Natural History

The Ridgeway runs along chalk downs, deposited in warm seas during the late stage of the Cretaceous period and early stage of the Palaeogene Period, between 100 and 61 million years ago. So, the formation of the chalk spans the time when dinosaurs were the dominant animal species on land and after they had become extinct.

The porosity of the chalk caused the downs to be drier than in the vales below, making travelling along the Ridgeway the route of choice, especially in the wetter months. On the Ridgeway National Trail website, you’ll find a leaflet Beneath your feet, which you can download, which illustrates the geology of the downs and vales, and explains how the different geological formations of these resulted in the landscapes and human activity that we have today. You can also find simple descriptions of landscape features here for the North Wessex Downs and here for the Chilterns.

Chalk has a profound effect on the species of plants that grow on the downs through which the Ridgeway runs, which, in turn, determine the animals that live there. Both the Chiltern and the North Wessex Downs National Landscapes have sites of conservation that protect and encourage native species to thrive. You can find out where they are and their unique features here for the Chilterns and here for the North Wessex Downs. For those who want to dig deeper into the plants of chalk downland, try this downloadable leaflet produced by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.