The Great Stones Way. Steve Davison

route runs from Barbury Castle, near Swindon, to Old Sarum, near Salisbury – a total of 58.5km (36½ miles). However, the route described in this guide is longer – a maximum of 85.7km (53¼ miles), depending on the options taken – as it also includes an optional start at Coate Water; loops visiting Avebury, Alton Barnes White Horse and Stonehenge; and an optional finish at Salisbury. The route passes over comparatively gentle terrain, each stage having less than 250m of ascent (the greatest ascent being on Stages 1, 3 and 5).

      The Great Stones Way follows existing rights of way and has been developed by The Friends of The Ridgeway, a registered charity that has campaigned for over 30 years to preserve the unique character of the ancient Ridgeway tracks that cross the chalk downs of Southern England, including The Ridgeway National Trail.

      For further information about the Great Stones Way, visit www.ridgewayfriends.org.uk/great-stones-way.

History

      The earliest inhabitants of the area were nomadic hunter-gatherers who travelled through the wooded landscape over 10,000 years ago. However, by the Neolithic period (4200–2200BC) a farming lifestyle was developing, permanent camps were being constructed and areas of land cleared for crops and animals. This was the period when the great monuments at Avebury and Stonehenge came into being. The Bronze Age (2200–750BC) saw further developments of these iconic sites as well as the building of numerous characteristic round barrows. During the Iron Age (750BC–AD43) defensive hill forts such as Barbury Castle and Old Sarum were built.

      The Romans left little visible evidence in the region, although they did construct a road past Silbury Hill (now the A4) and built a town at Old Sarum. In the early part of the Anglo-Saxon period, following the demise of the Roman Empire in Britain around AD410, the Wansdyke – a massive linear earthwork across the Marlborough Downs above the Vale of Pewsey – was constructed. The Norman period (from 1066) was characterised by motte and bailey castles, such as the one at Old Sarum, as well as monasteries and churches with Romanesque rounded arches over windows and doorways; many churches in the area have their roots in the Norman period.

      Prosperity and growth in the late 12th and 13th centuries led to the expansion of towns including Salisbury and the building of its impressive medieval cathedral. Much more recently transport improved with the opening of the Kennet and Avon Canal, quickly followed by the arrival of the railways. During the Second World War a number of airfields were built, including one at Alton Barnes, while Salisbury Plain was commandeered as a military training area, which still continues to this day.

Geology and nature

      Clockwise from top left: Yellow Vetch, Clustered Bellflower and Field Scabious

      The geology of the area is derived from the seas that once covered southern England and the sediments that were laid down at that time. The predominant feature – one that forms the rolling contours of the downs – is a thick layer of Upper Cretaceous chalk (99–65 million years ago), composed of incredible numbers of tiny fossil skeletons of algae, called coccoliths.

      Associated with the chalk are irregular silica concretions known as flints. Our prehistoric ancestors used flint to make a range of tools, and it has also been widely used as a building material. A natural process of irregular hardening within the sandy beds that overlay the chalk produced blocks of tough sandstone that are more resistant to erosion. These are the famous sarsens that were used in the construction of the Neolithic stone circles at Avebury and Stonehenge; a great number of sarsens can be seen lying in the fields at Fyfield Down National Nature Reserve.

      The Great Stones Way meanders through a patchwork of open chalk grassland, broadleaved woodland and farmland, and there are plenty of opportunities for catching glimpses of local wildlife including foxes, deer and the more elusive badger. During the summer, the open chalk grasslands are home to a myriad of butterflies and plants, as well as traditional farmland birds; high above, the silhouette of a buzzard might be seen. Along the rivers and waterways walkers will probably be accompanied by ducks and mute swans – or may be lucky enough to catch sight of the elusive otter or a flash of blue as a kingfisher speeds by.

Planning your walk

      The old diving platform at Coate Water just north of Swindon – starting point of Stage 1

      For your own enjoyment and convenience, plan your walk carefully in advance. This guide has been split into six stages ranging from 8.4km to 18.9km (see Appendix A for a route summary table). These are not intended to be individual day sections, but the start and end points coincide with places that offer parking, transport and accommodation facilities locally (see Appendix C for facilities near the route). The stages are provided to help walkers decide how far they would like to go each day – whether that means combining multiple stages or just undertaking part of a stage.

      Stage 1 leaves the outskirts of Swindon and climbs up to the start of the Great Stones Way at Barbury Castle, where the remains of an Iron Age hill fort offer commanding views. Stage 2 (the first section of the Great Stones Way) follows The Ridgeway National Trail south to Overton Hill; an alternative loop visits the remarkable prehistoric sites at Avebury, including the stone circle. Stage 3, an undulating stage, heads across the Vale of Pewsey (with a choice of three routes) to reach Casterley Camp on the edge of Salisbury Plain. On Stage 4 the Great Stones Way drops down to meet the tranquil River Avon. The trail meanders along the valley on Stage 5, passing through several picturesque villages, and an optional loop visits Durrington Walls, Woodhenge and Stonehenge. Stage 6 heads to the former Iron Age hill fort at Old Sarum, later used by the Normans as a fortified castle, which marks the end of the route. An optional end at Salisbury’s medieval cathedral is also described.

      A three-day schedule, following the Great Stones Way from Barbury Castle to Old Sarum (without the optional loops to Avebury and Stonehenge), could be planned as follows:

       Day 1 Barbury Castle (Stage 2) to Honeystreet (Stage 3) (18.2km, 11¼ miles)

       Day 2 Honeystreet to Bulford or Durrington (Stage 5) (26km, 16¼ miles)

       Day 3 Bulford or Durrington to Old Sarum (Stage 6) (14.3km, 9 miles).

      A four-day route from Coate Water to Salisbury, including the Avebury, Wansdyke and Stonehenge loops, might be planned as:

       Day 1 Coate Water (Stage 1) to Avebury (Stage 2) (22.1km, 13¾ miles)

       Day 2 Avebury to East Chisenbury (Stage 4; 1.4km off route) (26.6km, 16½ miles)

       Day 3 East Chisenbury to Great Durnford (Stage 5) (24.8km, 15½ miles)

       Day 4 Great Durnford to Salisbury (Stage 6) (10.4km, 6½ miles).

Getting to and from the Way

      After passing the Wansdyke, the route heads for Walkers Hill (Stage 3)

      The nearest mainline train station to the start of the route is Swindon, on the line from London Paddington to the south-west and south Wales. Local buses operate daily between Swindon town centre and Coate Water (east-bound stop) or Chiseldon. National Express coaches (403) running between London Victoria and Bath stop at Coate Water (A4259). (Stage 1 in this guide details a walking route from Coate Water to Barbury Castle – the start of the Great Stones Way.)

      Salisbury, located a few kilometres south of the end of the Great Stones Way at Old Sarum (which has daily bus services to Salisbury), has rail services on the line between London Waterloo and the south-west. (A walking route to Salisbury from the final section of the Great Stones Way is described in Stage 6.)

      Between Swindon and Salisbury (between Pewsey and Salisbury on Sundays), Salisbury Reds (www.salisburyreds.co.uk)