The Ridgeway National Trail

CONTENTS

Map key
Overview map
Trek planner
Route summary tables

Introduction
Plants and wildlife
Geology
History
Scenery
When to walk
Planning your walk
Getting to and from the Ridgeway
Where to stay
Food and drink
Communications and money matters
What to pack
Health, safety and emergencies
Waymarking, access and rights of way
Using this guide
Maps
Cycling and riding the Ridgeway
The Ridgeway online
The Greater Ridgeway
The Countryside Code

The Ridgeway (West to East)

Stage 1 Overton Hill (Avebury) to Ogbourne St George
Stage 2 Ogbourne St George to Ashbury Folly
Stage 3 Ashbury Folly to the A338 (Wantage/Court Hill Centre)
Stage 4 A338 (Wantage/Court Hill Centre) to Bury Down
Stage 5 Bury Down to Streatley
Stage 6 Streatley to Mongewell Park
Stage 7 Mongewell Park to Watlington
Stage 8 Watlington to Chinnor

Stage 9 Chinnor to Princes Risborough
Stage 10 Princes Risborough to Wendover
Stage 11 Wendover to Wigginton
Stage 12 Wigginton to Ivinghoe Beacon

The Ridgeway (East to West)

Stage 1 Ivinghoe Beacon to Wigginton
Stage 2 Wigginton to Wendover
Stage 3 Wendover to Princes Risborough
Stage 4 Princes Risborough to Chinnor
Stage 5 Chinnor to Watlington
Stage 6 Watlington to Mongewell Park
Stage 7 Mongewell Park to Streatley
Stage 8 Streatley to Bury Down
Stage 9 Bury Down to the A338 (Wantage/Court Hill Centre)
Stage 10 A338 (Wantage/Court Hill Centre) to Ashbury Folly
Stage 11 Ashbury Folly to Ogbourne St George
Stage 12 Ogbourne St George to Overton Hill (Avebury)

Appendix A Useful contact information
Appendix B Facilities near to the Ridgeway
Appendix C Accommodation near to the Ridgeway
Appendix D Further reading

February 2023

Orchard Close B&B

August 2017

Updates

Pick and choose a section for a day walk.

This guidebook covers the Ridgeway National Trail, an 87 mile (139km) route through the south of England from Avebury in Wiltshire to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire. Comes with a pull-out 1:25K mapping booklet, and details the trail in both directions featuring information on historic sites and facilities along the way. To walk the whole route in one go would typically take 6 – 8 days, and author Steve Davison describes the walk as “A lowlevel waymarked route suitable for all abilities and for year round walking”, however the walk is also broken down into 12 sections so if you wanted you could pick and choose a section for a day walk.

Life In magazine

My favourite of the many walking guides to The Ridgeway on the market.

When I reviewed the first edition of this book three years ago I chose it as my favourite of the many walking guides to The Ridgeway on the market. The reasons I favoured it then remain with the second edition – it is a handy size (it will fit into the pocket of your anorak), it describes the route in both directions, the text and the mapping are clear (I always favour OS maps in preference to sketch maps) and it contains much useful advice on planning your walks along the Trail. It gives a good overview of the history of the route, its plants, wildlife and geology, accommodation and transport links. Steve Davison makes a very agreeable walking companion – throughout the guide he provides interesting snippets of information about places on and just off the route and there are ample excellent photographs (taken by Steve, I believe).

The second edition contains a few necessary updates to reflect changes over the past three years and includes a handy route planner that I have used with a friend who plans to walk half the Trail later this year. It worked well! However the big difference comes with the provision of a separate route map booklet showing the complete Trail on 1:25,000 OS mapping. This slim and light booklet would be quite adequate to carry with you when walking The Ridgeway and obviates the need to purchase and carry the four individual OS maps you would otherwise need. It is printed on quality paper that looks to me to be capable of resisting the odd shower. The guide and booklet are bound together in a clear plastic cover that certainly would help keep both dry should the rain begin to penetrate your anorak pocket or rucksack. The provision of the map booklet comes at a price, with the second edition being some £4 more expensive than its predecessor. To my mind it is well worth it. If anyone who bought the earlier version wishes to update it, the map booklet is available to buy separately.

Ian Ritchie
Chairman
The Ridgeway Partnership