Ridgeway East of the Thames

Coombe Hill

The Ridgeway National Trail extends from Overton, near Avebury in Wiltshire, to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire. 

West of the Thames, as its name suggest, the Ridgeway is a broad track along the scarp slopes of the North Wessex Downs. The Downs are quite remote from major towns, and are mainly unwooded open chalk grassland, offering far reaching views. This part of the Ridgeway is well suited to cycling, and I have cycled it as part of the King Alfred's Way cycle route, as described in this blog.

East of the Thames, the Trail follows the line of the Chiltern Hills, which have a less pronounced 'ridge' than West of the Thames, hence the trail is more fragmented, being a mix of bridleways and footpaths, sometimes at the base of the Chilterns, sometimes on the hilltops, often in woods, and is better suited to walking.

As shown on the map, I divided the route into 5 Legs, largely determined by the availability of public transport. Here is a summary, with links to the individual blogs where you will find much more copious information, maps, and photos.

• Leg 1 (11 miles): Goring-on Thames to Nuffield Place: start at Goring and Streatley station, finish on the A4130 close to Nuffield Place NT. Here you can get the 33 bus which runs between Henley-on-Thames and Didcot Parkway station (for trains back to Goring).
• Leg 2 (16.5 miles): Nuffield Place to Princes Risborough: start on the A4130 close to Nuffield Place NT. Finish at Princes Risborough Station. 
• Leg 3 (8.5 miles): Princess Risborough to Wendover: Start and finish at the respective stations.
• Leg 4 (9 miles): Wendover Station to Tring Station
• Leg 5 (3.6 miles one way): Tring Station to Ivinghoe Beacon. You could walk back the way you came (7.2 miles), do the walk as a circular from the NT Ashridge Estate (9miles), or carry on along the Icknield Way to Dunstable (a long way).