Trailblazer Guide Books

Trailblazer guidebooks provide practical information on specific routes in less accessible parts of the world.
 — Wanderlust

INTRODUCTION

 PART 1: PLANNING YOUR WALK
 About the Ridgeway
 History 9 – How difficult is the Ridgeway? 10 – How long do you need? 11
 Practical information for the walker
 Accommodation 12 – Food and drink 14 – Money 17 – Information for
 foreign visitors 18 – Other services 19 – Walking companies and luggage
 transfer 20 – Disabled access 20 – Mountain biking 21 – Motor
 vehicles 21 – Horse riders 21 – Taking dogs along the Ridgeway 22
 Budgeting 22
 When to go
 Seasons 23 – Temperatures and rainfall 24 – Daylight hours 24
 Festivals and events 24
 Itineraries
 Village and town facilities table 26 – Suggested itineraries 28 – The best
 day and two-day walks 29 – Which direction? 30 – Side trips 30
 What to take
 Keep it light 32 – How to carry it 32 – Footwear 33 – Clothes 33
 Toiletries 34 – First-aid kit 34 – General items 34 – Camping gear 35
 Money 35 – Maps 35 – Sources of further information 36
 Recommended reading 37
 Getting to and from the Ridgeway
 Getting to Britain 38 – National transport 38 – Local transport 41
 Local bus services 42 – Public transport map 44
PART 2: MINIMUM IMPACT AND OUTDOOR SAFETY
 Minimum impact walking
 Economic impact 46 – Environmental impact 46 – Access 49
 Outdoor safety
 Avoidance of hazards 51 – Weather forecasts 52 – Health 52
PART 3: THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE
 Conservation of the Ridgeway
 Natural England 54 – Campaigning and conservation organisations 56
Flora and fauna
 Mammals 57 – Birds 59 – Butterflies 62 – Trees 62 – Flowers 63
PART 4: ROUTE GUIDE AND MAPS
 Using this guide
 Trail maps 65
 Marlborough
 Services 66 – Where to stay 67 – Where to eat and drink 68
 Avebury and around
 Avebury 71 – Avebury stone circle 72 – West Overton 76 – West
 Kennet & East Kennet 76 – A walk around Avebury 78 – Avebury to
 Marlborough walk 82
 The route guide
 Alternative starts to the Ridgeway 86
 Overton Hill to Foxhill 88 (Ogbourne St George 96 – Liddington 100)
 Foxhill to Court Hill (& Wantage) 101 (Bishopstone 101 – Ashbury 105
 Woolstone 106 – Uffington 109 – Down Barn Farm 110 – Sparsholt 112
 Letcombe Regis 114 – Wantage 116)
 Court Hill to Goring 119 (East Ilsley 125 – Compton 126
 Aldworth 128 – Streatley 130 – Goring 132)
 Goring to Watlington 133 (South Stoke 134 – North Stoke 138
 Wallingford 139 – Crowmarsh Gifford 142 – Nuffield 146
 Watlington 150)
 Watlington to Princes Risborough 151 (Lewknor 152 – Kingston
 Blount 152 – Chinnor 156 – Princes Risborough 161)
 Princes Risborough to Wigginton (& Tring) 163 (Wendover 165
 Wigginton 172 – Tring 174)
 Wigginton to Ivinghoe Beacon 177 (Aldbury 178 – Ivinghoe 180)
APPENDICES
 Appendix A: Map key 182
 Appendix B: The Greater Ridgeway 183
 Appendix C: GPS waypoints 184
INDEX 187

Latest tweets

• Our twitter feed is unavailable right now. Follow us on Twitter