Ridgeway Part II – The Berkshire Downs

Saturday 16th November Update 11/11/19: Due to the fact that we only reached Ogbourne St George last week, the route this week has been modified to start from there. In the second installment of the Ridgeway walks we will venture further into the North Wessex downs, passing through chalk hills we will start the long stretch towards (but not quite reaching) the Thames river. Along the way we will see the iconic Uffington White Horse, which is a prehistoric hill figure dating back to at least the Iron age. Additionally, from up top the rolling hills we will hopefully be greeted with excellent views of the surrounding area. Please be warned that at 46km this walk is significantly longer than usual, and unlike the previous long walks early return options will be extremely limited. See here (ouwc.org/2019/10/long-walks-michaelmas-2019/) for more information on these longer walks and what to bring. Meet: Oxford Railway Station Time: 06:25 for the 06:37 train to Swindon (via Didcot) Return: Approx 8PM (approx 10 hours walking) Distance: 46km Cost: £14.20 with railcard/groupsave Lunch: Packed Leader: Chris Irving (christopher.irving“at”keble.ox.ac.uk) Additional travel information:
  • Travel information to Ogbourne St. George:
    • Take the 6:37 train to Didcot (arrives 06:49), then change to the 07:13 train to Swindon (arrives 07:29) (cost £7.20)
    • Take the 7:50 80 bus from Swindon bus station (bay 8) to Ogbourne St George (arrives 08:20) (cost £3.10)
  • Expected time to reach Chilton: 17:45-19:00 depending on walking speed
  • Return options (depending on arrival time at Chilton):
    • 17:58 X32 Connector to Oxford (arrives 19:04) (cost £3.90)
    • 18:58 X32 Connector to Oxford (arrives 20:00) (cost £3.90)
    • Other options going via Wantage or Didcot also exist (e.g. X32 connector to Wantage, then S8 Gold to Oxford), which run until late.