We headed out to reach the Ridgeway, not easy when the start and end point is Upper Cross and a circular route is sought which is under 9-miles.  However, that is what we did.  It went like this:

A familiar start using School Path to reach West Hagbourne and from there the south-going footpath to Upton.  We stopped to remark on the small plantation of mixed trees that has grown between the Dismantled Railway and the footpath.  It was planted only ten-years ago and is already a thick and pleasant copse.

We walked through Upton to emerge at the Reading Road which we crossed to reach the Lynch Way and thence to Prospect Farm.  The farm is now the home of Chilton Waste and the sight of the old railway cutting filled with waste to 20’ or 30’ above grade level is remarkable.  From the farm, a series of byways run in a generally south-westerly direction and give access to the Ridgeway at an elevation some 300’ above Upton.  Great views to the north.

This juncture with the Ridgeway is at the point where it crosses under the A34.  We went the other way but the road noise was very distracting.  In a few moments we reached a small memorial by the side of the Ridgeway – it marks the spot where a young Lifeguard lost his life in an armoured car in 1947.  We stopped for a bit, and then headed home.

We now headed north-easterly as we came off the Ridgeway and had the excellent northerly views before us on the entire trip down.  First we passed through Alden Farm, with its heavy emphasis on horses, and then down the footpath that runs beside Upton Lodge and back into Upton.  We walked through Upton to gain access to the bicycle path which we used to reach School Path and finally Upper Cross.

This took us exactly three-hours and we covered a distance of 8.7-miles.  Please join us for our November ramble which is guaranteed to be shorter!  By then Summer Time will have ended and we revert to our original 1:30pm start time.  Don’t get caught out!