The Ridgeway
News from the Trail
News from the Trail
31st July 2023
With the success of the first ‘Black to the Trails’ event in May, we got in touch with a co-founder of Black Trail Runners, Sabrina Pace-Humphreys. Her struggles and successes illustrate what needs to be done to make enjoyment of the countryside open to all. Read her story here: Run Strong with Sabrina.
17th April 2023
Hiking long-distance is a challenge for most people so it was an impressive sight to see over 700 boy and girl Scouts aged 8 to 17 finishing hikes of up to 80km/50 miles this March. The youngsters were taking part in the ‘Endurance’ event which is organized every year by Buckinghamshire Scouts volunteers.
This year was particularly special because, coinciding with The Ridgeway’s 50th anniversary as a National Trail, the event record was broken for the fastest team climbing Coombe Hill, near Wendover! Coombe Hill is a special hill because it is
where The Ridgeway was officially opened as a National Trail 50 years ago in 1973.
Read more here: Youngsters Break a Hill-Climbing Record.
8th March 2023
It is over a hundred years ago that a female skeleton was found by archaeologists working in 1913-14 on Lowbury Hill, just north of The Ridgeway above Aston Tirrold in Oxfordshire. The Reading University team, led by Atkinson, realised the burial was not typical and deserved further study but attention was distracted by a male skeleton found nearby in an Anglo-Saxon round barrow. His impressive grave goods, including a sword, earnt him the nickname ‘Lowbury warlord’ and he is on permanent display in the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock.
Only now is the female skeleton receiving full attention, having been brought out of storage for a new research project involving Reading University, Cranfield University and Oxfordshire County Council. New analysis of her bones has revealed that the Lowbury Lady died aged between her mid-thirties to mid-forties. She was strong and relatively healthy and would have stood between 166-169 cm tall. More details about the woman, including an explanation of her unusual burial, will be shared at a public event at the Oxfordshire Museum on Friday 28th July 2023 (event information to be added here in due course).
To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March 2023, the Ridgeway Officer interviewed the two PhD students working with the Lowbury Lady – Summer Courts and Seongmee Yoon. They share their thoughts on what makes the Lowbury Lady special; becoming archaeologists; their female role models, and tips for youngsters interested in a career in archaeology. Click here to read the International Women’s Day Interview.
Lowbury Hill is also being celebrated through the anniversary’s Top 50 which highlights what is special about The Ridgeway. Click here to Discover more about Lowbury Hill.
7th January 2023
On New Year’s Day, our 50th anniversary patron, Mary-Ann Ochota, shared a video introducing the Ridgeway Top 50 as one of many new activities and events taking place this year. The Top 50 is a year-long online treasure hunt every Sunday evening to discover new and special things about The Ridgeway’s rich history, wildlife, art, farming, sport and landmarks of The Ridgeway. Each entry in the Top 50 includes suggestions of places to visit to experience the Top 50 first hand.
The anniversary launch also revealed the new #RidgewaySpotter guide providing inspiration for visits along any part of the Trail each month of the year. Families, walking/cycling/horse riding groups, youth groups and others are invited to take part in the monthly challenges and post photos and stories on social media. Interesting posts will be promoted by the Friends of the Ridgeway and Ridgeway National Trail.
A new visitor information leaflet has also been published to entice new visitors and to give regular visitors new ideas. The leaflet includes an illustrated map and a Ridgeway Timeline so that visitors can trace their travels through the ages!
More information, including details of events, can be found on the anniversary webpage.
29th April 2022
Access for 4 wheeled motor vehicles is not permitted this summer along The Ridgeway byway in the World Heritage Site near Avebury, Wiltshire. This restriction is a continuation of the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) introduced by Wiltshire Council on 1st May 2021 and, when combined with the permanent Traffic Regulation Order which applies 1st October to 30th April every year, it means 4 wheeled vehicles are not allowed on The Ridgeway in the World Heritage Site for any part of this year. Details regarding the ETRO are available to download – map, notice – and on site notices displayed on the Trail. General guidance regarding driving 4 or 2 wheeled motor vehicles on The Ridgeway is provided in our leaflet.
Under the ETRO, there is still access for the public on foot, bicycle, horseback, horse-drawn carriage or motorbike. Parts of the Trail where surface trials are being conducted are cordoned off, but space is available to pass around these areas and the barriers should not be moved. If there are any problems, the public are invited to contact the Countryside Access Officer at Wiltshire Council as soon as possible.
Several local landowners with private rights to drive 4 wheeled vehicles on the Trail have agreed to minimise their traffic in support of the work.
These restrictions are in place as part of ongoing work to improve the Trail surface and protect archaeological features in the World Heritage Site. Background information and details of earlier work can be found in news articles below dated 22nd June 2021, 1st May 2020, 9th September 2019, 26th April 2019 and 18th April 2019.
17th January 2022
Autumn and winter brings more mud and these wet, soft ground conditions make the Trail surface and archaeology more vulnerable to damage from vehicles. Wheel ruts riddle the Trail in places – some originating years ago. This uneven surface is often the cause of the few complaints about The Ridgeway, since twisted ankles and repeatedly snagged bicycle pedals can ruin a day out on the Trail.
To help the visiting public and landowners avoid unnecessary damage, a new leaflet and summary map is now freely available to explain legal rights, responsibilities and police enforcement relating to driving on The Ridgeway.
To make things as clear as possible, a new map has been created to show where and when the public have a legal right to drive a car or motorbike on the Trail. The leaflet clearly summarises the relevant law and provides guidance around good practice and how to report illegal activity. Advice in the leaflet was developed with Thames Valley Police, the Trail Riders Fellowship (representing off-road motorbike interests) and the British Horse Society.
A common misunderstanding is around what the public can do on a ‘Restricted Byway’. The Trail is a Restricted Byway in many areas including stretches passing popular landmarks such as White Horse Hill, Wayland Smithy, Scutchamers Knob and Bury Down. The public do NOT have a right of access along a Restricted Byway when they are driving a mechanically-propelled vehicle such as a 4×4 or trail bike (motorbike). Only walkers, cyclists, horse riders, carriage drivers (horse and carriage) and disabled trampers are allowed to pass along Restricted Byways.
More informed visitors are in a better position to care for the Trail and this is something the police, landowners and the Trail Team very much encourage so please take a look at the leaflet available from the Ridgeway leaflets webpage, thank you.
4th November 2021
It was a summer of more flowers, insects and research at Bury Down, near the A34 in Berkshire. Survey results from Oxford University’s experimental plots set up in the Ridgeway’s verges in 2018 continue to show that changing the management of the vegetation along the Trail would boost biodiversity.
The highlight has been the double impact of kidney vetch – not only has it brought a splash of yellow but it has also attracted the small blue butterfly! The most biodiverse plots are those where vegetation has been cut and taken away, particularly in combination with initial topsoil removal. This is because this form of management creates a lower fertility environment favouring native plants.
Impressed by the rapid results of the plots, a group of local farmers have joined in to create a larger trial area nearby to the east of Scutchamer Knob. The involvement of farmers is a great step forward since they play a critical role in managing and creating wildlife habitat in the countryside. The farmers’ trial area in the verge measures 0.3ha, scaling up the university plots measuring 5m by 10m and utilising farm machinery rather than brushcutters and rakes. Vegetation was cut and baled in September, and the ground scarified to reduce the dominance of vigorous grasses and weeds. Advice was sought from Oxfordshire County Council’s archaeology team to ensure above-ground and buried archaeology was not disturbed by the work.
Cotswold Seeds, based in Moreton-in-Marsh, have provided native wildflower seeds for the farmers’ trial area which include Lesser Knapweed, native Sainfoin, Salad Burnet, wild Carrot and White Campion. Over the next few years, the Ridgeway farmer group will watch and care for the trial area in collaboration with Oxford University and the National Trail Team. The trials will indicate what is practically feasible for the miles and miles of Ridgeway verge and other linear features, including the challenge of disposing of large volumes of cut vegetation collected each year.
With easy access from Bury Down and Scutchamer Knob parking areas, visitors can look forward to seeing the work evolve and supporting the project by keeping themselves and their dogs to the worn track. It is important that dogs are not allowed to foul in the verges where volunteers and students are surveying and cutting grass etc – a bin is provided at the entrance to Bury Down west-side parking area to dispose of dog waste.
29th September 2021
Following years of erosion, surface improvements have been completed this month at Bacombe Hill near Wendover in Buckinghamshire to make the National Trail footpath and parallel bridleway safer and more enjoyable to use. The bridleway will form part of the proposed Ridgeway Riding Route that will in future guide people through the Chiltern Hills from Goring-on-Thames in Oxfordshire to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire.
The bridleway and footpath link Wendover to a Wildlife Trust nature reserve and the National Trust’s iconic landmark and viewpoint of the Coombe Hill monument. Numerous walkers, horse riders and cyclists have already been enjoying the wider limestone surfaces that have replaced slippery chalk and v-shaped gulleys on the lower part of Bacombe Hill.
As with all popular routes, the project also involves educating users around showing consideration to others and this is particularly relevant to cyclists moving downhill who will need to watch their speed and take care on bends. By law, cyclists have to give way to horse riders and a useful video has been produced jointly by the British Horse Society and Cycling UK to illustrate how to avoid spooking a horse into rearing up or bolting.
A disabled rambler has also checked the route as part of a Buckinghamshire Local Access Forum visit to confirm it is accessible in a motorised scooter. These improvements to accessibility were carried out by the contractor, Livewire Utilities Limited, in careful balance with the need to avoid disturbing chalk grassland plants adjacent to the footpath and to retain the bridleway’s historic character as a sunken way. Part of the history of the bridleway was revealed when old bottles were exposed whilst reinstating old soakaways, including a glass bottle labelled ‘Golden Seal Milk’ and a Ginger Beer bottle from ‘North & Randall, Aylesbury’. Drainage features are critical to reducing erosion – they catch the majority of rainwater that would otherwise scour downhill over the new surface.
Whilst the work has been a success overall, future maintenance work will be needed as wear and tear through use is inevitable, particularly on hillside routes, and the extreme storm events associated with climate change will test the work to its limits. The public are encouraged to use the routes with care and report major damage to the Ridgeway Officer.
Footnote: This project is one of the Additional Mitigation Projects funded by the AONB Review Panel set up under the HS2 project. More information is available in a previous news article below dated 2nd April 2020.
1st July 2021
Support is growing for the proposal to introduce a Ridgeway riding route for cyclists and horse riders through the Chilterns between Goring and Ivinghoe Beacon. An online survey has so far gathered 1,834 responses and a summary report highlighting the key findings is now available.
There is no quick, simple means of creating this new route, so it will take several years to take shape and engage landowners. Feedback attracted through the survey is very useful in identifying what is most likely to work well and how many people support the project. Discussions with landowners have started in some areas and careful design is needed to address concerns raised in the survey about the potential for user conflict (e.g. speeding bicycles) and conserving the historic, peaceful and rural aspects of the Trail. Some findings have confirmed what we expected, but there have been useful new insights including the growing interest in electric bicycles and also the importance of route signage for horse riders because juggling a map or mobile phone whilst trying to keep a horse still can end in disaster!
Opportunities for local businesses have been identified by the survey and it is hoped the Ridgeway Riding Route could play a useful role in the local economy’s recovery from the pandemic. Respondents have shown an interest in paying for organised events, bicycle hire, riding holidays, using local stables and raising money for charity. Should local businesses try to tap into this apparent demand, it will be a win-win situation as cyclists and horse riders will hopefully benefit from a greater number and range of high quality services that they need along the riding route.
In addition to the survey, ideas are being tested as part of a grant-aided project to create a riding route connecting Chivery, Wendover and Pulpit Hill in Buckinghamshire. Surface improvements are being carried out this month on a bridleway on Bacombe Hill near Wendover and new route signage will be installed this winter. The project also involves installing bicycle racks, a bicycle repair stand, mounting blocks and benches along the route.
A detailed full report about the survey is available upon request from the Ridgeway Officer.
Also see related articles: 18th December 2020, 2nd April 2020.
June 2021
The feel-good factor of events is even more valued after a year of struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic.
So far this year, three events have taken place safely and successfully on The Ridgeway and a further 16 are scheduled to go ahead between now and November. The year started well with the first event on The Ridgeway in April. The Aylesbury-based charity PACE, which provides innovative education for children with sensory motor disorders, raised over £30,000 through it’s BIG Walk event.
Two running events followed in May which turned out to be the UK’s wettest May on record, but runners’ spirits weren’t dampened (too much!). First was the Chiltern Ridge Ultra and one runner from ‘Farnham Runners’ has posted a frank but inspiring story online about her experience, including the highs and lows of training during a pandemic: https://www.farnham-runners.org.uk/press-releases/2021/chiltern-ridge-trail-ultra/. She says, ‘Join a running club, you will make life-long friends and do things you never thought you’d be able to do’. Later in the month, it was a new event called the Goring Gap Run which saw 550 runners doing a loop using The Ridgeway alongside the River Thames.
Having had a promising start to the year, the Ridgeway 2021 events calendar has now been published and is advertising thirteen walking and running events, two cycling events and one motorcycle event between now and November. This bodes well for charities since many participants are fundraising and it is also helpful for The Ridgeway itself as most event organisers donate £1 per participant towards maintenance work on the Trail.
Every year, a network of event organisers work with the Ridgeway Trail Officer to produce an annual Ridgeway events calendar and to share best practice and local knowledge so that Trail events are well-managed. Organisers have been working hard to get to grips with the government’s Covid-secure guidance and fortunately the 2021 events have the advantage of learning from last year, including staggered starts, social distancing ‘starting pens’, one-way systems at checkpoints etc. There is a greater focus on liaison with Safety Advisory Groups, local residents, landowners and others to provide reassurance around safety measures.
Whilst the pandemic situation remains fluid, details are subject to change but the Ridgeway Officer hopes events will go ahead and local communities will greet participants with a warm welcome (from a safe distance!). With a relaxing of restrictions, events could prove useful in the ‘recovery’ of local bed and breakfasts and inns. At the very least, the ‘sweepers’ checking the event routes after the last participant have passed will leave The Ridgeway with less litter than before the event!
Download the Ridgeway 2021 events calendar to find out more.
22nd June 2021
Specialist work is underway on The Ridgeway near Avebury this summer as part of an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) introduced by Wiltshire Council on 1st May 2021.
Whilst restrictions on 4 wheeled vehicles remain in place, the Trail between Hackpen Hill and Overton Hill in Wiltshire is now open to the public on motorcycles as well as on foot, bicycle, horseback and horse-drawn carriage. Over the summer months, information will be gathered by Wiltshire Council and the Ridgeway Officer to improve understanding around the impact of this traffic on the Trail surface. Various factors affect impact, including ground conditions, weight and riding ‘style’. This work is part of a project to improve conservation of archaeology in the World Heritage Site around Avebury and to repair the byway surface to meet National Trail quality standards.
Much of the Trail in the World Heritage Site has a natural, non-engineered surface which is extensively damaged by wheel ruts created by vehicles in the past. Members of the public have complained that these ruts make the Trail difficult to pass along and archaeologists have identified features in the byway, such as prehistoric field boundaries, which have been impacted.
Prior to this experiment, five short sections of the Trail were repaired by infilling the ruts using two different techniques and the ‘experiment’ this summer is to see how these trial repairs, as well as the wider Trail surface, stand up to traffic. The experiment involves observations of areas that are open to the public at all times, as well as areas that are subject to traffic only at times when Wiltshire Council opens them up for controlled observations.
It is important that the public respect the barriers around trial areas and there should be no need to move the barriers since space is available to pass around cordoned-off areas. If there are any problems, the public are invited to contact the Ridgeway Officer or Wiltshire Council as soon as possible.
Following the ETRO, the permanent seasonal TRO which protects the surface of the byway from motorised traffic during the winter will come into force as usual from 1st October. This means the access that motorcyclists enjoyed under the ETRO over the summer will end and their return to the Trail when the permanent TRO ends on 30th April 2022 is subject to review by Wiltshire Council as part of Traffic Regulation Order procedures.
A map showing the stretch of The Ridgeway affected and a legal notice are both on display on the Trail and can be downloaded here: map, notice. More details about this ETRO and other closure orders along the Trail in the World Heritage Site can be obtained from Wiltshire Council. The formal ETRO paperwork for this summer is available to view on the council’s website here: https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/tro-consultation-experimental-order-various-byways. Background information and details of earlier work can be found in news articles below dated 1st May 2020, 9th September 2019, 26th April 2019 and 18th April 2019.
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