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Guidebook to the Ridgeway National Trail, an 87 mile (139km) route through the south of England from Avebury in Wiltshire to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire. Accompanied by a pull-out 1:25K mapping booklet, this guidebook details the trail in both directions and features information on historic sites and facilities along the way.
Cicerone says:
This guidebook - which includes both a guide to the route and a separate OS map booklet - describes the Ridgeway National Trail, an 87 mile (139km) route through southern England from Avebury in Wiltshire to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire. Typically walked in 6 or 8 days, this is a low-level waymarked route suitable for all abilities and for year round walking.
The guidebook details the trail in both directions, west to east and east to west. Step-by-step route descriptions are accompanied by 1:100,000 OS mapping and a separate OS 1:25,000 map booklet showing the entire route is included. Packed with details on points of interest and a trek planner giving at-a-glance information about facilities, public transport and accommodation available along the way, this book is an indispensable guide to walking this national trail.
Following a ridge of chalk hills through the Chiltern Hills AONB and North Wessex Downs AONB, the Ridgeway takes walkers through five counties and five thousand years of history. It offers a scenic and fascinating journey through our ancient and more recent past, visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Avebury's Neolithic stone circle and the famous Uffington White Horse, and includes excursions to picturesque villages, thatched cottages and cosy pubs.
Our Verdict
For nearly 50 years Cicerone have been producing guidebooks on recognised treks, regions, areas and general tips for hikers.
We have used them countless times and they've always provided excellent insight and knowledge that you only get through experience, giving you the edge to make your trip a success and more enjoyable too.
If you're a gram counter you can easily remove sections of the book to take with you making your own ultra-lightweight guidebook with only the essential sections that you require.
- Reviewed by Ultralight Outdoor Gear
Features
- Seasons: Can be undertaken at any time of the year, although the weather and ground conditions are better from spring through to the end of autumn (from colourful displays of flowers in spring to the dramatic tree colours of autumn); a frosty or snowy day on the Ridgeway can be magical - but daylight hours are shorter
- Centres: Avebury, Swindon, Marlborough, Wantage, Streatley, Goring, Wallingford, Watlington, Chinnor, Princes Risborough, Wendover and Tring
- Difficulty: A fairly low-level (never going above 300m) waymarked walk that follows mostly good tracks and paths, suitable for all abilities
- Must See: Two contrasting AONBs: the wide open, chalky North Wessex Downs and the more wooded, intimate landscape of the Chilterns; the stone circle at Avebury to Wayland's Smithy Neolithic burial mound and the Uffington White Horse; great views, short excursions to picturesque towns and villages
Specifications
- Edition: Second
- Number of pages: 208
- Size: 17.2 x 11.6 x 1.2cm
- Weighs 310g
Contents
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 Accommodation near to the Ridgeway
Appendix C Further reading
