The Friends of The Ridgeway is an Association of people committed to preserving The Ridgeway as an ancient greenway for quiet enjoyment by the public.

Welcome to our Website, where we hope you will find all that you need to use and enjoy The Ridgeway.  Use the links in the side menu to locate topics of interest, or simply search below.

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Summer on The Ridgeway

It’s Summer again, after a long winter and a cool if dry Spring, and The Ridgeway calls again!  There are cool breezes and clean air to be found on the high Downs however hot it may get down in the Vale below.  There will be more people around of course than out of season, but there is always plenty of space up here!

The bluebells were late this year, but were better than ever, perhaps because of the late start, and the blossom seemed heavier and more long-lasting, with no heavy rain to knock off the petals, and cool days and nights to keep the flowering going.  The beech woods and hedgerows were late too, but all seemed to come into leaf in a sudden rush, with a wonderful, mid-May explosion of greenery.  The coolness of early-May, with cold nights threatening frost down in the sheltered valleys, gave place to an almost heat-wave at the end of the month.   Now flaming June is upon us, and the dry Spring seems to be leading on to a droughty Summer!

High Summer is when the views across the Vale of White Horse from the high downs reflect the warmth of the skies, as the cereal crops of the Vale ripen towards harvest.  The grasses and wild flowers in the roots of the hedges grow long and dry, and the brambles and sloes start to swell towards autumn as July gives way to August. North of the Thames, along the Chiltern escarpment, the high beech woods offer cooler walking and more varied and populated countryside; and there are great pubs and little towns never too far away.

Don’t forget to pack the sun-cream and to wear a hat when the sun shines.  The sun is strong at this time of year, the air is thinner up on the hills, and the cool breeze is deceptive, so the risk of sun-burn is greater.  And pack a wrap in case the weather turns.  Clouds can build up quickly, a great treat for the cloud watcher; check the links in our new weather section for weather forecasts and to the Cloud Appreciation Society!

The warmer summer weather is good for wild-life too, and there are many birds, butterflies and plants, not to mention insects and the occasional larger creatures to look out for.  Click here for more details of what to look out for in summer on The Ridgeway.

This year, we hope that even more walkers will set out to enjoy The Ridgeway, as economic pressures, and perhaps also a growing concern for the environment, encourage families to turn their backs on the doubtful joys of foreign airports and ash clouds, and rediscover the beauties of their own countryside.  We have been pleased to follow Christopher  Somerville’s excellent occasional series of Walking Supplements in The Times.  There always seems to be one or two walks on The Ridgeway amongst them, which we’re very glad to see!  A recent one that appealed to us was the classic Wayland’s Smithy and White Horse circuit, from The White Horse Inn at Woolstone, and we select this as our pub-walk this summer, with thanks and a suitable dedication to the redoubtable Mr Somerville!  Click here for details.

Photographs of Chalkhill Blue and Folly Clump: copyright Natural England/Jos Joslin