The Ridgeway, thought to be the oldest road in Britain, winds through Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire. This ancient path has provided safe routes through the country for centuries.
The road follows a ridge of chalk hills for 139 kilometres to reach Ivinghoe Beacon in northwest London. Travellers, farmers, and soldiers have walked this same route for more than 5,000 years.
Popular with modern explorers
Today, the road is popular with cyclists, walkers, and people using mobility scooters. Along the trail, walkers can enjoy wide views of rolling chalk hills and discover archaeological marvels.
There are Iron Age forts and the White Horse of Uffington, thought to be the oldest hill figure in Britain. The White Horse is carved into the chalk hillside and is an incredible 374 feet in length. According to the BBC, it's thought to date back to 1,000BC in the late Bronze Age.
Ancient sites along the route
The path also takes walkers past Wayland's Smithy, a Neolithic ruin thought to have once been the home of Wayland, the Saxon god of metalworking. The visible ruin is actually a secondary structure—the original, which lies beneath the stones, is thought to have been a burial structure where 14 people were interred between 3460 and 3400 BC.
Wayland's Smithy was constructed on top of the burial site and has remained there over the centuries. The track fluctuates between wide open chalk paths along the hillside and deeply embedded lanes between ancient beech trees.
Scenic and accessible
East of the Thames, the Ridgeway travels through sun-dappled woodland and the intimate hills and valleys of the Chilterns, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The walk is rich in history but also makes for a stunning walk.
You don't have to tackle the whole thing at once—there are plenty of circular routes dotted along the trail and multiple places to start and finish.
