The Ridgeway National Trail travels for 87 miles (139km) through the North Wessex Downs and the Chilterns Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in southeast England

FAQs

Racehorses © Natural England/Tina Stallard
  • Which parts of The Ridgeway can I use with a horse-drawn carriage?

    The vast majority of the 43 miles (69km) of the western half of The Ridgeway is either byway or restricted byway and therefore can be used by horse-drawn carriages.  It provides an almost continuous 69 km unmetalled stretch of track with only a couple of short sections of road and a few others to cross. However there are two stretches on the western half in Wiltshire that cannot be used by horse-drawn carriages:

    •  1 mile (1.3km) over Barbury Castle Iron Age fort from grid reference SU145764 to SU157760, and
    • 1.7 miles (2.7km) from south of Liddington Castle to the B4192, from grid reference SU215780 to SU218804.

    In both places alternative routes for vehicles are signed which you should follow.

    The eastern half of The Ridgeway is mostly footpath and bridleway but there is one stretch of almost 5 miles (8km) of restricted byway that you can use.  It’s from south of Britwell Salome in Oxfordshire to the crossing of the A40 south of Aston Rowant, from grid reference SU678921 to SU728977.

  • Are there any sections of The Ridgeway accessible to people with mobility impairments or who use a wheelchair or mobility scooter?

    An advantage of The Ridgeway is that the entire western half, and an 8 miles (13km) stretch east of the River Thames (from Britwell Hill just west of Watlington to Wainhill on the Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire border), follows byways or bridleways that have no stiles, small kissing gates or high steps which, when present, are always obstructions to users of wheelchairs or mobility scooter. In fact there are no longer any stiles remaining on The Ridgeway, although there are several small kissing gates once east of Streatley. On the western half, from Overton Hill to Streatley on the River Thames, there are only 11 gates and these are all accessible to users of wheelchairs and mobility scooter.

    Much of the surface of these byway, restriced byway and bridleway sections remains natural and can be rough as a result of use by horses and/or vehicles with ruts in some places. In some locations the surface can also become wet and muddy during and after wet weather. However the 3 miles (5km) section from Fox Hill (Grid Reference SU 233814) southeast of Swindon to south of Ashbury (Grid Reference SU 273843), both with parking space, mostly has a hard surface and should therefore be accessible to many people using a wheelchair. It’s worth noting, though, that in places the surface is beginning to wear and potholes have developed.

    The National Trails Team is working to replace small kissing gates with fully accessible gates, and in places to improve the surface.

    The Chilterns AONB has a walk from Goring & Streatley called Views of the Thames Walks and another from Wendover called Views of the Vale Walks. These walks have summary accessibility information. Additionally, the Chilterns AONB has put together a “Countryside Walks in the Chilterns” pack which contains a series of walks that are likely to be suitable for people with impaired mobility and users of wheelchairs, mobility scooters and pushchairs. A number of the routes featured are near to The Ridgeway National Trail (the Ashridge Estate in Herts and the Aston Rowant Nature Reserve in Oxon for instance). If you would like a pack then please contact the Chilterns AONB. Their Chinnor Hill and Whiteleaf Hill leaflet, which provides accessibility information, is available to download here.

  • Where can I drive a vehicle or ride my motorbike on The Ridgeway

    Details of where and when you can ride a motorbike or drive a 4 by 4 or car on The Ridgeway are found on our information for users of recreational vehicles page.

  • How do I report an illegal vehicle?

    All vehicles using The Ridgeway must be fully road legal, the same as for driving on any highway (ie roadworthy, taxed and insured, with the driver/rider being of legal age and with a driver’s licence) and drive/ride with due care and consideration of walkers, horse riders and cyclists. If you see a vehicle on The Ridgeway that you think is not legal (eg the driver looks underage, the vehicle has no licence plates displayed, the vehicle is being driven in a dangerous manner, etc) or if you see a vehicle illegally using The Ridgeway on a section of the Trail closed to recreational vehicles (footpath, bridleway, restricted byway) or during the seasonal Traffic Regulation Orders, then the driver/rider is in breach of the law and should be reported to the Police and/or the National Trails Team.

    Wiltshire Police

    Thames Valley Police

    For more information on motor vehicle use on public rights of way click here.

  • Who owns The Ridgeway?
    The land that The Ridgeway crosses is privately owned by many different individuals or organisations. The Trail itself  follows ‘public rights of way’ across this land which are of four types - footpath, bridleway, restricted byway or byway.  You have a legal right to walk on any public right of way or cycle/ride on all except public footpaths unless you have the landowner's permission to do so.  The National Trails Office does not own any of the land The Ridgeway passes over, but co-ordinates the management of the route. For further information about public rights of way, please visit Natural England's website.
  • Who looks after it?

    A National Trails Management Group, composed of representatives of the highway authorities through whose area the Trail passes (6 of them) and Natural England, manages The Ridgeway.

    Most of the day-to-day work is undertaken by a small team of National Trails staff, helped by Volunteers managed by the team, based with Oxfordshire County Council's Countryside Service – doing much of the physical maintenance and improvements, and providing a range of information for users.

    The Ridgeway travels through the following highway authorities areas:

    Wiltshire Council: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/index.htm

    Swindon Borough Council: http://www.swindon.gov.uk/Pages/Home.aspx

    Oxfordshire County Council: http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/

    West Berkshire Council: http://www.westberks.gov.uk/

    Buckinghamshire County Council: http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/

    Hertfordshire County Council: http://www.hertsdirect.org/

  • What is the National Trails Volunteer Scheme?

    Volunteers perform a vital role in helping to maintain both The Ridgeway and Thames Path National Trails. They carry out an ongoing programme of maintenance and improvements which include tasks such as vegetation clearance, installing and repairing signs, gates and information boards, fencing, building steps, riverbank repairs and conservation of wild flower habitats. Tasks are carried out on most weekdays, led by a Volunteer Coordinator from the National Trails team. There are also two weekend tasks per month. All tools and training are provided and the tasks are a good way to meet like-minded people. Our quarterly newsletter has a list of all forthcoming tasks on both Trails and is sent to all volunteers who register onto the scheme.

    Alternatively, some volunteers prefer to take on small tasks which are carried out independently such as cleaning signs and clearing encroaching vegetation from the signs in the summer. Volunteers can also become 'monitors' by adopting a 2-3 mile section of a Trail, walking it once a month and reporting back any problems.

  • How do I register onto the National Trails Volunteer scheme?

    Volunteer Coordinators can be contacted by email at NTvolunteers @oxfordshire.gov.uk or telephone the National Trails Office on 01865 810211

    Further details of the scheme will be sent to you together with a registration form. Once this is completed and returned you will be added to the volunteer database and a full Volunteer Introductory Pack will be sent. You will receive forthcoming newsletters and task diaries and you will also be covered by Oxfordshire County Council insurance. For further information, see our volunteering pages.

  • Who pays for looking after The Ridgeway?

    Generally up to 75% of the money needed to keep The Ridgeway in good condition comes from Natural England and the other 25+% from the highway authorities. Opportunities are also taken to find funding for specific projects from a range of partners and grant aid bodies.

     

  • Can I make a donation or a bequest?

    Yes you can! The National Trails team endeavours to maintain and improve The Ridgeway and we would be very grateful for any support you can give. If you’d like to, please send a cheque (any amount would be welcome and help us in our work), made payable to “National Trails Trading” and send it to us at our address.

    If you are interested in getting involved in voluntary work to care for The Ridgeway, then please see the following page and find out about how to get involved.