Today I caught the 49 bus out towards Avebury, disembarking at the village of Broad Hinton; the objective being to ‘test’ walk one of the new ‘bus walks’ compiled by North Wessex Down AONB.
The first part of the walk took me onto the old trackway of Vize Lane, apparently an ancient trading route which once connected settlements now known as Wroughton and Devizes. The track comes out by the Winterbourne Bassett stone circle at Lambourne Ground and effectively forms a cross-roads; the large sarsen overlooking this junction becoming visible as I walked towards the crossroads. It struck me that on the other occasions I’ve visited this site I’ve always been in a car – walking towards it along Vize Lane gave it a different perspective. I found myself thinking that instead of being an outlier to the almost buried stone circle, the large sarsen might in fact be an prehistoric Mark Stone – as talked about by Alfred Watkins in The Old Straight Track.
Edit: Local antiquarian friend has kindly sent me this message:
The Winterbourne Bassett Stone was erected in memory of Rev W.F. Harrison who fell from his horse and died here in 1857.
Where else did your route take you June? I've been considering a walk from Broad Hinton via Lambourne ground and then to Yatesbury and/or Windmill Hill, finishing at Avebury using the 49?
Please note edit in above fieldnote - correction made.
Hi tsc, the walk was a nine miler (leaflet, with map, will be available soon from North Wessex Downs AONB). Using my own map OS 157, and the leaflet, the walk started Broad Hinton, on to Clyffe Pypard, stopped for half of 'Croppie' at the Goddard Inn, lots of walking through crop fields and just fields, lots of wild flowers. Back to Broad Town, White Horse, up to Bincknoll Castle then back to Broad Hinton. Magnum from village shop and knackered.
Sounds great, quality choice of refreshments too.