Tuddenham before the final push past Cavenham Heath National Nature Reserve. After crossing the River Lark I’d emerge onto the streets of Icklingham. The stage would end at the bus stop conveniently situated right outside The Guinness Arms. It’s interesting to note from the elevation chart that the last 4 miles have a range of only 30 feet, with a low point of just 31 feet above sea level. No wonder this would be a very easy walk! Today’s walk began with a drive from home to Newmarket where I parked my car in the Guineas Car Park. Before researching these walks and never having been to Newmarket, I’d always thought that the town was ‘somewhere in East Anglia’ and must be a long way away. As it turns out, it’s ‘only’ 45 miles from home, taking about 50 minutes to drive, mostly along the A14. Bus services between Newmarket and Stetchworth are infrequent. For an early start (08:45) the 901 service goes to Stetchworth but only on a Thursday! As it was a Monday and I was in Newmarket by 07:15 I chose to call for a taxi instead. Despite there being a little confusion as to where the driver would pick me up from (he made an assumption that I was familiar with place names in the town), I was in Stetchworth by 07:45 and raring to go. The Marquis of Granby in Stetchworth I picked up from where I’d left off the previous week and was soon walking downhill alongside a field in the direction of Woodditton. At the bottom of the hill I passed through a gap in the line of trees at right angles to the path. I didn’t realise at the time that the line of trees was actually encompassing an Anglo Saxon earthwork called the Devil’s Ditch (or Dyke). The ditch clearly wasn’t that deep at the point the path crossed as even I would have taken notice! This must have been the Devil's Ditch I was walking across The other side of Devil’s Ditch opened up into a large field that the path went through the middle of. Reminding me that this was still horseracing country, I soon passed some horses in training at Church Hall Farm stud, part of the Godolphin racing empire. These goats weren't in training! Continuing across the countryside for another mile I entered the village of Cheveley, home to more stud farms. At a gap between two houses in the High Street, the path took a right and continued for a mile into Ashley, a pretty village complete with pond and thatch roofed cottages. The path now continued along Gazely Road towards the River Kennett, passing into Suffolk as it crossed the B1085 road. A little further on and the path turned right to walk alongside the Kennett for about a mile, eventually crossing it into the village of Dalham. The River Kennett is on the left hand side behind the trees The bridge over the River Kennett Beyond the bridge Dalham Almost immediately I came across a strange construction, looking like a beehive, alongside the road. This was a malt kiln, one of only two remaining standing in Suffolk. As such it has been Grade II listed. The kiln was probably built in the early Victorian era. Malt kilns were used to dry partially germinated barley, stopping it from further germination in order to create malt. Malt is used in the production of beer and whisky and the kiln was the final stage in its creation. These days, malt is created on an industrial scale but still using the same basic techniques. Opposite the kiln, the Icknield Way left the road and headed up a short but steep (well, for this part of the country!) path towards the church. Looking at the colours of the leaves on some of the trees it was hard to believe we were still in August. At the top of the path I could see the church as well as Dalham Hall. Until 1955 the hall had three stories but a fire in that year destroyed the third floor and this wasn’t reinstated when the building was repaired. Having seen a photo of the hall before the fire, it certainly looks more in proportion and better looking without that third floor! Since 2009, the hall and its 3300 acre estate have been owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai and Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE. Sheikh Mohammed had already bought Dalham Hall Stud on the estate in 1981. The stud is the headquarters of Darley, the name of his global thoroughbred breeding operation. Darley is itself part of Godolphin, Sheikh Mohammed's global thoroughbred breeding & horseracing stable, also headquartered at Dalham. Anyway, there was very little I could see of Dalham Hall as the trail skirted all around it through some wooded areas before opening up alongside fields. Wow! A pretty busy fingerpost After about 20 minutes I emerged into the village of Gazeley. The village has a population of about 700 people. Local folklore has it that the village is so called because ‘It gazes over Ely’. In fact, the name is of Anglo Saxon origin – Gaseleia but Ely Cathedral can apparently be clearly seen on the horizon on a clear day from the highest point on Moulton Road. Yet again, my walks are such a learning experience! After passing the Grade I listed church, the path began a slow descent towards the A14 along a very quiet road in the direction of Kentford. At the next fork in the road I bore right onto the road signposted to Needham Street. Again, the road was very quiet and after a while I could leave the road and continue alongside a field. Eventually, I reached and crossed the B1506 and then crossed the A14 by way of a tunnel under the busy road. Thankfully I had no narrow footbridges to walk over! I immediately passed what I thought must be a cement works but on closer inspection it was actually one half of Phoenix Works Bike Park; the other half was on the other side of the A14. After passing under a railway bridge, the next almost four miles weren’t the most exciting, with a lot of walking along paths with trees on both sides; at least it was all downhill. I passed through the tiny village of Herringswell before eventually reaching Tuddenham. Phoenix Works Bike Park Herringswell Herringswell RAF Tuddenham was built in 1941 with a runway long enough to handle bombers. In the middle of the green at Tuddenham is a War Memorial which is dedicated to all those who served their country as members of XC Squadron. The squadron was also known as 90 Squadron and was based for a time at RAF Tuddenham. Tuddenham Pond in Tuddenham Just past the green I walked past the Purple Pantry - a farm shop and café. Just a little further on I passed a turkey farm with the birds free to roam. Beyond the farm, the path continued along a dead straight, single-track road which eventually turned into a dirt track, to reach Cavenham Heath National Nature Reserve. The reserve covers about 500 acres and is a great example of Breck Heathland. In addition, it has riverside meadows, woodland, wet woodland scrub and small areas of fen. It is noted for its rare breeding birds, particularly the Stone Curlew. A reminder that RAF Mildenhall is just 6 miles away. As NATO allies we allow the US to use this base - OK Trump! The trail continued along the dirt track before reaching a bridge over the River Lark. After crossing the river, the path continued for about ½ mile before emerging onto a residential street in Icklingham. I walked past the church and along the main road to the bus stop referred to as ‘Icklingham - The Street - Red Lion’. The Red Lion was a pub that closed in 2011 and lay empty for a number of years until the current owners, the Elveden Estate, bought it, spent £2 million on refurbishing it and then reopened it in 2019 as The Guinness Arms. It looked so attractive and welcoming from the bus stop. As my bus back to Newmarket wasn’t due for another 30 minutes, I decided to pop in for a quick pint. It was certainly as welcoming inside as it looked from the outside. I’d quite like this as my local! How cool is this You take a photo, load it into the Guinness app & it creates the photo on the head of your pint. The number 16 bus back to Newmarket arrived on time. It took almost an hour from Icklingham but this really didn’t bother me, as I sat on the top deck admiring the countryside on a lovely late summer afternoon. I was now just one stage from completing the Icknield Way Path.

Setting off from Windsor & Eton Bridge 6th stage of my Thames Sea to Source 2024 challenge on yet another belting day. This time 23.79 miles from Windsor and Eton Bridge to Henley via the Temple Bridge Closure diversion in Marlow. I did this walk out of sequence in May. It's probably my favourite stage. The Brocas - a large meadow on the Eton side of the river Looking upstream from the Brocas This is as much of Dorney Lake as you can see without leaving the path Dorney Lake Dorney Lake Windsor Marina Oakley Court is a hotel these days Bray Studios Summerleaze Bridge - built as a gravel conveyor belt, taking gravel from the construction of Dorney Lake Summerleaze Bridge - converted to a footbridge on completion of Dorney Lake Bridge under the M4 Bray Lock The rather nice houses of Bray Razor-sharp hedges in outskirts of Maidenhead! Approaching Maidenhead Brunel's Maidenhead Railway Bridge AKA the Sounding Arch Maidenhead Bridge is Grade I listed We cross the river here Maidenhead Bridge Garden One of my favourite views heading towards Boulter's Lock Boulter's Lock. The bridge takes you over to Ray Mill Island - a great place for a coffee break The gardens on Ray Mill Island There are loads of squirrels here Boulter's Lock weirs Weirs at Boulter's Lock The gardens on Ray Mill Island This bridge takes you across to the strip of land between the Thames and the man-made Jubilee River After a coffee break it's back heading towards Cookham How quiet and relaxing this is Spring Cottage on the Cliveden Estate - made infamous by the Profumo Scandal in the early 1960s Another of the Cliveden cottages. You can rent a number of these lovely properties Cookham Holy Trinity Church Cookham We're now walking up towards Bourne End There are some exceptional riverfront properties along here Bourne End Railway & Footbridge. We have to cross the river here View from the bridge Who knew there was such a challenge!! Bourne End has a small marina Heading down towards Marlow Marlow Marlow You have to take this photo of the church & the bridge! Bisham Abbey on the Temple Bridge diversion No pavement or verges so be careful along here You're not getting onto Temple Bridge! Temple Bridge - closed since May 2023 due to safety & structural issues February 2026 - The central span has been removed for examination February 2026 - The central span has been removed for examination. It's now been found that the entire bridge will have to come down Looking upstream beyond Temple Bridge Egyptian goose & her family Canada goose & her family White deer park at Culham Court Culham Court Walking across the Culham Court estate The Flower Pot Aston. It's last owner had an obsession for stuffed fish! The Flower Pot Aston. It's last tenant owned Britain’s largest private collection of cased fish! Now nearly all gone You have to stop here for a sneaky pint! The new tenants have improved the pubs & the garden no end How posh! The river at Aston Hambleden Weir Hambleden Weir Entrance to Hambleden Lock On the home run into Henley now Preparations underway for Henley Regatta in July Preparations underway for Henley Regatta in July It's 7 o'clock & I've reached Henley Bridge Looking downstream from Henley Bridge Looking upstream from Henley Bridge A long day but such a satisfying and enjoyable walk.

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 17.22 miles Duration - 6 hours 45 mins Total ascent – 1102 feet Total descent – 873 feet Highest point – 381 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Drive to Rustat Avenue Cambridge & park car - JustPark Walk to Cambridge Station Catch train to Great Chesterford Station Walk to Stetchworth Walk to Dullingham Station – 2 miles Catch train to Cambridge Station - 2 Hourly at 21 mins past the hour on Sundays Walk to Rustat Avenue Cambridge & pick up car Drive home My Walk Continuing my walk across East Anglia towards the sea, the fifth stage of the Icknield Way Path would begin in Essex but soon cross into Cambridgeshire before finishing close to Newmarket, the ‘Home of Horseracing’. Starting from Great Chesterford, a climb and descent into the village of Linton would be followed by another climb up Rivey Hill. This would be the extent of climbing, with the rest of the walk relatively flat. The walk would continue through the Cambridgeshire countryside, passing the villages of Balsham, Brinkley and Borough Green before reaching Stetchworth. Getting to the start of today’s walk was the reverse of getting back from Great Chesterford 2 days earlier. I got up really early and drove towards Cambridge. Having deemed the Just Park app a big success, I found and booked myself another parking space in the same street close to Cambridge Station. I was there by 7:15 and caught the first train of the day to Great Chesterford, arriving shortly after 08:00. The station itself is about ½ mile from the village. The clock of Great Chesterford Church is 20 minutes fast! Needless to say, it was yet another cracking day with a cloudless sky. After walking through the village, I emerged onto a track which climbed steadily for about 2½ miles, reaching the highest point of today’s walk, more or less on the Essex/Cambridgeshire border. There were some lovely views of the surrounding countryside. The path then started going downhill, dropping towards the pretty village of Linton. Looking back towards Great Chesterford Great views as I climbed higher Still climbing! Absolutely fabulous Field of maize Linton is officially a village, albeit quite a large one; it even has a zoo – although it’s primarily a breeding centre for endangered species. The Icknield Way brought me into a large, well-maintained recreation ground, before turning right and crossing an ornate bridge over the River Granta and into a residential area. However, had I carried on for a couple of hundred yards I would have come to the Linton Clapper Stile, one of only 16 clapper stiles known to be surviving in the UK. Unlike all other stiles, a clapper stile has moving parts which make it much easier to climb over. The stile has planks that are pivoted on a central post and are weighted at one end. A walker pushes down on the unweighted ends and while holding the planks down, crosses through, When the walker lets go, the planks return to their horizontal starting position. The 'clap' is the noise made by the planks as they touch each other. Linton Clapper Stile I only heard about Linton's clapper stile long after I'd completed my walk but having seen a photo of it I just had to go back to try it out for myself. So, in May 2026 I returned just to test out this wonderfully simple piece of engineering! I now know why people who appreciate the simplicity of the engineering get so excited - it's absolute poetry in motion and I'm so glad to have seen it and tested it out - not that my movements could be described as 'poetry in motion' before anybody says it! I now have to seek out and test some of the other remaining clapper stiles and at the same time improve my 'clapper stile crossing' technique. Incidentally, for those people wanting to tell me off, I didn't leave the gate in the background open! A local resident was carrying out some tidying up of the overgrown vegetation on both sides of the fence at the time! In fact, the video was staged. I only went to Linton to see the clapper stile for myself and didn't walk beyond it. You need to have the volume up to appreciate the claps Having walked through the village the path climbed up the relatively steep Rivey Hill alongside a most impressive field of plants with purple flowers. The Linton Village Community Life Facebook page assured me they were borage plants! I learned this about borage - ‘Borage is harvested for its seeds (for GLA-rich oil in supplements and cosmetics), its cucumber-flavoured leaves (eaten fresh, cooked, or used in teas), and its pretty blue flowers (used as garnishes in drinks and salads), with the whole plant also used as animal fodder and soil improver, while the flowers provide excellent nectar for bees.’. All in all, it seems that borage is a great plant! The things I learn on my walks!! Perched at the top of the hill was Rivey Hill Water Tower, a 98 foot Grade II listed Art Deco tower built between 1935 and 1936. It has a dodecagonal brick exterior. For its age it looked mighty fine but that’s because the masonry had a bit of a makeover in 2018. Shame about the mobile phone gubbins attached to it however! The tower can be seen for miles around. Beyond Rivey Hill, I continued along a well defined path across a number of recently harvested fields until I reached what was a Roman road that ran between Cambridge and Suffolk. The path turned right here onto the road and continued for about ½ mile before turning left onto a wider track heading towards Balsham. Looking back towards Rivey Hill The Roman road Nearing Balsham Balsham is a village about half the size of Linton. On the village green there was a stone plinth milestone for the Icknield Way advising me that I was 43 miles from the Peddars Way and 63 miles from The Ridgeway. Balsham is where the opening ceremony of the Icknield Way Trail took place in 1992. September 1992 Icknield Way opening ceremony © Icknield Way Association The stone plinth milestone weathering nicely after 33 years The next 4½ miles were nice enough but nothing special. Much of this part of the trail was along stone and gravel tracks often sandwiched between hedgerows giving reduced views. At Willingham Green the path crossed B1052 before heading cross-country to Brinkley and Burrough Green. At Burrough Green I emerged onto the B1061 and across the road was a most inviting pub – The Bull. It was a hot day, so naturally I had to stop for a quick pint and a short rest. I surreptitiously ate my Sainsbury’s sandwich at the same time. Burrough Green seemed to mark the start of horseracing Newmarket. The Icknield Way Path continued down the side of the pub and almost immediately I was walking alongside the paddocks of my first stud farm. At the next road the path crossed – named Cross Green - I was presented with Icknield Way fingerposts pointing in all directions. It was one of those places where the cyclists & horse riders went their own way whilst I was allowed to carry straight on. This is what I mean when I say you have to read the signs carefully! During the summer I'd see many horses sporting fly masks I'd walk down a number of corridors like this between paddocks Walkers one way & riders another way The final mile into Stetchworth was more or less all dedicated to horses, be it paddocks or gallops. Gate leading onto the gallops of Aislabie Stud No horses training this afternoon You now have to walk between the paddock and the hedges I arrived at Stechworth at about 14:15. The local villages had come together to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VJ Day at the community centre in the village – Ellesmere Centre. There were a lot of people there and it looked like they were all enjoying themselves on a gorgeous summer Sunday afternoon. I however had to get back to my car in Cambridge. I knew there were no buses on a Sunday and my original plan had been to call for a taxi to take me to Newmarket Station from where I could get a train to Cambridge. My other option was to walk to Dullingham Station which is on the same line as the Newmarket train. The station was about 1¾ miles from Stetchworth. The next train was due at 15:20, so I had almost an hour to walk there. Even on a hot day, this was plenty of time. I reached the station just after 15:00 so had 20 minutes to sit on a bench enjoying the sunshine and admiring the station’s colourful garden. With the extra walk to Dullingham Station I’d walked almost 20 miles today. Yet another enjoyable stage through some beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. Two more to go to complete the Icknield Way Path.

Official Stage Statistics Route distance – 22.66 miles Duration - 8 hours 37 mins Total ascent – 970 feet Total descent – 1092 feet Highest point – 305 feet Fly-through of this stage Logistics Drive to King's Lynn Railway Station PE30 1NX and park car – £3.70 (Saturday) Catch bus A or B to Swafham Get taxi to Castle Acre - 07528 535044 £15 Walk to centre of Hunstanton Catch bus to King's Lynn Railway Station - numerous services Drive home Relax! My Walk My final day walking the Great Chalk Way would start back at Castle Acre. The trail would plough through the countryside in a straight line, crossing countless minor roads and tracks, before the tiniest kink upon reaching Littleport near Sedgeford. This after all is a proper Roman road! Beyond Littleport it would be more of the same before reaching Ringstead, just 3 miles from the sea. Beyond Ringstead, after walking along a number of paved roads, the trail would leave the road and follow a path right down to the sea at Holme. From Holme I’d walk along the coast for the final few miles to Hunstanton and the end of the Great Chalk Way! After yesterday’s road walking, much of today’s would be along paths, tracks and the edges of fields. Interestingly, today’s stage would be noticeably hillier than either of the 2 previous stages. I use the word ‘hillier’ loosely; maybe I should say ‘less flat’. Pig farms would be very much the order of the day along today’s stage. My day began with a final Premier Inn cooked breakfast. For old times’ sake I helped myself to a couple of pain au chocolat and a banana to keep me going for the day. I drove to King’s Lynn Railway Station and parked my car in their car park. As it was Saturday it was only £3.70 for the day. The station was restored in 2013/4 to a 1949 British Railways state with plenty of small details. Very pleasing to the eye! My bus to Swaffham turned up on time and by just after 9:00 I arrived back in the market place. Liam from Swaffham Taxis picked me up at 9:15 and by 9:30 I was in Castle Acre. Needless to say it was yet another sunny day but a little bit hazy. Before setting off towards the sea, I walked to the castle and got my drone photographs. For the first hour I was walking along the arrow-straight Roman road for almost 3½ miles, although there were opportunities now and again to walk on the other side of the hedges lining the road. Eventually, the road veered to the right but the path naturally continued straight on. A trig point at a somewhat jaunty angle marked this spot. Views every now and again in the gaps between hedges Somehow it's staying up! From here, the next 11½ miles would be very much a case of walking along a dead straight path of various surfaces – most of them pleasant. Every so often the path would cross a road or track but without fail, it kept straight! Whilst the route was generally flat, there were gentle climbs and descents every now and again to keep you interested and these had some lovely views across the surrounding farmland. Pig farms along the way were very much the order of the day. It was very easy walking and I made good progress. No messing - just straight across! More than 5 miles from Sandringham House. It's a big estate that the King owns! Almost a hill! Take a seat, gal! Enjoy the view together Enjoy the view I did! All of a sudden, I got a shock – the path actually deviated briefly from its arrow-like course for about 400 yards! I was in the hamlet of Littleport, a short distance from Sedgeford. There was a large Grade II listed house and garden in the way causing the path to have to divert down the side. 16 miles from Castle Acre and now a definite left turn The path crossed the Sedgeford main road in order for it to resume its relentless progress to the sea. Right by the roadside I passed a striking property (pun intended) that looked like a former chapel; looks can be deceiving however! This building, called Magazine Cottage, was built by the Royalist Sir Hamon Le Strange of Hunstanton Hall, Lord of the Manor of Sedgeford in 1643 as a disguised munitions store during the English Civil War. Needless to say, it has been Grade II listed since 1980. Today, it is a gorgeous looking 3 bedroom holiday cottage. Magazine Cottage Back to normal for another couple of miles, I next reached Ringstead, a very small village BUT with a pub – 'The Gin Trap'! It was 3 o’clock and I was just 3 miles from Holme now. I was very warm, thirsty and a little peckish, having only had my banana and my 2 pain au chocolat to eat since breakfast 8 hours ago. I stopped for a pint and some crisps and enjoyed them sitting outside the front of the pub in the sunshine. Today the pub was holding one of its summer ‘Gintastic Extravaganzas’ in the beer garden with plenty of gins to sample, live music and a BBQ. Hope nobody was driving! From the pub, the path did a gentle climb up Ringstead High Street and then along another street to exit Ringstead. I then got my first glimpse of the sea in the distance and knew I’d just about finished my long walk from the South Coast. I can see the sea! The path left the road, continuing left along the side of a field. The path then turned 90° right down the field and I passed the fifth Songtail statue which had this text - And I being here have been part of all this Caught & thrown like sun on water Have entered into all around me I hadn’t done too well in spotting these statues, finding only 3 of the 5! The path crossed the A149, which is the main coastal road. I’d now officially reached Holme-next-the-Sea. The path continued down a single track road for ½ mile until I reached a car park and public toilets. Ahead of me there were a couple of fairways for me to cross belonging to Hunstanton Golf Course. Thankfully, with no golfers I didn’t have to worry about low flying golf balls today. Finally, I saw the fingerpost I’d walked 360+ miles to reach. The fingerpost had 1 fingerboard for the Peddars Way and 2 for the Norfolk Coast Path. I knew what to expect before I arrived here but I still felt a little deflated and cheated. Is this all that greets someone who has just walked coast to coast along such an iconic and ancient trail? I’m only joking of course. Again, I did know before reaching Holme that Norfolk County Council wouldn’t give permission for one of the Great Chalk Way information boards to be erected here. Of course, as well as completing the Great Chalk Way, I’d also just completed the Peddars Way. I knew before setting off from Knettishall Heath that I wasn’t going to get blown away by magnificent landscapes etc, so I wasn’t disappointed. Castle Acre really made this trail for me. As I said back at the start, the Peddars Way is very much the starter and the Norfolk Coast Path is the main course of this National Trail. I’m now going to have to wait until I’ve completed the Norfolk Coast Path section before I can buy a new badge to add to my collection of National Trails badges! Unlike the rest of my walk today, there were plenty of people milling around and I got someone to take some photos of me standing triumphantly by the fingerpost. I hadn’t yet reached the sea however. I had to walk across the sand dunes and then down the beach. The tide was quite a long way out but finally I found the sea. For the sake of completeness, I had to have a little paddle in it, just as I’d done at Lyme Regis. I was lucky that a couple were walking past me, so I asked if one of them could take a few pictures of my paddle. Quickly whipping off my shoes and socks and getting in the water, the lady duly obliged. Job done! Still some way to go to reach the sea Greetings from Holme-next-theSea! There is a pub in Holme – The White Horse - but that was more than ½ mile from where I was and in the opposite direction to Hunstanton which I needed to get to for a bus back to King’s Lynn. To be honest, having stopped for a pint 3 miles from the finish, I wasn’t that bothered about having another one to celebrate my achievement. So, initially I walked along the top of the sand dunes but that was really slow going. I then dropped down to the beach but that too wasn’t great either, trying to find firmer sand. Finally, I moved further inland to the residential streets of Hunstanton; not as scenic of course but it had been a very long day and I was getting a bit tired now. I reached the Old Lighthouse in the town. It’s one of Hunstanton’s iconic landmarks. Whenever I think of Hunstanton, the lighthouse is the first thing that always comes to mind. These days it’s a holiday cottage – in August this year it’ll set you back £4000 a week. An interesting fact about Hunstanton is that it’s on the east coast but yet it faces west and gets some spectacular sunsets. I wouldn't be staying tonight to witness today's as I had a long journey home. I reached the fingerpost I was looking for; the one I think and hope marks the start of the Norfolk Coast Path - NCP. The NCP is now itself officially part of the England Coast Path, or as it’s now called The King Charles III England Coast Path. It’s no wonder that the fingerboards on this post are getting wider! It was now 6 o’clock and I had an hour-long bus ride back to King’s Lynn to contend with followed by a 90 minute drive home. My FitBit told me I’d walked 53000 steps today. When you’re tired and all you want to do is get home, an hour-long bus journey is the last thing you really need but I wasn’t prepared to fork out £40+ on a taxi. I had a nice rest on the bus at least and eventually got back to King’s Lynn Station and picked up my car. I stopped at the nearest McDonalds for something to eat & drink before driving home. I got home around 9:30. Now that was a really long day but I’d completed the Peddars Way in 3 stages and the Great Chalk Way in 27 stages! I’ll celebrate tomorrow!