The Ridgeway
Take a route used since prehistoric times by travellers, herdsmen and soldiers through ancient landscapes.
Take a route used since prehistoric times by travellers, herdsmen and soldiers through ancient landscapes.
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Relevant advice when using public rights of way in England includes:
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Following a route used since prehistoric times by travellers, herdsmen and soldiers, The Ridgeway passes through ancient landscapes through downland, secluded valleys and woodland.
68 KM
Moderate
Well signed
Byddwch yn cael eich ailgyfeirio i’n partner archebu lle gallwch gael rhagor o wybodaeth am y deithlen y mae gennych ddiddordeb ynddi a gwneud ymholiad neu archeb.
Mae ein partneriaid archebu yn gweithredu yn y DU ac felly bydd eu gwefannau yn Saesneg; fodd bynnag, mae’n bosibl y byddant yn gallu siarad â chi mewn iaith arall, os bydd ei hangen arnoch. Holwch nhw’n uniongyrchol am hyn.
O’r pwynt hwn yn eich ymholiad, cyfrifoldeb ein partner archebu fydd gofalu am, a defnyddio’n iawn, unrhyw wybodaeth bersonol y byddwch chi’n ei rhoi iddyn nhw.
Gobeithio bod y wefan hon wedi eich helpu i ddod â chi’n nes at y Llwybrau Cenedlaethol. Gallwch hefyd gael y wybodaeth ddiweddaraf drwy fynd i’n tudalen Facebook.
Find useful facts and learn more about The Ridgeway below. Select the blue tabs below for more details.
The Ridgeway National Trail a walking route in a surprisingly remote part of southern central England. It travels in a northeasterly direction for 87 miles (139 Km) from its start in the World Heritage Site of Avebury. As Britain’s oldest road The Ridgeway still follows the same route over the high ground used since prehistoric times by travellers, herdsmen and soldiers.
West of the River Thames, The Ridgeway is a broad track passing through the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and is often quite a distance from villages or towns. Here you’ll experience wide, open views of rolling chalk downland and find many archaeological monuments close to the Trail including Stone Age long barrows, Bronze Age round barrows, Iron Age forts and the figures of white horses cut into the chalk. East of the Thames, The Ridgeway travels through the more-wooded and intimate hills and valleys of the Chilterns AONB where, as well as further archaeological treasures, there are several nature reserves rich in the wildlife found in chalk grassland habitats. In the Chilterns, The Ridgeway goes close to or through several villages and small towns where refreshments and other facilities are easily available.
The Ridgeway can be enjoyed all year round, but spring through to autumn (March to November) probably provides the best views, the most wildlife and better surface conditions underfoot. Early May is the best time to enjoy the bluebells that carpet many of the Chiltern woodlands, one of the treats for visitors to The Ridgeway.
The National Trail is very well way-marked so following the route is easy. But it is always a good idea to take a guidebook or map.
For, at least 5,000 years and maybe many more, people, including drovers, traders and invaders, have walked or ridden The Ridgeway. As part of a prehistoric track, once stretching about 250 miles (400 Km) from the Dorset coast to the Wash on the Norfolk coast, it provided a route over the high ground for travellers which was less wooded and drier than routes through the springline villages below.
The Ridgeway passes through two distinctive landscapes; the open downland of the west within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the more gentle and wooded countryside of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the east.
Starting at the world famous Avebury Stone Circle follow this ancient route through nature reserves and past Neolithic tombs and the Uffington White Horse.
Feeling inspired? Build a bespoke itinerary and start planning your visit to this great National Trail here.
