Distance: 6.6km (6.6km), time spent: 3:14.
Altitude (start / end / highest): 155m / 174m / 190m.
Weather: Sunny, clear blue sky.
A short introduction to The Ridgeway. This is a national trail in England which stretches for about 139km between Overton Hill and Ivinghoe Beacon situated in the center of the southern part of England, to the west of London. The trail follows in the footsteps of 5000 year old history as it goes on what is considered the oldest road in Britain. What I hoped for when I decided to walk The Ridgeway was a pleasant walk staying at English inns along the way, that is, pubs with rooms so to speak. The guidebook from Cicerone recommend starting at Avebury, so I did just that. To get there, I flew to London, took a train to Swindon where I spent one night and early this morning took the bus to Avebury. Which dropped me off next to a pub (The Red Lion) within an ancient Neolithic stone circle.
Large standing sarsen stones at Avebury, part of the stone circle.
A large oak tree within the henge at Avebury, with ribbons tied to its branches, a symbol that the tree has special powers.
It is the perfect start of a walk, with a clear blue sky thrown in as an added bonus. I start my Ridgeway walk by visiting the stone henge, originally consisting of 98 standing sarsen stones. The site is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, as its more famous counterpart Stonehenge. Most of the stones stands well above my head and appears to be in all different shapes. Right next to the stone circle lies West Kennet Avenue, a grassy lane between another series of these large stones, originally counting 100 pairs. Impressive.
Avebury stone henge.
West Kennet Long Avenue, a long grassy lane between pairs of the large standing stones.
There are no public transport to the official start of The Ridgeway, at Overton Hill, another good reason to start from Avebury besides visiting this part of British history. Starting from Avebury adds about 6km to the walk, if you also visit the West Kennet Long Barrow, an old mound on top of small hill. To get to Overton Hill, I follow the instructions in the guidebook. The route there is not part of the national trail, and hence is not waymarked in that way either. I ended up going the wrong way at one point later, and had to backtrack.
St. James Church in Avebury, altered by the Normans, but still retains its tall Anglo-Saxon nave.
The path from Avebury towards Silbury Hill.
It is a nice walk, taking me past the old 40 meter high Silbury Hill, the largest manmade prehistoric mound in Europe, also Neolithic in origin (though late, around 2400bc). No access to the hill, it is tempting to climb to the top of it and I can see lines going down from the hill indicating that many people has done so; but I feel that it should be left alone, so I let it be. It is an old mound, and walking on it could cause erosion. Instead, a short detour up Waden Hill allows me for a better overview of the hill and surrounding area.
Silbury Hill as seen from Waden Hill.
West Kennet Long Barrow, a burial mound dating back about 5500 years. The entrance is from here hidden behind the large stones in front.
On top of a small hill just after Silbury Hill, surrounded by acres, lies West Kennet Long Barrow, another Neolithic era remnant I visit on my way. It is an ancient tomb that you can actually walk into, with the entrance guarded by large stones. Dating from 3600bc. All these sights has stolen a lot of time from the day.
Inside West Kennet Long Barrow.
The last part of history before I finally will arrive at the beginning of The Ridgeway, is The Sanctuary at Overton Hill. Its purpose a mystery, the site originally consisting of timber posts, now destroyed. Concrete blocks now marks where the wooden posts and sarsen stones that formed the concentric circles were located. It was connected to the Avebury henge by West Kennet Avenue. A road passes by right next to it, on the other side of the road lies Overton Hill car park, where The Ridgeway finally starts.
The Sanctuary at Overton Hill.
Ogbourne St George ->
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