Amesbury and "glimpses of Stonehenge"

 

Date: Bank Holiday Monday, 26th September 2013
Route: Amesbury Circular
Distance: 6.5 miles

From Avebury yesterday to Amesbury today - the sun decided to reappear so we decided to take advantage of the sunshine and go for the "Glimpses of Stonehenge" walk from the AA's 1001 Walks in Britain.

Despite the slight dullness of the photos, this was a really good walk - enough hills to get good views but nothing too strenuous, the views of Stonehenge (which of course look rubbish on camera!), a really pleasant section of grassy valley, some equally pleasant shady woodland and multiple crossings of the fast-flowing but pretty tiny (here at least) River Avon. It also passes through the village of Great Durnford, which is packed with so many ridiculously pretty thatched cottages with lavender in the front garden and lilac around the door that you feel a bit self-conscious singling any one out for photography.

There is also a longer Stonehenge walk in the Rough Guide to Walks in London & Surrounding Countryside book, if you have more time, although it would entail getting a bus or taxi back to Salisbury. It's worth bearing in mind that there is no longer any interchange between the A303 and the road at the side of Stonehenge, which looks as though it may well be grassed over in the near future. 

Wandering around some historic sites (Salisbury, Avebury & Woodhenge)

Date: Sunday 25th August 2013
Distance: Various

Since our plans to do a walk with views of Stonehenge were thwarted by some unwelcome Bank Holiday drizzle and fog, we took the opportunity to drive up to Marlborough and across to Avebury so we could check out some of the ancient monuments in the area.

We started off with Woodhenge, where the wooden posts of years gone by have rotted away and been replaced by concrete pillars, giving the impression of a prehistoric picnic site, where you half expect to see a mammoth barbecue pit in the corner. From there we continued on past Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow (which is definitely worth a visit, as one of the most impressive burial chambers in the UK) and into the village of Avebury, which sits in the middle of one of the biggest stone circles in Europe. My photos really don't do it justice - you really need to walk around the whole thing to get the sense of the whole site, with its gigantic stones and huge ditches.

Finally, the sun came out as we headed back to the centre of medieval Salisbury to wander around the town centre and Cathedral gardens, before heading to the riverside for some beer at The Mill and amazing curry at Anokaa (possibly one of the best curries ever!).

So, although this is supposed to be a walking blog, this is what we do when we're not following a formal walk (There is a great Avebury walk in the AA's 1001 Walks in Britain though, which I can recommend for less dreary days)! 

Beside the seaside in Swanage

Date: Saturday 24th August 2013
Route: Circular Walk from Durlston Country Park into Swanage and back
Distance: 4.25 miles

After a night of loud music and psychedelic light shows (Hawkwind in Bournemouth!), the perfect recovery walk turned out to be an occasionally steep but beautiful wander around the hillsides and town centre of Swanage in South Dorset, taken from the AA's 1001 Walks in Britain.

The walk starts and ends at Durlston Country Park, which is signposted multiple times from Swanage town centre and has at its heart a fantastically restored castle, with great views out to sea and multiple tea and cake purchasing opportunities.

The walk starts along the coastal path, passing the Tilly Whim caves - old limestone quarries that used to be a tourist attraction until the landslides started! The path climbs past a lighthouse and over the hillside of Round Down, through an area of fields and butterflies and onward towards the distant Purbeck Hills and chalk cliffs before reaching the road into Swanage.

The centre of the town boasts plenty of shops, places to eat chips or local seafood, a pier, a Heritage Centre, which you pass on your way towards the harbour and, not surprisingly, all kinds of boats. The coastal path leads to Peveril Point and the coastguard station before circling back to Durlston Head, passing over hillsides, alongside imposing Victorian villas and through woodland, with an optional detour to see a much-heralded "large globe", before returning to the Castle.

If you haven't been to Swanage before, this is a really good way to get a sense of the place, blow a few cobwebs away and get a strong dose of sea air and fantastic views.

 

Ashford-in-the Water and the Monsal Viaduct

 

Date: Saturday 3rd August 2013
Route: Ashford-in-the-Water Circular via the Monsal Viaduct, Monsal Dale and Deep Dale
Distance: 5.5 miles

Our second walk of a long weekend in the Peak District was the better of the two walks, starting off in the picturesque village of Ashford-in-the-Water and a steep climb up to the hillsides above the village. After passing alongside fields of waving corn and weathered grey stone walls, the path meets up with the Monsal Trail walking/ cycle path to cross the impressive viaduct at Monsal Head (derided by contemporary critics as a blot of the landscape but now looking perfectly at home amongst the greenery).

The path then descends to follow the River Wye through the valley, alongside waterfalls and through green fields before heading back to Ashford on the other side of the A6 on a woodland path that kept us shaded from a short, sharp shower.

The final section of the walk heads over Ashford's Sheepwash Bridge (complete with a pen where the sheep were kept before being dunked in the river in bygone times and multiple ducks).

This is a highly recommended walk and definitely the perfect way to spend a pleasant valley Sunday/ Saturday/ any day. 

The "Stonehenge of the North"

Date: Friday 2nd August 2013
Route: Arbor Low Circular on the outskirts of Youlgreave
Distance: 6 miles

A fantastic weekend in the Peak District earlier in the year made us hanker for more of the dramatic landscapes and wide-open countryside views, so when we had the opportunity of a long weekend, we couldn't resist going back.

This was the first of two walks we did over the weekend, taken from the AA's 1001 Walks guide (a huge folder, with helpfully removable pages). To be honest, this isn't the world's greatest walk, although it is pretty straightforward.

The first section takes you through fields to the ancient gathering site of Arbor Low with its 42 limestone pillars in a 40m circle (not exactly Stonehenge, more like Stonehenge after a tornado has passed through, but with great views across the countryside). Once you get to Arbor Low you can walk around the perimeter of the stone circle, but you probably get a better sense of the place from aerial photos than on the ground.

Also on the site is the even old burial site of Gib Hill, which contains two barrows and is thought to have been a ritual gathering place for 6,000 years - unfortunately this is all sealed and grassed over, so unlike the impressive barrows near Avebury in Wiltshire, there is very little to see.

The remainder of the walk follows the road back to the car park (and the welcome sight of the ice cream man!) - it's a shame that there isn't an alternative path back across the fields, as frankly the road is a bit dull.

It was interesting to see Arbor Low at first hand but this wouldn't top a list of the best walks in the Peak District. The ice cream was good though.