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The RidgewayAncient Trackway
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9 posts
Ridgeway (Southernmost Remains) Ancient Trackway |
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NT Crackdown on Ridgeway during Avebury SolsticeWestern Daily Press The National Trust and Wiltshire Police are to crack down on the 'number and behaviour' of people camping on Britain's oldest roads – the ancient Ridgeway near Avebury – for the summer solstice... continues... |
Posted by Chance22nd April 2016ce |
A Ridgeway Journey: an exhibition by landscape artist Anna Dillon"These exhibitions represent one person’s ambition to capture the spirit of this beautiful, quintessentially English countryside in a series of 24 paintings inspired by the topography of that most ancient of tracks, The Ridgeway, steeped in history, fought over, threatened by population, housing, traffic, erosion, climate and agriculture; ever ch... continues... |
Posted by The Heritage Trust4th September 2012ce |
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Sponsored walk in memory of Wysefool Sponsored walk in memory of Wysefool. Lover of the Ridgeway and contribrutor to this site, in aid of Sobell House Hospice that gave him so much peace in his final days with us. http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=amandaking.jameswyse.ridgeway.com&isTeam=true |
Posted by ginger tt28th May 2012ce |
Ridgeway under threat from high-speed rail linkLaura Barton, writing in the Guardian yesterday, reports on the route of the high-speed rail link that - "At stake, too, is the preservation of the Ridgeway, Britain's oldest road — a pathway followed since prehistoric times by herdsmen, travellers and soldiers, running from Wiltshire, along the chalk ridge of the Berkshire Downs and... continues... |
Posted by Littlestone21st December 2010ce |
Ridgeway: Barriers keep crime at bay"BARRIERS installed along Britain's oldest road have helped cut poaching and hare-coursing, according to police. "Oxfordshire County Council installed the temporary barriers between Hill Road, Lewknor and Hill Road, Watlington, on the Ridegway National Trail. And they have already seen results with a drop in crime... continues... |
Posted by Littlestone 28th August 2010ce |
England's Ancient Ridgeway TrailAn interesting article in The New York Times.... THE Ridgeway is the oldest continuously used road in Europe, dating back to the Stone Age... continues... |
Posted by moss1st November 2009ce Edited 1st November 2009ce |
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New bunkhouse at YHA Clyffe Pypard A newly renovated bunkhouse set in a converted skittle alley and attached to a real ale pub has been leaving guests 'bowled over' in Wiltshire. Recently opened YHA Clyffe Pypard is conveniently located right next to the Goddard Arms and has already welcomed a steady stream of visitors from all over the world. click for complete article |
Posted by wysefool15th May 2007ce |
Motorbike Ban on Prehistoric RoadFrom an article published on the BBC News web site on 12th November 2004: Motorbikes and 4x4 vehicles which were damaging one of Britain's oldest roads have been banned from the area... continues... |
Posted by Kammer15th November 2004ce |
4x4s Banned from Ridgeway in WinterFrom the Scotsman: Drivers of 4X4 vehicles are to be banned from using parts of Britain's oldest known road this winter. Quadbikes, trail bikes and off-road cars will face a seasonal ban from vulnerable sections of the ancient Ridgeway which runs from Wiltshire to Buckinghamshire... continues... |
Posted by nigelswift24th March 2004ce Edited 15th November 2004ce |
Motor Vehicle Users Face Ridgeway BanYippee! At last! There may be peace and quiet for the walkers, bicyclists and horse riders who use the Ridgeway... From the Oxford Times, Thursday 10 July 2003 Laws banning motor vehicles from the Ridgeway national trail may come into force if a conservation project to repair the damage they have caused fails... continues... |
Posted by Jane10th July 2003ce Edited 26th January 2004ce |
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Yesterday I walked the section of the Ridgeway between Hackpen Hill and Avebury (to the Polisher stone). Overcast and very windy, it felt very autumnal; was wonderful to be up there overlooking the Wiltshire downs. The hedgerows were laden with berries of many varieties which reinforced the autumnal feel. Last time I was up here was in the winter and the surrounding fields were covered in mist so I missed the intriguing large sarsen stone that stands alone in the middle of a field to your left, walking towards Avebury. Not possible to get closer without climbing wire fencing so just had to look from a distance. Was concerned to see part of the track heavily rutted and, coming back, three vechicles passed - one was towing some sort of people carrier that had people in it (they didn't look like farm workers). Love this ancient trackway so much; it is always different according to the time of year and weather conditions - and always an intense experience. |
Posted by tjj8th September 2011ce |
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Stretching for 85 miles from Ivinghoe Beacon in the north east to Overton Hill in the south west, the Ridgeway's midsection cuts a dashing white swathe through my patch: Oxfordshire. A particularly fine short section from the Uffington White Horse to Waylands Smithy allows the walker/cyclist/rider to experience the drama of Uffington Castle enroute to the great long barrow just a mile and a half away to the south west. The views over the big wide fields and patches of woodland of Uffington Down are breathtaking. Park at the 'official' car park for the White Horse and follow the signs to Waylands Smithy for a real treat.... Knowing that this is the oldest trackway in Europe in continuous use, when I walk on it, I love the sense of my feet echoing back down the track for millenia. If you're into birding, this short section never fails to disappoint. Keep 'em peeled to see buzzard, brambling, greenfinch, yellowhammer, titmice (lots), kestrel, lark, plovers, thrushes, woodpeckers. |
Posted by Jane 7th May 2003ce Edited 7th May 2003ce |
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The Crow Down hoard consists of five gold items designed for personal adornment. Three of these are plain undecorated bracelets and two are more elaborately designed armlets. They date to the Bronze Age, around 1200 BC and they are the only prehistoric gold items found in Berkshire. The more elaborate items demonstrate the skill of craftsmen at this time. Found in Lambourn during a metal-detecting rally, the hoard was declared Treasure in 2005 and acquired by West Berkshire Museum with grant aid. Objects of high status, including gold items of this type, would have been highly sought after. Their distribution shows trade links across northern Europe. Whilst it is not clear where these objects were made, the gold was probably sourced from Ireland. Not far from the find spot is the Ridgeway, now recognised as a strategic route from prehistoric times onwards. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/PbAFHidgQVG6pLI8bcU95w |
Posted by tjj 3rd February 2017ce |
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Tumuli Gaunt trees, scant shelter For the grass covered barrow On wind caressed downland Overlooking the vale The ancient chalk highway A stone's throw away Lies vacant, brooding; Acknowledges whispers, inaudible echoes Vibrations from invisible feet Weathered sarsen monoliths Stand to attention Lichen encrusted overseers Of a strange uneasy place The pulse quickens, reactive sensation An incorporeal feeling; The heart of past centuries Although hidden, still beats. David Pike |
Posted by wysefool 4th June 2007ce |
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Thoughts of the Icknield Way (downs of Berkshire) When wild west winds sweep o'er these Downlands free And sway ripe cornfields 'neath a changing sky They lash to dancing ev'ry storm-tossed tree And shout and sing of ages long gone by - We walk the Ridge, as did those skin-clad men Who chipped the flint and worshipped each new day, The Sun, Deliverer from night's terrors then, Ere Roman legions tramped that windy way. Where now wave toadflax and the scabious blue, Where Pasque flowers nestle, as the heights begin Of rounded hills lit with a rainbow hue: - Once ran the hares before the battle's din. Time was, when as the startled larks took wing, The blowing-stone went sounding far and near, As Saxon warriors rallied round a King, Who saved his land, yet held Christ's Faith more dear. Men saw his valour on the Field of Fame, His great forgiving of a captive foe, To whom, baptised into Christ's saving Name, Was granted freedom, and a new life to know. Men knew his zeal for learning and for law, Culture and music, love of kith and kin, But God alone his nightly vigils saw: - Those prayers in suff'ring that Heaven's strength could win. Sister Sylvia Wantage notes: 'Field of Fame' = Ethandune 'captive foe' = Guthrum and the Danish Leaders |
Posted by wysefool 14th May 2007ce |
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Ridgeway Pageant All the hills are watching, Awed and still: Away below Retreats the faint-heart Vale. Above, An angry, mighty sky Rears high, Piled all triumphant to the setting sun - Lit mad in changing chaos: Silver backed, then gilded. Mottle-splashed with crimson... Darkened depths, part broken, Upward pierced By shafts of sunlight questing - Molten vistas glistening And portals passioned low In ranks of terraced fire. They drift, they fade.. New forms take shape - With opal half-light intermingle... Glare reflects a lustre On the pale, dry headland mass Of White Horse Hill. A strange, tense calm - Impending dusk alight with radiance: A wild serenity. In slow, rough accent: "That ther' brings some weather, sna..." A shepherd stays his sheep Before the blaze. Roye England |
Posted by wysefool 14th May 2007ce |
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Vesper Vale June, at evening, on the White Horse Hills! O, joy is overflowing, hope fulfilled, For summer lures long days to lavish pride. Lush her rising cornfields - rich the downs That trail, deep rounded, far to failing east. Hedgerows riot thick and countless starred; Green slopes are swathed with blush of clover pink. Beneath, past weighing elms, in soundless rest A village clusters down its ancient street. Distance silver, amber, stretches over; Wide the Vale and far the furthest view. Droop of sundown, musing, dwells the listless Prospect lightly. Sheltered farms, half hid, Yet lie outspread, and meadows lonely; woods Apparelled darkly - straying byways lost In gathered trees, and low-set fields struck gold By myriad buttercups. Afloat the plain Late scented breaths are stirred, and fitful murmurs. Hint of tedded hay pervades the heights' Rare potpourri. The listening air goes filled With trilling, winged of larks, from all the hills; In random field light-footed rabbits play And cattle gaze in deep unthoughtfulness. Roye England |
Posted by wysefool 13th May 2007ce |
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The Ridgeway Long Distance Footpath was officially opened at Coombe Hill, near Wendover on 27th September, 1973. It runs for 85 miles from Overton Hill in Wiltshire to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire, crossing the Thames at Goring Gap, and is marked along the way by sturdy oak signposts, low stone plinths and white painted 'acorn' waymarks. The trackways it follows were old before the Romans came, having been in continuous use since man first travelled across the face of Britain. Indeed, the Ridgeway is thought to be the oldest prehistoric track in the country. Excerpt from the introduction of 'Walks Along the Ridgeway' by Elizabeth Cull and published in 1975. |
Posted by wysefool 13th May 2007ce |
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Vale of White Horse The Vale was once a gem: Far years speak beauty - make us long to know Their ways - to treasure, prize, As not the present, Can they be relived? No, hardly now. And yet Their joys survive - made yours, within these pages. Come, let's seek them. Backward Glance, and prove What gracious days then shone. This book recalls, alive, time past, sublime - The massing of great elms, Their shaded fields; deep thatch, men one with nature. Roam with us these pages... Find rich lands unspoilt - their paradise Till now not sung, not known. The Vale, seen still superb, awaits you here: Oh, come with hope - Explore... - Roye England |
Posted by wysefool 13th May 2007ce |
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To all those, of every generation, who made the Vale the gem it once was - a paradise, shared and tended by the men who lived there; who worked it, loved it, and kept it unspoilt: till modern change struck, and not caring, betrayed its charm. Roye England |
Posted by wysefool 13th May 2007ce |
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All Ages Waken Long thousand years fly lost Since Alfred gazed the Vale in moods as these - Ago when wildboar ranged the marshy plain Ere forest yielded: when, cut hoar, the Horse Saw Saxon truce with Dane. Yet no more rapt Hung vesper magic then than pauses now In beauty hallowed timeless, unbetrayed: For, God - All ages waken when there falls Of evening, spell-bound, so enchanted calm Roye England |
Posted by wysefool 13th May 2007ce |
The best example I know of.. [an] excellent sort of vitality in roads is the Ridgeway of the North Berkshire Downs. Join it at Streatley, the point where it crosses the Thames; at once it strikes you out and away from the habitable world in a splendid, purposeful manner, running along the highest ridge of the Downs a broad green ribbon of turf, with but a shade of difference from the neighbouring grass, yet distinct for all that.From 'Pagan Papers' by Kenneth Grahame (1893). You can read the rest at Bill McClain's home page here: http://home.salamander.com/~wmcclain/grahame-pagan-papers.html |
Posted by Rhiannon19th July 2006ce |
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A mere one thousand years ago, King Alfred marched this crest of chalk To fight the Danish foe, And strained to see that very lark. In this same Saxon blue. Just two thousand years ago, The feet of Rome stamped here and here Upon this bouncing turf, And glittering, ravenous conqueror’s eyes Devoured these seemly, gentle hills. From here, four thousand years ago, The men of Bronze surveyed their works Through eyes as wide as mine, As wondrous Silbury, virgin white, Bedazzled in it’s prime. And here, six thousand years ago Gazed Neolithic eyes On wonders older still: On tombs of Kennet, Avebury Henge And ancient, ancient Windmill Hill. Now they are gone, those mighty men, Those Lords of all they saw, And only I am left to walk This high and winding lonely lane, Whilst all around, on deep-etched hills, Their proud, immortal marks remain. What voice commands, what power compels That such as they should go? It is the same insistent call As whispers in my ear: There is a time for mortal men, You may not linger here. Perhaps, like mine, their spirits soared, Above this magic land, Perhaps they both rejoiced and cried At beauty unconfined, Perhaps this final earthly view Blazed in dying eyes. Perhaps that spark has never died, And essences remain. For see that joyous soaring lark And hear it’s blissful cries. It could not be more free than I, Nor joyful nor fulfilled: Perhaps no power, no time, no death Can take me from these hills. |
Posted by nigelswift 30th June 2003ce |
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Ridgeway like a friend I hated you at times the paces you put me through each time I go further and faster so I always know how the pilgrims felt on their way south to silbury and the stones of Avebury and beyond |
Posted by mindweed 25th April 2002ce Edited 6th February 2003ce |
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The Crow Down HoardCan be seen in the West Berkshire Museum, Newbury |
Posted by tjj 3rd February 2017ce |
Race To The StonesTake on the epic challenge of 100km on foot along the oldest path in Britain |
Posted by scubi6322nd January 2013ce |
YouTubeA 2 minute Countryside Commission film about the Ridgeway.. you will love this. Especially when the weird rabbits turn up at Wayland's Smithy. (Might well be a 'public information film' but at least it's not as frightening as those ones about frisbees in electrical substations that haunt me from childhood). |
Posted by Rhiannon 16th May 2008ce |
Icknield Wayofficial Icknield Way web site (encompasess the Rudge) |
Posted by wysefool 14th May 2007ce |
The Friends of The Ridgeway'Fighting to preserve the spirit of The Ridgeway' |
Posted by wysefool 13th May 2007ce |
National Trails Ridgeway section |
Posted by RiotGibbon 31st August 2001ce Edited 19th July 2006ce |
Latest posts for the Ridgeway |
Ridgeway (Southernmost Remains) (Ancient Trackway) — Images (click to view fullsize) |
      
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Posted by Chance 9th July 2008ce |
Ridgeway (Southernmost Remains) (Ancient Trackway) — Fieldnotes |
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These are stuck in the middle of a field south east of Alton Barnes and you wouldn't look twice at them normally. But the fact remains that these are the southernmost visible traces of this ancient route. All you can see is some raised ridges in a field. Just to the north you can actually join the Ridgeway for the first time (unless you feel like hopping into the field!) while walking through Alton Priors, at SU110622, though the official beginning of the Southern Ridgeway is signposted just north of the village, at the start of the climb up to Adam's Grave (SU110623). This post appears as part of the blog post "Pilgrimage"
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Posted by Cursuswalker26th January 2004ce |
Ridgeway (Southernmost Remains) (Ancient Trackway) — Images |
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Posted by Cursuswalker 26th January 2004ce |
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