Vale and Downland
MAP
OS Explorer 157
DISTANCE
12 miles
TIME
5 hours
TERRAIN
A flat and easy walk other than one ascent onto the Downs and a parallel descent
START
K&A canal All Cannings (GR 077622 or postcode SN10 3NW approx)
With the clocks going back in just over a week, and the onset of fewer hours of daylight, maybe it is time for one last ‘big day out’ walking before winter finally is upon us. this week’s walk is the perfect solution, being a relatively effortless 12 miles with spectacular scenery, far-ranging views and history, mystery and intrigue at every turn, in the Vale of Pewsey and on the nearby North Wessex Downs.
the start and finish of the walk follow stretches of the Kennet & Avon Canal between Devizes and Pewsey. this is part of the 15 mile ‘long pound’ between Devizes and Wootton Rivers, a section of waterway without a single lock. this must have come as quite some relief to bargees heading east, having just negotiated 29 locks in just 2¼ miles to the west of Devizes Wharf.
the walk leaves the K&A at honeystreet before reaching the adjoining villages of Alton Priors and Alton Barnes. the highlight here will undoubtedly be All Saints Church, located literally in the middle of a field and reached by a footpath of sarsen stones. A redundant church, highlights include a wide nave, a 12th-century chancel arch and a 15thcentury west tower adorned with a giant sundial.
A relatively long but gentle ascent follows onto the North Wessex Downs, where ancient history appears at every turn. there is Adam’s Grave, a late Neolithic long barrow, the early 19th-century Alton Barnes White horse as well as a collection of sarsen stones, described as ‘the post-glacial remains of a cap of Cenozoic silcrete that once covered much of Southern Britain.
Capping all of these attractions, however, is the linear bank and ditch that makes up the Wansdyke. it was built in the 6th or 7th century by the Britons to act as a defence against invading pagan Saxons. to walk the line of the Wansdyke high up on these Wessex Downs has been described as ‘one of the most spectacular experiences in British field archaeology,’ a claim hard to dispute.
A descent with views and a towpath stroll mark the end of the walk, when thoughts will turn to rest and refreshment. the Crown inn at All Cannings and the Bridge at horton are both excellent, although food service is unlikely to coincide with the end of the walk. For this, a better option would be to head back to the lovely market town of Devizes, with its larger selection of pubs and cafes offering food all day long.
GETTING THERE
Leave the A361 at a roundabout by a garage on the northern edge of Devizes and follow a road across the Vale of Pewsey towards Pewsey itself. in just over 4 miles, turn right towards All Cannings. Cross the K&A in ½ mile before turning left into a canalside car-park.
1. START
Walk to the top end of the car-park, join the K&A towpath and turn right. Follow the canal for 2 miles to bridge 124, 300 yards past the currently closed Barge inn at honeystreet. Leave the canal just before bridge 124, walk up to the road and turn left. in ¼ mile, turn right along a cul de sac lane signposted to an ancient church. in 150 yards, turn left onto a footpath and follow a paved path across open fields to reach All Saints Church in Alton Priors. Pass to the left of the church and churchyard to join a back lane in the village and continue for 200 yards up to the Devizes to Pewsey road.
2. TO THE DOWNS
turn left and, in a few paces, just past a telephone box, turn right onto a track shown on the OS map as ‘Ridge Way.’ Follow this enclosed path for ¼ mile to a road, turn left and follow this road With CARE for 150 yards to a path on the right on a bend. Follow this path up to a gate and continue uphill towards a prominent hilltop with a long barrow called Adam’s Grave on its summit. Follow the path to the left below this summit, pass above the Alton Barnes White horse in ¼ mile and continue for another ¼ mile before bearing right across the hillside to a gate.
3. THE WANSDYKE
Follow the right edges of three fields to reach the course of the Wansdyke in 600 yards just past a Pewsey Downs NNR information board. Follow this linear bank and ditch to the left for just over 2 miles to reach a barn on the left, following either the top of the embankment or the path below, whichever is easiest. Continue along the Wansdyke for another 600 yards before turning left and following a path down to a water tower.
4. BACK TO THE VALE
Continue along a track for 600 yards to a barn on the right before continuing for ¼ mile to harepath Farm on the left. Continue along the concrete farm road for ½ mile to reach the Devizes to Pewsey road. turn right and, in 150 yards, having crossed the K&A Canal, pass through a gate on the left and drop down to the towpath. Follow the towpath away from the canal bridge and, in just under 2 miles, having passed under All Cannings Bridge number 127, turn right back into the car park. Contact via vilewalks on Facebook or email nigelvile@gmail.com