Walking The Ridgeway – The Ultimate Guide To Hiking Britain’s Oldest Road

I backpacked this lovely trail in May 2022 and I share everything I learned along the way in this, The Ultimate Guide To Hiking Britain’s Oldest Road

I’ll show you what makes walking The Ridgeway so special; I’ll give you useful tips as well as everything you need to know to plan your adventure, from travel, my costs, and kit list, to finding water and wild camping. First though…

What Makes The Ridgway The Perfect Trail For You?

1. It’s stuffed full of fascinating history and archaeology, wildlife and stunning views (it passes through 2 AONBs)
2. You can walk the Ridgeway in 5 days, even 4 if you’re short on time (but why rush when there’s so much to enjoy?)
3. It feels surprisingly remote and unpopulated for southern England, especially along the first section
4. It’s one of the flattest trails there is, which makes walking The Ridgeway perfect if you’re new to long distance walking
5. There’s no need to worry about map reading because it’s so well sign-posted that you won’t get lost!
6. You don’t have to worry about wild camping on The Ridgeway either – it was really easy along the whole trail

Walking The Ridgeway: My Top 10 Highlights

In no particular order!

1. Avebury World Heritage Site – especially West Kennet Neolithic long barrow
2. White Horse Hill: Uffington Castle, the Uffington White Horse and Dragon’s Hill
3. Wayland’s Smithy Neolithic long barrow
4. Beech woodlands in the Chilterns
5. Big views from places like White Horse Hill, Combe Hill (Princes Risborough) and Ivinghoe Beacon
6. Wildlife: red kite, yellowhammers, deer, brimstone butterflies, even a mole!
7. Wildflowers – cowslips and bluebells were my favourite
8. Quintessential English towns and villages including Streatley and Goring, North Stoke and Watlington
9. Cake! There are some great cafes along the second half of the trail (I can’t help myself!)
10. Stunning wild camp sunsets

So What Is The Ridgeway National Trail?

The Ridgway National Trail is a long-distance path in southern England that’s also known as Britain’s oldest road – and with 5,000+ years of continuous use along some sections of the trail, it probably deserves the title!

Section 1: The Ancient Route Across The Wessex Downs

The ancient provenance mostly belongs to the first section of The Ridgeway National Trail. This begins in the World Heritage Site at Avebury and continues to Streatley and Goring.

You can immerse yourself in the culture of Neolithic stone circles, Bronze Age long barrows, chalk figures carved into hillsides, and impressive Iron Age hill forts

This ancient track also connects with 3 other routes to form a 362-mile coast-to-coast hike across southern England. The Greater Ridgway, as it’s known, starts on a trail called The Wessex Ridgweway which begins in Lyme Regis (Dorset). It then connects with the Ridgeway and continues on to the coast at Hunstanton (Norfolk) via 2 other ancient tracks: The Icknield Way and The Peddars Way. (The Peddars Way is also part of another national trail that I’ve hiked: The Norfolk Coast Path and Peddars Way.)

Confusingly, this long-distance hike isn’t actually the National Trail! National trails have the distinction of passing through the most scenic landscapes in the UK, and The Ridgway National Trail passes through two Areas Of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The first half of the trail is within the North Wessex Downs AONB.

A broad track winds its way up along the chalk ridge from the start of the trail with views out across the working countryside of Wiltshire and Oxfordshire. The May landscape was lit up with yellow fields of rape and I loved the heady scent of it, but to be honest, the more I saw the more concerned I got…

There were vast swathes of yellow for miles and miles along the trail and as much as it satisfied my creative aesthetic, I couldn’t help wonder at the seeming monoculture of it all.

I preferred the softer yellow of the wild cowslips that love the chalk soil. They grew down hillsides and across ancient barrows, dotted verges and hedgerows – and the brimstone butterflies loved them.

There was another wildflower I’d love to have seen but I was about 2-3 weeks too early. I was told by a local that the hills around Uffington Castle would be covered in early purple orchids. That must be an incredible sight, and something to think about if you’re wondering when to go (late May would be a good time).

Section 2: Walking The Ridgway In The Chilterns

Streatley and Goring mark the halfway point of the trail, after which it follows the northern edge of the Chilterns AONB. The paths were noticeably narrower and hillier (they’re not massive climbs) and passed through a very different landscape.

Leafy beech woods were carpeted with bluebells (just about to go over when I was there in early May) and there were plenty of spectacular views out from the escarpment.

Once you cross the Thames you pass through more towns and villages than any other part of the trail. There are beautiful old cottages, imposing houses, and even the Chequers estate (the serving prime minister’s country residence) to ogle.

Most of this part of the trail is very affluent and I was constantly aware of how the other half lived, and which part of the divide I’m firmly planted in!

How Long Is The Ridgeway National Trail?

The Ridgeway National Trail is 87 miles long

Most hikers walking The Ridgeway begin in Avebury though, a few miles from the official start, which makes it 90 miles in total.

Where Does The Ridgeway Start And Finish?

The Ridgway starts at Overton Hill in Wiltshire and finishes at Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire

The trail winds its way in and out of 4 counties altogether including Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Hertfordshire.

The official start of the trail at Overton Hill was a let-down, to be honest, with nothing more than a plastic fingerpost beside a busy road. With zero views. (Photo above).

Take my advice and start in Avebury

And the end of the trail? There was no ceremony at Ivinghoe Beacon either – not even a fingerpost this time. There is a spectacular view though – and a trig point, but even the toposcope was missing!

But Fear not, because despite the underwhelming start and finish, walking The Ridgeway is worth every step in between!

That’s except for some pretty horrible Tarmac and fast road sections in the middle. Still, you can’t have everything I suppose, especially in Southern England’s urban areas. And, thankfully, there’s not too much of it.

Who Uses The Ridgeway?

In more ancient times the track was used by traders and defenders of the impressive hill forts you see along the route, as well as soldiers and drovers.

Nowadays most of the trail is a designated bridleway or restricted byway (with motorised access to farms) which means you often share the trail with mountain bikers and horse riders. (There are lots of racing gallops in the mid-section too.)

Oddly enough most of the cyclists I met on the trail were men, and most of the horse riders were women. Just a random observation – I have no explanation for this whatsoever!

I loved the fact that I could walk for hours and not see a soul, but I was surprised I only met one other backpacker – and he was headed in the opposite direction! (There were plenty of day walkers.)

That’s not to say I didn’t meet some interesting people. I chatted to an American lady at a cafe in Wantage who’d hiked the Appalachian trail on her retirement (talk about inspiring), and her friend John who was a mine of information about Avebury. Then there was the couple from ‘up north’ who were running the trail in 4 days. And the group of cyclists (above) who were old school friends getting together from “all around the country”.

The Ridgeway is definitely a friendly trail!

There were places that were popular with families as well, mostly after Goring. It’s fair to say these were at National Trust viewpoints and on easy tracks through woodland. However, if you want to keep yourself to yourself anywhere along the trail, it’s pretty easy – just smile and pass by!

Walking The Ridgeway

How To Plan Your Hike On Britain’s Oldest Road

Contents

• Is The Trail Well Signposted? (Signposts, Maps And Guides)
• How Long Does It Take To Hike The Ridgeway?
  • My Daily Miles; Can You Walk The Ridgeway In 4 Days?; Can You Section Hike It?
• Travel: The Best Way To Get To And From The Trail
• My Costs For Walking The Ridgeway In 2022
• My Kit list for Walking The Ridgeway
• Can You Wild Camp On The Ridgeway?
  • My Tent Disaster!
  • Are You New To Wild Camping?
  • How To Plan Your Wild Camp On The Ridgeway
  • My Top Tips For Wild Camping On The Ridgeway
  • Toilets
• Campsites On The Ridgeway
• Resupply And Finding Water
• Is There Anything I Missed?

Is The Trail Well Signposted?

(Signposts, Maps And Guides)

Walking The Ridgeway is great for beginners – it’s the best sign-posted national trail I’ve hiked to date!

There are regular signposts along the whole trail and for the most part, they’re fairly obvious

I like to use my map to keep track of where I am, but The Ridgeway is easy to follow so if you’re not a map reader rest assured you’ll find your way.

There are only one or two places where you have to keep your eye open, and that’s in towns like Goring where the signage changes to be more in keeping with the surroundings.

My Go-To Maps And Guide Books

• • I’m a real fan of Trailblazer Guidebooks so I chose the 2021 edition of The Ridgway by Nick Hill (it was a gift from my sister). It’s superb for inspiration and sights you might see along the way, including wildlife. Other walkers swear by the hand-drawn maps and directions (I don’t use these myself), as well as info on where to stay (including B&Bs), services, and so on.
  • I took the Cicerone route map booklet Walking The Ridgway which was reprinted in 2021. It’s a handy size that fits in your pocket and has the trail clearly highlighted. A booklet like this saves carrying loads of larger maps, but it doesn’t give an overview of the wider area.
  • The OS Maps app is on my phone for exactly that: the wider view. It’s also useful as a backup in case I lose my paper map (it has been known, doh!). The subscription version has 1:25,000 maps and includes downloadable maps and GPX files.
  • Silva compass – you really won’t need one on this trail but I never go anywhere without mine

How Long Does It Take To Hike The Ridgeway?

My Daily Miles For Walking The Ridgeway: 5 Days Hiking + 2 Days Travel

I hiked the trail in 5 days (90 miles from Avebury), excluding two days of travel, which gave me plenty of time to explore places like White Horse Hill and Wayland’s Smithy – and enjoy some local cafes along the way (see below)! (I’ve highlighted any off-trail miles separately.)

• Day 1: TRAVEL DAY- Truro to Avebury + 6.5 mile walk from Avebury – includes about 3 miles of the official Ridgway trail
• Day 2: 18.5 miles to White Horse Hill
• Day 3: 13.75 miles to Several Down area (+ 3/4 mile to/from Court Hill Cafe near Wantage)
• Day 4: 18.5 miles to Ewelme Park area (+ approx 1 mile to/from Tesco at Goring railway station)
• Day 5: 15 miles to Princes Risborough (+ approx 2 miles into and around Watlington and back)
• Day 6: 17 miles to Ivinghoe Beacon (+ 3 miles or so down from the Beacon to Tring area)
• Day 7: TRAVEL DAY – Tring railway station to Truro

If you’d like to hike fewer daily miles you could do it in an average of 15 miles a day over 6 days, excluding travel.

Walking The Ridgeway In 4 Days

This trail is easily doable in 4 days (excluding travel) if you’re short on time. It’s one of the flattest trails I’ve hiked (along with the Norfolk Coast Path and Peddars Way) so the terrain won’t give you much of a challenge (apart from the flint underfoot!).

You’d be looking at an average of 22.5 miles a day, as long as you don’t head off-trail. Obviously, you need to make sure you’re comfortable with long days and it would almost certainly mean wild camping.

However, unless speed is your thing, take the extra day – you won’t regret it. Give yourself time to soak up the atmosphere of the Neolithic sites on the first half of the trail, and then enjoy the small villages and woodlands (and big views) of the Chilterns on the second half.

Can I Section I Hike It?

The Ridgeway is in two very distinct halves so it would make perfect sense to break it in two.

Breaking it into two would make it easy as far as public transport goes as well. To hike the North Wessex Downs section you could get to Overton Hill as described below and then walk to the halfway point (ish) at Streatley and Goring. Streatley and Goring train station is a 10-minute walk from the trail and is operated by South Western Railway with links to London Paddington.

For the second half in the Chilterns, you’d simply pick up where you left off at Goring, walk to Ivinghoe Beacon, and then down to the railway station at Tring (which goes into London Euston). See below for more details.

Travel: The Best Way To Get To And From The Trail

Public Transport

National Rail Network Maps – use these to find routes to Swindon/from Tring from across the UK

Getting To Avebury

1. Train: arrive at Swindon railway station (operated by GWR with links from around the UK, including London Paddington and South Wales)
2. From Swindon take bus route 49 to Avebury (Swindon to Trowbridge service operated by Stagecoach)

Leave Ivinghoe Beacon

1. Walk to Tring railway station (This is what I did and it’s an easy downhill walk of about 3 miles.)
2. Alternatively, you can take bus route 61 from the bottom of Ivinghoe Beacon to Tring (Aylesbury to Dunstable service operated by Red Eagle – not that regular)
3. Tring railway station has regular services into London Euston, the Midlands, and the Northwest with connections across the UK (operated by London Northwestern Railway)

My Costs For Walking The Ridgeway In 2022

Travel Costs

Outward

• Train: Truro to Swindon (via Reading): £46.10
• Bus: Swindon to Avebury: £3.50

Return

• Train: Tring To Truro (via London): £54.40
• Excess: to catch an earlier train from Tring: £2.20
• TOTAL TRAVEL COSTS: £106.20

Check out my guide on how to get the best price train tickets.

Maps And Guides

• Cicerone 1:25,000 OS mapping booklet of the Ridgeway £7.95
• Trailblazer Guide: £12.99 (a gift)
• TOTAL: £21.94

Cafes

• Outward journey: £3.09
• On trail: £48.10 (this always seems like a very expensive way to charge up my electronics, but it’s a great way to taste the local cakes!)
• Homeward journey: £14.39
• TOTAL: £65.58

I was away for 7 days (including travel) so an average of £9.36 a day doesn’t seem so bad… (note to self: stop trying to justify your addiction to coffee and cake!)

Resupply/Groceries

• TOTAL: £26.95

5 days of on-trail groceries = an average of £5.39 a day

Foot Care

• *Gel insoles and Compeed plasters TOTAL: £26.31

TOTAL COST: £246.98

*This would have cost a whole lot less had I bought this stuff at home. Insoles (£16.50) were £4 cheaper in Tesco and although I took one box of Compeed, I obviously needed about 3 more – and it’s cheaper in large supermarkets. You live and learn!

Packing And Gear Tips

The gear I pack for multi-day hikes, from clothing to cooking, and sleeping to electronics, is in the guide linked below. It also includes lots of tips on how to avoid heavy mistakes — perfect if your planning your first long-distance walk.

• What To Pack For A Multi-Day Hike: How To Avoid Overpacking

Here are a few packing details and tips specifically for the Ridgeway:

• I used a Wild Country Zephyros 1 tent, which was discreet for wild camping
• You can safely save the weight and leave your trekking poles at home (unless you have a trekking pole tent!). It’s easy terrain, though it might be a bit muddy in places after heavy rain
• Trail running shoes were perfect — there’s no need for heavy walking boots unless they’re your preference
• I carried about 2 litres of water most days
• I packed 1300g of food, which was too much, though resupply is easier on the second half of the trail after Goring

Can You Wild Camp On The Ridgeway?

Yes, you can wild camp on The Ridgeway – there aren’t many campsites so there’s not much choice!

It’s not legal in England but most of The Ridgeway is a wide track with plenty of verges so wild camping is tolerated – as long as you’re discreet and leave everything as you find it. Check out this article for the best ways to do that:

Leave No Trace – 12 Ways You Can Help

Wild camping on The Ridgeway was really enjoyable, but don’t expect huge views – most of the time I was tucked out of the way for a few hours’ sleep.  Even so, I saw some gorgeous sunsets – oh, and I slept like a log! Incidentally,

As a ‘solo female hiker’ I felt completely safe and at ease every night

My Tent Disaster!

My last night on the trail was a ‘tent disaster’. Earlier that morning, when I was breaking camp, I put my foot in a rabbit hole. My feet were so painful that I lost my balance and, you guessed it, fell on my tent and broke the one and only pole! Laugh or cry? I laughed! But I shouldn’t have because I’d ripped the pole sleeve in the process.

When I came to put my tent up that evening I wasn’t laughing quite so much…

I’d previously used my repair ‘pole sleeve’ on the Cotswold Way. So when I tried to join the pole together, with Compeed of all things (wtf!), well, you can imagine the scene!! A pole at a 90-degree angle was never going to work and all I did was rip the pole sleeve even more.

There was only one solution: turn the tent into a makeshift bivvy bag, wear everything I had, and hope a. it didn’t rain, and b. I didn’t freeze to death.

I laid out the groundsheet, then separated the inner and outer tent. The inner part of the tent (the white bit) became something to slide my sleeping mat and sleeping bag into and the flysheet (the green bit) became a waterproof blanket. And, would you believe it, I was snug as a bug in a rug – and, had a wonderful view of the starry sky to boot.

The moral of the story is? Always be prepared for the unexpected – and be inventive!

Are You New To Wild Camping?

Britain’s oldest road is a great place to get some experience

It’s one of those long-distance trails that seems to have somewhere to pitch up everywhere you look. I wild camped the whole trail without any worries about finding somewhere each night. Check out my tips for wild camping on The Ridgeway below, or this full guide:

 Guide To Wild Camping

How To Plan Your Wild Camp On The Ridgeway

My Top Tips For Wild Camping On The Ridgeway

1. Use an OS 1:25,000 map or satellite image to search for potential spots
2. Look for somewhere with a bit of level ground (easy on this trail) and preferably some shelter
3. Stay for one night only
4. Pitch late and leave early
5. There are a lot of gallops and racehorse trainers on some sections of this trail – you might be woken up by horses when the jockeys put them through their paces in the early mornings!
6. Keep away from hamlets and villages where there may be early morning dog walkers (there aren’t many on the first half of the trail)
7. Look at the ground – what tracks are there? You might see bike tracks, hoof tracks, dog prints, etc and all of these signs will give you an idea of how busy the trail is at your chosen spot
8. Avoid livestock (mostly sheep (I only saw one herd of cows) in fenced-off fields)
9. Don’t climb walls or fences (you risk damaging habitat or destroying field boundaries)

There’s more information about finding a place to wild camp in my Guide to Wild Camping

Toilets

There aren’t many public toilets on the first part of the trail which means you’ll have to take a ‘wild loo break’

Take a trowel and dig a 6″ cat hole well off the path and away from water sources, and when you’ve finished, cover it with soil. (It’s important to bury it so that it decomposes quickly and doesn’t attract animals.)

Toilet paper and sanitary products need to be packed out and put in the nearest bin – take a few dog poo bags for this. (They’re also useful if you can’t dig a hole (on rocky ground, for eg) and need to pack out your waste as well.)

Use a public toilet wherever you can – they’re marked on OS 1,2500 maps with a male/female symbol. You can use cafes and pubs too

Discover more about wild camping in the UK with these comprehensive guides:

• Wild camping guides

Campsites On The Ridgeway

I only saw a couple of campsites within easy walking distance of the trail but unfortunately I can’t personally recommend them

That said, these two looked great and I wouldn’t have hesitated to give them a try if I’d needed to:

• The Court Hill Centre Wantage. This is a bunkhouse less than half a mile from the trail and has a few camping pitches. I had a coffee in their cafe and the setting was idyllic
• White Mark Farm Watlington. This Camping and Caravanning site was literally a stone’s throw from the trail in a peaceful spot. It’s just a short walk down to Watlington too, which was well worth a visit

Resupply And Finding Water

Tried and Tested

Groceries

All of these were well-stocked stores:

• Swindon: Tesco (near the bus station – worth a visit before you get on the bus to Avebury)
• Goring: Tesco (slightly off-trail beside the train station – approximately a 10-minute walk through town)
• Watlington: Co-op (just off-trail, but Watlington’s definitely worth the walk as it’s a lovely place)
• Wendover: Budgens (town centre – on-trail)

Pharmacies

• Goring: Lloyds (expensive)
• Watlington: Watlington Pharmacy (really helpful)

Cafes

• Wantage: The Court Hill Centre. Highly recommended. Fab, friendly people, great toastie, coffee and cake, and the perfect outdoor spot to sit and watch the swallows. (They also have a bunkhouse and a few camping pitches.)
• Goring: Pierreponts Cafe. Good coffee and cake, not so friendly service. I was asked if I had a reservation (no) and asked to move from where I’d chosen to sit to another ‘tight-squeeze table’ right beside the toilet. None of the empty tables were marked as reserved and none of them were occupied for the whole 45 minutes I was there (including the one I initially sat at). I got the distinct impression I was not a welcome walker and was deliberately hidden from view. There are other cafes further along the road.
• Watlington: The Granary Cafe (Facebook page) (next door to the Granary Deli). Highly recommended. Lovely atmosphere, great coffee, and food. The staff were helpful and let me charge my phone too.
• Wendover: Whitewaters Deli (Facebook page). Highly recommended. Lots of choices and a very filling toastie! The coffee was delicious, the staff were helpful (also let me charge my phone) and there were plenty of ‘outdoor types’ (cyclists, walkers…) enjoying the spacious outdoor area too.

Drinking-Water Taps

These water taps are a lifesaver on the first half of the trail (unless you want to walk miles to the nearest village)

Keep an eye out for them because you could miss them if you’re not careful. I think I walked past one in Hallam (SU 1971 7353), near Ogbourne St George, for example.

Other places to eat, drink, resupply, and charge your electronics that I saw along the way (not tried and tested!)

You’ll have to walk into a village to find a pub on the earlier part of the trail (marked on OS maps with a pint glass symbol – but double-check it hasn’t closed its doors or has reduced opening hours). Be warned, this could add a good few miles to your hike.

Once you get to/past Goring you’re likely to find what you need either on the trail or just off it. There were plenty of enticing-looking old pubs, where you could get a meal and possibly charge up, lots of cafes, small grocery stores, and pharmacies too.

I hope you enjoyed the guide and if you decide this trail is the one for you it would be great to hear from — let us know how you get on in the comments.

Happy hiking

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