The Great Stones Way is a new, 45-mile, walking route being developed by The Friends of the Ridgeway
along existing public rights of way, through
the ancient landscape and varied, stunning scenery between the World Heritage Sites of Avebury and Stonehenge. The route
is proposed to run from the Iron Age hill-fort of Barbury Castle on The Ridgeway National Trail south of Swindon, past the
current end of the trail at Overton Hill near Avebury, along the Avon Valley to Amesbury to end at historic Old Sarum near Salisbury.
The
Great Stones Way is conceived as a central part of the ancient Ridgeway trail which follows the chalk escarpments across southern
England from the Wash to the coast of Dorset. The Ridgeway is studded with prehistoric remains and hill-forts, and The
Great Stones Way passes an extraordinary wealth of archaeological and historic monuments in the chalk downs and vales of West
Wiltshire. The Great Stones Way will soon complete The Ridgeway as one of the
foremost heritage trails in the country.
A feasibility
study was successfully completed in April 2010, kindly funded by grants from the Sustainable Development Fund of the North
Wessex Downs Area of Natural Beauty, the LEADER fund of the Plain Action Local Action Group, and by
Wiltshire Council's Rights of Way Department.
The Friends of the Ridgeway is currently consulting parish councils, landowners, and a range of interested organisations
and community groups on the proposed route before launching The Great Stones Way. The Wiltshire Area Boards for Devizes, Marlborough, Pewsey, Tidworth and Amesbury have all approved the project.
The first section of the route
to be opened will be the 14-mile Plain & Avon walk, from Casterley Camp above Upavon on the northern edge of Salisbury
Plain to Amesbury and Stonehenge, by way of the Avon Valley. The route includes magnificent historic landscapes, fantastic
views, pretty villages with welcoming pubs and good walking surfaces. Grants
for the improvement of this section of the Great Stones Way have been approved by Plain Action and Tidworth Community Area.
These funds will help The Friends of the Ridgeway improve path surfaces, provide
new sign-posts and way-marks, install
mobility gates to replace stiles, and complete other work to make The Great Stones
Way an enjoyable walking experience. But money is needed to cover our share of the costs. All contributions are very
welcome. Please click on Donate in the main menu, or visit The Friends of the Ridgeway to make donations.
The
Great Stones Way is a project devised and developed by
