The Great Stones Way

The Great Stones Way proposal envisages a walking route between the present end of The Ridgeway National Trail at Overton Hill near Avebury in Wiltshire, southwards along the old Ridge Way trace shown on the OS maps, through the Vale of Pewsey and up onto Salisbury Plain at Broadbury Banks.  A route is then to be agreed with the Ministry of Defence around the edge of the military ranges above the Avon Valley to the Durrington Walls ancient causewayed enclosure, and Woodhenge near to Stonehenge.  An alternative route may need to be adopted along the Avon Valley.  After Stonehenge the route will cross Normanton Down to Great Durnford, then above the east bank of the Avon to end at Old Sarum.  At a later stage, a link route will be adopted across Cranford Chase to join the Wessex Ridgeway at Win Green on the Dorset border. 

The concept of an Ancient Ridgeway path incorporating a link to Stonehenge was first proposed to the FoR Executive Committee in August, 2007, and the idea further developed in discussion with other interested parties over that winter, with the concept finding much agreement but little practical support.  Hopes of Natural England support proved groundless.  Meetings with Wiltshire CC Rights of Way Dept and with Defence Estates in early 2008 provided some encouragement, and the Chairman briefed members attending the AGM on 16th March, 2008, on the proposal, and introduced it also to the Wiltshire Countryside Access Forum and the Ridgeway Forum, where it was warmly received.

The Committee was well aware that a way-marked footpath could be identified and publicised through a simple guide-book at limited cost and without great difficulty, and seriously considered this as the way forward for the project.  It decided, however, that a route of this significance, continuing from The Ridgeway National Trail, and sponsored by The Friends of The Ridgeway, should have so far as possible the same signage and standards for walkers as a National Trail, and should be properly promoted, in order to maximise its economic value for the country.  This meant of course that substantial investment would be needed. 

Meanwhile, the EU/Defra/RDPE LEADER financing scheme was launched, and the North Wessex Downs (NWD) AONB and Salisbury “Plain Action” Local Access Groups (LAGs) were successful in their respective bids for lines of finance for local community initiatives.  The Committee agreed in August, 2008, to appoint a working group of the Committee for the project, to seek other agencies to take the lead in the project, or partners with whom to share resources, and to press ahead in alliance with them with a feasibility study, preparatory to seeking LEADER funding for the scheme.  Such a study, if it was to meet the required standard, would have to be carried out by qualified professionals and would itself cost significant sums for which funding would be needed. 

The Chairman set out himself to walk the route, and successfully completed most of it during autumn, 2008.  The group also met with the Avebury and Stonehenge World Heritage Site authorities, and with the VisitWiltshire partnership.  It appeared increasingly strongly that there may be little alternative if the project was to make progress for The Friends of The Ridgeway to take the lead itself.  The Committee also noted that the Constitutional Objects  would need amendment by expanding the organisations focus to the wider Ridgeway, beyond the National Trail alone.  A resolution to this effect was put to the AGM on 22nd March, 2009, following Charities Commission approval, with the Chairman noting that the change would enable the Association to undertake The Great Stones Way and similar projects, and it was carried unanimously. 

Following the Committee meeting in May, 2009, and the change of Objects, it was agreed to go ahead with drafting terms of reference for a study, and with discussions with potential funders, in particular with the NWD and Salisbury Plain LEADER LAGs.  NWDAONB indicated that they would prefer to consider an application for a grant from their Sustainable Development Fund, and an application for a grant of £10,000 towards the estimated study cost of £15,000 was submitted to them in June, 2009.  They responded very generously with an approved grant of £5,000, indicating that we should involve other stakeholders.  After some discussion, and the next Committee meeting in August, an application was submitted to Plain Action, the LEADER LAG for Salisbury Plain, for a LEADER small grant of £5,000; and approaches were also made to Wiltshire Council, through the Rights of Way Department, and to the VisitWiltshire Partnership.  All three have responded very generously.  Plain Action have approved the LEADER grant requested, Wilts Council have made a grant of £1,000, and VisitWiltshire have offered contingent short-term support of up to £2,000.  We are most grateful to all of them for their generous support.

In the meantime, the working group initiated contacts with potential consultants for the study.  A detailed Terms of Reference document was drafted, and 12  organisations were approached, including both professional and academic institutions.  From these, three active and well-qualified respondents were selected, with whom discussions were pursued, and each organisation submitted a detailed offer of services.  At a lengthy meeting of the working group on 30th September, the offers were compared, and a recommendation was made to the Committee on 11th November, when a consortium of professionals led by Land Access Ltd was selected for the study.  On signature of the Plain Action grant offer on 8th December, the contract with the consortium was concluded.  Work is to start at once, with a target date for completion of 15th March, 2010.  The consultants have agreed to report and present their findings to the AGM of The Friends of The Ridgeway on 21st March, 2010, to which our representatives of our donors and stakeholders will also be invited. 

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