Popularly known as ‘Britain’s oldest road’, the Ridgeway still follows the same route over the high ground used since prehistoric times by travellers, herdsmen and soldiers. Today it is popular with walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders. 

The section which passes through the North Wessex Downs is a broad track and often quite a distance from villages or towns; travel along its length and you experience wide, open views of rolling chalk downland and find many archaeological monuments close to the trail including Stone Age long barrows, Bronze Age round barrows, Iron Age forts and the Uffington White Horse cut into the chalk downland.

Beyond the crossing of the Thames at Goring, the trail continues into the Chiltern Hills. The footpaths become narrower and the trail passes through much more woodland. This second part of the trail is also less remote with more facilities.