FOLLOWING IN PAST FOOTSTEPS
Take a pretty pilgrimage along ancient routes that have been enjoyed since Roman times
Throughout histor y, many tracks used by ancient people have become major routes connecting towns and villages for travel, trade, and pilgrimage. Many of these routes are marked with monuments and barrows, ancient for tresses or symbolic markers.
The Ridgeway is Britain’s oldest road and has been used since prehistoric times by travellers, herdsmen and soldiers. It star ts at Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire, and ends at West Kennet in Wiltshire, covering 87 miles through ancient landscapes, downland, secluded valleys and woodland. Ancient monuments and landmarks on the route include Whiteleaf Cross, Barbur y Castle Iron Age for t, the River Thames, Grim’s Ditch, and the Ashridge Estate.
The Icknield Way is another historic route, par ts of which join the Ridgeway Path and parts of which diverge to form a separate cycle trail. The route takes you 170 miles through six counties, from Buckinghamshire to Nor folk. It was par t of an ancient trading route first used in Neolithic times, with Bronze Age burial mounds at Five Knolls and Galley Hill in Bedfordshire, and an Iron Age Hill For t at Maiden Bower.
Walkers can pick up the track from Watlington, Bledlow or Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire, and head nor th to Thetford Forest in Suffolk and Norfolk. The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty offers some great views, and you pass through nature reser ves and countr y parks including the Dunstable Downs, Whipsnade Tree Cathedral, and Royston Heath. In 2004 the Icknield Way Path became a multi-use route, linked to Icknield Way Cycle Trail.
The Peddars Way takes you along the
Nor folk Coast Path among sand dunes and salt marshes, through stunning landscapes steeped in ancient histor y and legend. The 129-mile route goes from Hopton on Sea to Great Yarmouth, Cromer, Hunstanton and then inland, eventually finishing at Rushford, where you can pick up the Icknield Way.
Hadrian’s Wall was built to keep the Scottish “barbarians” out of England during the Roman occupation. Construction began in AD122 and upon completion, it was 73 miles long and stretched the full width of nor thern England, coast to coast, from Bowness on Solway to Wallsend.
Today, the Hadrian’s Wall Path is one of Britain’s most famous ancient walking trails. Much of the wall is in ruins, with parts missing altogether, but other par ts are still remarkably intact. The wall kept the Scots out and helped protect the Romans’ position as a militar y power in England.
Birdoswald Roman For t and Housesteads For t stand alongside
Hadrian’s Wall. Inside, displays explore life in Roman Britain with insights into the lives of those who lived and worked there. On the south coast, the South
Downs Way is a stunning coastal route, stretching 100 miles from Winchester to Eastbourne. It’s almost 8,000 years old and boasts an Iron Age hill for t at Old Winchester Hill, Bignor Roman Villa, and some stunning coastal views and lighthouses on the journey.
Avebur y Henge and the Stonehenge Landscape in Wiltshire follow in the footsteps of the ancients. Walk two miles along West Kennet Avenue, which connects Avebur y Henge to The Sanctuar y, an ancient ceremonial site, and you can pick up the Ridgeway Path from there, if you’re keen.
There’s also a great four-mile route from Stonehenge to Durrington Walls where the builders of Stonehenge lived during its construction. There are ancient burial mounds along these routes, as well as Wood Henge, the King Barrows and the Cuckoo Stone. Other prehistoric sites in Wiltshire include East Kennett Long Barrow and Silbur y Hill.
The Wessex Ridgeway stretches
137 miles through Devon, Dorset and Wiltshire, passing ancient monuments and historic sites. The Wessex Ridgeway extends the Ridgeway National Trail to the south west, taking you through Avebur y, Pewsey, Salisbur y Plain, the Wylye Valley and Win Greene Hill. In Dorset you pass Cranbourne Chase, the Cerne Giant, and Pilsden Pen.
Walking in the footsteps of the ancients can be a thought-provoking, uplifting and perspective-giving experience, while getting out into your local countr yside can work wonders to boost your mood in difficult times.