Sunday 30 March 2014

Day 31: East Kennet to Chiseldon

A short day today and that worked out well because last night was the beginning of daylight saving: so we missed an hour's sleep. We had not planned it because of that, it just worked out in our favour. We had stopped short because of availability of accommodation in rural areas can be sparse. The day dawned bright and sunny, even nicer than yesterday. We ate a leasurely breakfast, then on our way out of the Village...



and then straight along the Ridgeway.



This national trail follows the chalk ridge of Wessex Downs (which is strange because it is up) and follows an ancient route followed  by travellers, farmers and soldiers.



It was very pleasant walking with views across the valley and the farmlands either side of the track.



And the white showing in the photos is not snow but the chalky limestone that lurks just below the surface.






In recognition of the ancient history of the land the trail occupies, it follows a Roman Road and as you walk you can see ancient sites such as the site of Barbury Castle, an Iron Age hill fort



We reached Chiselton by lunch time and as we had not been able to secure accommodation there we had booked in a hotel in Swindon. So we hopped on the number 5 bus to Swindon and our digs for the night. In the morning we will take the bus back to Chiselton to resume our journey.



No comments:

Post a Comment