The Friends of the Ridgeway
Preserving the spirit of the Ridgeway
The Friends of the Ridgeway is a registered charity (No 1107926). We are a voluntary organisation set up in 1982 to preserve and maintain the special nature of the Ridgeway National Trail, mainly in response to its abuse west of the Thames by off-road vehicles. Although we have had a lot of success in this respect, vehicles on the Ridgeway are a recurring problem and remain a focus of our attention. We collaborate with other organisations, such as the Wiltshire and Oxfordshire Councils’ departments that deal with rights of way, the police and the British Horse Society to maintain safe places for us all to enjoy. We work with the Ridgeway Partnership and others to promote its value to the whole community as an essential part of everyone’s life and heritage. We represent any concerns about the Ridgeway to those responsible for its maintenance. We also raise funds for maintenance of the National Trail by the Ridgeway Partnership.
The Ridgeway is more than a walking trail – it is a historic monument, an artistic inspiration, a natural environment and more. We seek to engage people living near to and using the Ridgeway in activities that spread knowledge and appreciation of its wealth of historic, artistic and environmental features.
In 2009 the Friends of the Ridgeway’s constitution was changed to apply its principal objective to any extension of the ancient Ridgeway trackways along the chalk downs of southern England. As a result, the Friends of the Ridgeway determined to create a coast to coast trail from the Dorset coast to The Wash, which was named The Great Chalk Way (GCW). The GCW Website can be found here.
We celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Ridgeway National Trail in 2023 by creating the Ridgeway Spotter Guide and running a fundraising campaign.
- Become a Trustee for the Friends of the Ridgeway (PDF)
- Friends of the Ridgeway information leaflet (PDF)
Join us
We are always looking for new members to help preserve the spirit of the Ridgeway.
Please help
Please donate to help maintain and improve the Ridgeway and Great Chalk Way.
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Great photos of Wayland's Smithy by Lynne Ford, shows the benefits of making the dead-hedge, to enable people to see the stones of Wayland's Smithy long barrow among the trees. Thank you Lynne 👏
The Ridgeway National Trail Historic Ridgeway Project continues here this winter when the dead-hedge will be extended, and more new hedge trees planted in front.
The Historic Ridgeway Project is funded by Historic England and North Wessex Downs National Landscape with additional funds from the Trust for Oxfordshire's Environment for the hedging at Wayland's Smithy.
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Looking for an autumn walk along the Ridgeway National Trail with a warm welcome at a local pub? These photos are from the route of the Butler's Cross Pub Walk, which includes a stroll across The Chequers Estate, and a good view of the Coombe Hill Monument.
At 852 feet above sea level, Coombe Hill is one of the highest points in the Chiltern Hills and it is topped by an obelisk, said to be the country’s first and largest war memorial to remember people who died at war; in this case the Boer War (1899-1902).
On 29th September 1973, the Ridgeway National Trail was declared open at Coombe Hill.
🍻🍻 🥾🥾 www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/short-routes/walk-17-butlers-cross-pub-walk/
#footpathfriday #fingerpostfriday #weekendwalk #chilterns
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In our Summer newsletter, published in August, we say 'farewell' to outgoing Chair Mike Lewington and welcome the incoming Chair Simon Kearey.
Our cover story features Roger Baker, Coordinator of the Ridgeway and Thames Path Volunteers, and his amazing Race to the Stones in 31C heat.
New funding has enabled the very successful Historic Ridgeway Project to be extended into Buckinghamshire. Ten beautifully illustrated information boards have been installed by volunteers to bring alive the stories of the historic sites that have been at the heart of phase 1 of the project.
We also look at some of the other work done by volunteers over the hot summer. Finally, the 11th Swire Ridgeway Arts Prize will take place on 24 and 25 April next year, the theme being ‘Living Working Ridgeway’.
Open the link below to read on:
ridgewayfriends.org.uk/august-2026-newsletter/
#ridgeway #nationaltrail
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This week's blog from The Oxford Sausage is a wonderful stroll along the Ridgeway National Trail through the Chilterns countryside from Lewknor to Nuffield on a late summer's day, finishing the eight-mile walk with tea and cake at The Maker Space.
theoxfordsausage.com/a-walk-along-britains-oldest-road/
#ridgeway #chilterns #sundayvibes
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A walk along Britain’s oldest road | The Oxford Sausage
theoxfordsausage.com
On one of the last of this year’s long summer days, I accept an invitation from my friend Gina to take a walk along the Ridgeway, also known as the oldest road in Britain. She had discovered that sh…
Beautiful weather today for the annual mow and rake of the University of Oxford's experimental wildflower plots at Bury Down to restore rare chalk grassland flowers on the Berkshire Downs.
Thank you to the Ridgeway National Trail volunteers, led by Roger Baker, including first-timers Fergus and Andy, mowers Ian and Martin, rakers Rich, Wendy, Rowan, Andy and John. We were all working under the supervision of Prof Lindsay Turnbull from the University's Biology Dept.
There are 28 wildflower plots in the verge west of Bury Down car park. Most of them are mown and some of them are raked and the arisings removed. All plots are monitored every spring and summer to assess the effectiveness of different management. We saw many seedheads of wild carrot, greater and common knapweed, wild oregano, vetches, and sainfoin alongside flowers of small scabious, common toadflax, wild carrot and basil-thyme.
#NatureRecovery #Oxfordshire #chalkgrassland #wildflowers
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University of Oxford
📣 Great opportunity for hospitality business in the heart of the Thames Valley 📣
The YHA hostel in Streatley will be auctioned for starting price of £650,000. This is a wonderful base for walkers on the Thames Path and Ridgeway National Trails, visitors to Reading, Oxford and the beautiful countryside in the National Landscapes of the Chilterns and North Wessex Downs.
Details: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/93194199#
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Check out this 10 bedroom detached house for sale on Rightmove
www.rightmove.co.uk
10 bedroom detached house for sale in YHA Streatley, Wallingford Road, Streatley, Reading, Berkshire, RG8 for £650,000. Marketed by Allsop, Auction
Wonderful volunteers look after the Ridgeway and Thames Path National Trails: mowing, monitoring, installing information boards along the Ridgeway National Trail and fingerposts along the Thames Path National Trail, leading walks, giving talks and writing books 👏👏👏 Find out how to join them: email Roger Baker, the volunteer coordinator: roger.baker@oxfordshire.gov.ukJoin us in thanking our volunteers!
There’s an important reason the Ridgeway National Trail and Thames Path National Trail were such a pleasure to spend time on this summer: our volunteers!
We all met for the autumn BBQ to catch up, swap stories over a hearty meal and say a proper thank you for everything they’ve done: communications & photography, clearing vegetation, repairing signs, installing new interpretation boards, mowing miles of path and keeping routes free of overgrowth and nettles.
The focus shifts over the winter months, but they’re still active. Please say hello next time you see them out on the Trails.
The image shows National Trail volunteers at the autumn BBQ.
North Wessex Downs National Landscape Chilterns National Landscape @top fans The Friends of The Ridgeway
#volunteering #countryside #accessibletravel
Catch up with the latest news from the Ridgeway National Trail 👇It’s been a hot and dusty summer along the Trail but that hasn’t stopped so many of you getting out and about on the Ridgeway to enjoy the beautiful Chiltern Hills and North Wessex Downs National Landscape’s. We’ve welcomed more Ridgeway Hall of Fame members, been busy installing new interpretation boards, opened a new water filling station and with the help of our wonderful volunteers kept the Trail open and accessible.
Read our Ridgeway National Trail Autumn news – mailchi.mp/e412fde59119/news-from-the-ridgeway-national-trail-12848166
Great ideas for walks on the Ridgeway National Trail this autumn. The photo below shows Ivinghoe Beacon and the Whipsnade Lion carved in the chalk hill nearby. Click 👇for pub walks and circular walks www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/the-ridgeway/the-ridgeway-circular-and-linear-walks/Here is an exhilarating walk to enjoy this weekend that takes you to the top of Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire and the start (or finish) of the Ridgeway National Trail, 87 miles from Avebury in Wiltshire.
Distance: 8.5 km (5¼ miles);
Highlight: Ivinghoe Beacon and the Iron Age hillfort.
Accessibility: Challenging with kissing gates, a steep ascent and descent from Ivinghoe Beacon.
Getting there: Ivinghoe is 6 miles south of Leighton Buzzard and 3 miles north of Tring, on the B489 road to Dunstable. The Rose and Crown is in Vicarage Lane, in the northern part of the village.
Download the walk details: nationaltrails.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/2025/12/Pub-walks-Ivinghoe-PDF.pdf
#weekendplans #weekendgetaway #countryside #hiking #NationalTrails
The image shows the view from Ivinghoe Beacon to the Whipsnade lion
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Latest news
Swire Ridgeway Arts Prize Theme for the 2027 Competition
The theme for the Swire Ridgeway Arts Prize Exhibition 2027 competition can be found here Swire Ridgway Arts Prize 2027
August 2026 Newsletter
In our quarterly (August) newsletter we say goodbye to outgoing Chair Mike Lewington and welcome incoming Chair Simon Kearey. You can meet Simon in person […]
May 2026 Newsletter
In the May issue of the Friends of the Ridgeway newsletter, the Friends’ Swire Ridgeway Arts Prize and Exhibition takes pride of place. There was […]