THE GREAT STONE WAY

A walker along The Ridgeway from the north will reach the present end of the Trail on the A4 at Overton Hill, with the Sanctuary across the road, Silbury Hill just over the shoulder of the hill, and the mysterious stone circle of Avebury a mile away down the Stone Avenue to the north-west. Despite these numinous surroundings, it seems a strange place for the path to end. Surely the Sanctuary is not the destination? In truth, of course, the end of the National Trail is simply a convenient point for access to this prehistoric trading route, and we need to look beyond the Sanctuary, southwards along the line of the ancient path. Where is it heading? A glance at the map shows the path heading down across the Wansdyke towards the Vale of Pewsey, and the bulk of Salisbury Plain beyond. Due south, down the Avon Valley lie the great stones of Stonehenge; and modern archaeology indicates that both Avebury and Stonehenge were in contemporaneous use over more than a millennium, as the ritual centre of the Atlantic Neolithic and Bronze Age henge civilisation, between 5,000 and 3,600 years ago. This must have been a mighty civilisation, and it appears that this part of Wessex was at the centre of it and a focus for North-west European trade. The ancient Ridgeway trail, running along the chalk escarpments for ease of passage, and joining Avebury/Stonehenge to harbours on the Dorset and Norfolk coasts, would have formed the principal axis for trade between the Wessex centre and the rest of the Atlantic civilisation between Galicia and Norway. The main route, or a principal branch of it, must surely have run between Avebury and Stonehenge, and it is astonishing that no way-marked path exists today between these great megalithic monuments, notwithstanding the intervening Salisbury Plain military reserves. Let us imagine one, and dub it “The Great Stone Way”.

The OS Explorer map shows the Ridgeway continuing south as far as Alton Priors, and Timperley and Brill’s authoritative “Ancient Trackways of Wessex” follows the route past Broad Street and Wilsford to Broadbury Banks on the edge of the Plain, and the start of the military area. Here the path divides, with one branch heading due west along the edge of the Plain over Redhorn Hill, to join the Wessex Ridgeway at Penning Down. The other branch heads south and east past Casterley Camp, and thence eastwards as the Inkpen Ridgeway to Basingstoke. Timperley and Brill identify a likely track from the western branch of The Ridgeway at Redhorn Hill to Stonehenge across the middle of the Plain, past Ell Barrow and Robin Hood’s Ball; but this route is nowadays blocked by the military area. However, an alternative alignment, which is more direct although hillier, may have followed the higher ground west of the Avon valley, along the edge of the Danger Area. The Avon Valley is thought to be part of the likely transport route from Wales for the Stonehenge bluestones, but the valley itself is of course, now as then, too congested to be a feasible route for normal passage on foot.

Clearly any route across Salisbury Plain would need the approval of the military authorities, both as landlords and on account of safety. They are unlikely to concede any reduction in the flagged Danger Area. However, a new route following but outside the line of red flags may provide a clear demarcation for the Danger Area and an easily monitored boundary path. Dedication of a way-marked Trail across the Plain, compensating for the ancient rights of way across the Plain now lost to the public, would also be a welcome gesture showing the authorities’ awareness of public pressure for reasonable access.

A path approaching Stonehenge along the Avon Valley would have the advantage of passing near to Durrington Walls and Woodhenge, and possibly along the Avenue ceremonial way, monuments of comparable archaeological value to Stonehenge itself, but more rarely visited. Here and at Stonehenge itself English Heritage and the National Trust are the guardians concerned, but an improvement in pedestrian access is likely to be welcome, provided it is properly controlled.

Beyond Stonehenge, there are inviting routes leading southwards to re-cross the Avon at Durnford, and thence above the east bank to the ancient earthwork of Old Sarum. We may also envisage a link across the famous Mill Meadows in Salisbury and along the northern escarpment of Cranborne Chase, by the old Salisbury Ox Drove, to White Sheet Hill and Win Green to join the Wessex Ridgeway.

A new “Great Stone Way” long-distance path linking Avebury and Stonehenge must be attractive to any walker interested in these mysterious ancient monuments, and the megalithic civilisation in Wessex. The path would provide an attractive alternative route to the Wessex Ridgeway for walkers following the ancient Ridgeway trail, which would not only give access to the major heritage attractions of Stonehenge and its environs, but also to the City and Cathedral of Salisbury and historic Old Sarum. Its extension along Cranborne Chase would create, with the Wessex Ridgeway, a magnificent circular route around the main chalk escarpments in Wiltshire, with all their ancient monuments. The path would link the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the North Wessex Downs to those in Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire, and in Dorset.

In the modern world, facilities for outdoor recreation and enjoyment of the countryside are increasingly important, and walking provides fitness benefits with minimum environmental impact. Long-distance walking has increasing numbers of adherents, not only from this country but from overseas, and the economic benefits for communities along the routes can be considerable. The creation of The Great Stone Way as a new, way-marked path should be a high priority both for those promoting tourism and rural economic growth, and for anyone concerned with health and countryside access.