The Greater Ridgeway Way crosses England from Lyme Regis on the south west coast of England to Hunstanton on the east coast. Four trails combine to create this long distance path: the Wessex Ridgeway, the Ridgeway National Trail, Icknield Way and Peddars Way. The last named is also a National Trail and as such is combined with the Norfolk Coast Path. On my trip I added on a few extra bits, part of the Hereward Way to visit my cousins, and the Norfolk Coast Path.
Although the soft, white rock is rarely seen, the route follows the outcrop of the chalk as it dips gently south, for this reason the trail is also called the Great Chalk Way. (There is a modest difference as the Great Chalk Way deviates from the northern end of the Wessex Ridgeway following the newly defined Cranborne Droves Way to Salisbury from Win Green, and continuing up the Sarsen Way to the start of the Ridgeway National Trail, not being aware of this option at the time I stayed with the Wessex Ridgeway). For part of the way the chalk creates escarpments, steep slopes falling to lower ground to the north, giving panoramic views in suitable weather. As you head east into Cambridgeshire and Norfolk the land becomes flatter, any hills just gentle swellings, smoothed by the last ice age. Most of the land is farmed. Grass, sheep and cattle predominate in the west, grain and pigs in the east. There are patches of forest throughout of which Thetford Forest is the largest. Although the route often seems to avoid towns and villages those that are on the route are usually pretty, with a centre of older buildings, a church, a duck pond and a pub. Many of the older buildings are made of flint, a hard material found as nodules and bands in the chalk, others are of orange red brick. Larger urban centres on the route are Lyme Regis, Devizes and Letchworth. Luton, Dunstable, Hitchin and Hunstanton are not far from the trail.
I walked the route in January and the first half of February, a time when poor weather should be expected and suitable clothing is essential. However, I was fortunate in that the weather was unusually dry, although I was fully prepared for rain, or colder conditions. However I was glad it stayed dry because of the mud. On my first few days, rain had turn the ground liquid, and mud became widely splattered. I wore my waterproof over trousers, as although they became very muddy I could remove them before entering a Bed & Breakfast or a similar clean building. Later, as the mud solidified somewhat, gaiters provided adequate protection. Rain in England is not confined to the winter months of course, see for example Abbie Barnes video of the Ridgeway on YouTube. Shortly after I finished a series of storms hit Britain resulting in very high winds, walking in such weather would not have pleasant and camping in my light weight tent out of the question. A risk of hiking at this time of year.
I stayed mainly in Bed & Breakfast accommodation, usually associated with a Pub or Inn. Due to the number of nights and the current cost of this type of lodging, much higher it seemed to me than in previous years, my trip proved more expensive than any of my previous expeditions. My camping was confined to when no other accommodation was unavailable. I only camped six nights, and only once in an official campsite. The reason I did not camp more often was that the campsites were closed (or closed to tents) until March or April and the farmland was not ideal for wild camping outside a few forests. Walking the route after this time (and before sites close in November) would allow more camping, saving money. There would also be a greater choice of Bed & Breakfasts, as a number were closed at this time of year. Pub food was also more expensive than I expected, partly because places seemed to be aiming upmarket, with for example "gourmet burgers" rather than the normal sort. Another advantage of walking the route outside of winter are the flowers, in spring and summer flowers would add colour and variety, bluebells in spring, ox eye daisies in summer. Then autumn brings yellow and russet as the trees change colour with rose hips and hawthorn berries adding red highlights. However, winter has a certain type of beauty with the low sun and bare trees on the horizon. Frosty days with mist filling low lying areas were especially magical although less common than one might expect.
I walked 813 kilometres (508 miles) over 39 days (5 1/2 weeks) including rest days, but if I had just walked the Greater Ridgeway without my excursions on the Hereward Way and Norfolk Coast Path the distance would have been 597 kilometres (271 miles) which I would have covered in perhaps 26 days including rest days.
Links here take you to key points in my blog:
This linked YouTube video may also be of interest if thinking of walking this route.
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| On the Wessex Ridgeway. |
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| On the Ridgeway National Trail. |
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| On the Icknield Way. |
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