Walking the Ridgeway, by Anthony Burton

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Sparsholt Firs to Streatley (17½ miles, 28 km)

Crossing over the road brings the walker out above another spectacular feature: the land to the north drops away sharply to a shapely hollow, known as the Devil’s Punch Bowl. There is pleasant walking on a broad, grassy track that leads on to yet another hill fort, and it is also a place that provides evidence that the Ridgeway was there before the fort. Most hill forts have regular, curved ramparts, but this one has a straight line all down one side so as not to get in the way of the ancient track. This is an area full of interest and contrasts. Patches of woodland now dot the land, and the ploughed fields when seen in winter seem to have a dusting of snow, but that turns out to be just the white speckles of the chalk, which is never far from the surface. The track arrives at a B-road that leads down to the ancient town of Wantage, said to be the birthplace of Alfred the Great, but the path continues straight on, heading towards a prominent landmark, the monument to Baron Wantage (1831-1902). It records the Crimean War battles in which he served, but there is a very different monument to him here as well. He developed the Lockinge Estate that surrounds the Ridgeway, with its appealing patchwork of copses. Once past the monument the vistas open out again, with views that on a good day stretch all the way to Oxford. There is one feature, however, which you can’t miss – the cooling towers of Didcot power station, often sending their plumes of steam stretching across the surrounding countryside.

The broad track continues to a clump of trees with a mound in the middle, known as Scutchamer Knob. No one seems quite sure where the odd name originates, though the most popular suggests that it was the burial mound of a Saxon king Cwicchelm. It looks remarkably like a typical round barrow, but walkers can feel free to invent their own theories. The next part of the route is quite flat and heads off to the very busy A 34(T). Fortunately, there is no need to brave the traffic as there is a short tunnel through the road embankment. Emerging on the far side the route passes above Sheep Down. Once the area was famous for its flocks, but now it has been mostly ploughed over, and the busy sheep markets of East and West Ilsley are just a memory. The downs, however, have lost none of their charm and they are still home to galloping racehorses. The track crosses a disused railway, the grandly named Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Junction. Sadly, its performance was less grand than its title: begun in 1882 it was closed before it reached its centenary.

There is now a notable change in the landscape, with woodland becoming ever more prominent. The thin soil of the chalk downs is giving way to richer land that can support more farms and the grass is now munched by cattle as well as sheep. It is an area notable for wide views, but can have its surprises. A deep valley suddenly falls away to the south,  smooth sided with a headland planted with a small copse. This is Streatley Warren, a name that tells us that this was once a home for rabbits – and still is, a fact not lost on the local bird population. Look up, and chances are you will see a buzzard or kestrel circling overhead. The route heads down hill along the very attractive valley to arrive at the main road that leads down to Streatley.

View of the Thames at Streatley © Bonza TV Ltd

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