Chiseldon to Wantage
I set off from a very sunny Chiseldon ready for a day on the trails. I started by following roads out of Chiseldon to rejoin the Ridgeway. At the Ridgeway, I met a couple who are walking the Ridgeway over two long weekends, it was lovely to meet them and chat about their plans.
The Ridgeway started with a quiet road with views for miles across the countryside. I could see across to Swindon!
I soon left the road and rejoined a mixture of byways for the rest of the day.
It was lovely to walk along with blue sky above me and green fields either side of me. The trail was a chalky track, which was a bit harder underfoot, but I was able to walk along some of the verges, which gave my feet some respite.
With it once again being sunny, I took the opportunity to pause in any shade that I found. For my morning snack, I paused under some bushes, which gave just enough shade.
Not before long, I said goodbye to Wiltshire and crossed into Oxfordshire. This meant that I’m not four counties down!
The trail passed some woodland, which gave a lovely bit of dappled shade.
The Ridgeway passes Wayland Smithy, which is a neolithic long barrow. I took a pause from walking to have an explore. It was really interesting to look around. At the front there were standing stones and a small shelter built in. Whilst behind there was a long mound, bordered by some smaller stones. Outside Wayland Smithy some volunteers were building a dead hedge to surround the area. They were doing a great job and I’m sure it will be a great home for the local wildlife!
I then climbed up White Horse Hill (which as the name suggests had another White Horse). At the top, I was rewarded with beautiful views, as far as I could see!
I had a really lovely time walking along the trail today. The sun was out, and there was a slight breeze to keep me cool. The views either side of me were lovely and I even had some birds of prey soaring above me. Watching them swoop as I walked along was breathtaking.
In the early afternoon, I passed a car park, which told me it was 3.4 miles until the A338 road crossing (my finish point for the day) and I knew that I had an hour or so left.
For this section the trail became a bit grassier, which was a bit softer underfoot. My feet definitely felt the harder terrain today, but on the plus side, my boots didn’t get muddy for a whole day and have finished the day vaguely clean!
I paused in a small wooded area for another snack before continuing to the end.
On the way, I passed Letcombe Castle which is an old hill fort. It’s quite large at almost 500m across.
Shortly after I was at the road crossing and my finish point for the day. I then got transport into Wantage to find my bed for the night. Accommodation and especially campsites along the Ridgeway are a bit patchy, so I’ve had to be a bit inventive for the next leg. Tomorrow morning, I’ll get transport back up to the trail, so I can continue walking where I left off.
It’s been lovely walking along the Ridgeway so far. It’s definitely been the busiest trail that I’ve walked along. Today’s route had a mix of walkers, runners and cyclists. It was really nice to meet different people and chat to them along the way.
Today had been a slightly shorter day (~25km) so I took the chance, after my early finish, to have an afternoon nap. After 3 days of over 22 miles, I definitely needed it!
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