Point-to-point challenge
Irecently came across a series of books that document every trig point, county by county, across the UK. This is rather a specialist walk, therefore, that sets out to find Wadswick trig point in Wiltshire, quite a collector’s item.
trig points, or trigonometrical stations to give them their proper name, are a much-loved feature of Britain’s hills. These white pillars were constructed between 1936 and 1962 as part of the Ordnance Survey’s re-triangulation of Great Britain. For many walkers, a trig point represents the climax of a walk, an icon with an almost religious significance.
The trig point at Wadswick took some finding. Walking down a quiet country lane, it was obvious from the noise my phone was making that the Wadswick trig point was nearby. Unfortunately, a dense hedgerow prevented this one for now from being a ‘tick’. Minutes later, it came into view from a public footpath, my first ‘tick’ in the Wiltshire ‘trig Bagger’ book. I felt like a trainspotter in 1965 once again.
The quest to find this particular trig point started in chapel Plaister, where the Pilgrims’ chapel is a tiny and unique part of our national heritage. It dates back to the 13th century and stands beside what, in previous times, was the principal route to the south west. This chapel is one of the few remaining examples of roadside havens that would have provided shelter and a place of worship to pilgrims journeying to Glastonbury.
On the fringes of chapel Plaister, the walk passes a memorial to the African explorer captain John Hanning Speke. It reads ‘Here the distinguished and enterprising African traveller lost his life by the accidental explosion of his gun Sept 15th 1864.’ Accidental has been questioned, particularly by his arch-rival richard Burton, the pair having argued intensely over the precise source of the nile. Speke and Burton were due to have a public debate the following day and his rival claimed that the death was suicide and an attempt to avoid public scrutiny.
Before finding the holy grail known as a trig point, the walk passes through lower Wadswick as well as Wadswick itself, both a scattering of cotswold-stone properties. There are good views, too, especially to the south across a huge expanse of west Wiltshire. Salisbury Plain dominates this outlook but, look carefully, and you might spot Alfred’s tower near Stourhead and cley Hill near Warminster as well as the Westbury White Horse. And what of Wadswick’s trig point? It is recorded as being of the ‘pillar’ type, in good condition and of the ‘third order’. These pillars filled in gaps between second order pillars, which in turn fill in gaps between primary pillars. It does get very technical!
Visitors comment on how it lies behind an overgrown wall, but that it is easily accessed from a public footpath. to quote one enthusiast ‘this was an easy bag’. Surprisingly, trig points are like icebergs; there is more of the structure below than above the surface.
The county by county guidebooks for ‘trig baggers’ are published by Herbert Publishing. each trig point has been given a Qr code that can be scanned to reveal a map to show its location. www. herbertpublishing.com
Getting there
From the A4 at Box, follow the A365 towards Melksham. In 1½ miles, at the traffic lights at the Fiveways junction, turn left on to the B3109 road to corsham. In ½ mile, immediately past the Pilgrims’ chapel, turn right and park on the verge signed as ‘chapel Parking’.
■ 1. Walk behind the buildings of Chapel Plaister, passing Bell House, and just before the main B3109, turn left and follow a signposted footpath to a stile. Beyond this stile, walk across the field ahead to a stile opposite. Follow the left edge of the following field to its corner and turn right, walking down to a stile in the next corner, immediately beyond which is a memorial to John Hanning Speke. Continue down the left edge of this field to a stile and the A365 Box to Melksham road.
■ 2. Turn left, walking along a verge and, in 40 yards, turn left on to a lane signposted as ‘unsuitable for HGVS’. In ¼ mile, at a junction by Lilac Cottage, turn right. In a few paces turn left on to a public footpath. In 600 yards, at a junction with a lane, pass through a gap in the wall opposite to join a permissive path. Follow this path to the left for 600 yards before bearing left at a gate to re-join the road. Follow this road to the right for 250 yards to a junction on a right-hand bend.
■ 3. Turn left and follow a lane towards Lower Wadswick. In 300 yards, just before a property, pass through a gate on the right and follow a path across a field to a stile opposite. Partway across the field, to the right, is the Wadswick trig point, a tempting diversion. Beyond the stile, cross one final field to return to Chapel Plaister.