Editing The Ridgeway (section)

==National Trail==
The idea for a long-distance path along the line of the Wessex Downs and Chilterns goes back to the [[Arthur Hobhouse|Hobhouse Committee]] of 1947. The present route was designated by the Government in 1972, and opened as a [[National Trail]] in 1973.<ref>{{cite book|last=Curtis|first=Neil|title=The Ridgeway National Trail Guide|year=1994|isbn=1-85410-268-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/ridgeway0000curt/page/18 18]|publisher=Aurum Press |url=https://archive.org/details/ridgeway0000curt/page/18}}</ref>

One of fifteen long-distance National Trails in England and Wales, the Ridgeway travels for {{convert|87|mi}} northeast from Overton Hill within the [[Avebury|Avebury World Heritage Site]] to Ivinghoe Beacon near [[Tring]]. At [[Marlborough, Wiltshire|Marlborough]] it meets the [[Wessex Ridgeway]], a footpath opened in 1994 which follows the southwest section of the ancient track into Dorset, as far as [[Lyme Regis]]. At Ivinghoe Beacon the Ridgeway meets the [[Icknield Way Path]] which continues northeast towards Suffolk. The Ridgeway meets the more recent (1997) [[Thames Path]] National Trail at the [[Goring Gap]], where the trails use opposite banks of the River Thames between [[Goring-on-Thames]] and [[Mongewell]]; the Thames Path follows the western bank and the Ridgeway the eastern.

The total height climbed along the path is {{convert|3881| feet}}.<ref name="walkand">{{cite web|title=Ridgeway (Oxfordshire)|url=https://www.walkandcycle.co.uk/trail?trailcode=OXFOTR0037|website=Walk & Cycle|access-date=26 February 2017}}</ref> The official guide to the trail divides The Ridgeway into six sections.<ref>{{cite book |last=Burton |first=Anthony |title=The Ridgeway |publisher=Aurum Press |location=London |year=2013 |isbn=9781781310632}}</ref> It is possible to join or leave the trail at other locations with public transport links, including [[Avebury (village)|Avebury]], [[Swindon]], [[Wantage]], [[Wallingford, Oxfordshire|Wallingford]], [[Princes Risborough]] and [[Tring]].
{| class="wikitable"
|+Sections of The Ridgeway
!Section
!Start point
!Finish point
!Distance
!Ascent
!Descent
|-
|1
|Overton Hill
|Ogbourne St George
|{{convert|14.5|km|order=flip}}
|{{convert|191|m|order=flip}}
|{{convert|264|m|order=flip}}
|-
|2
|Ogbourne St George
|Sparsholt Firs
|{{convert|25|km|order=flip}}
|{{convert|421|m|order=flip}}
|{{convert|352|m|order=flip}}
|-
|3
|Sparsholt Firs
|Streatley
|{{convert|28|km|order=flip}}
|{{convert|242|m|order=flip}}
|{{convert|415|m|order=flip}}
|-
|4
|Streatley
|Watlington
|{{convert|24|km|order=flip}}
|{{convert|400|m|order=flip}}
|{{convert|328|m|order=flip}}
|-
|5
|Watlington
|Wendover
|{{convert|27|km|order=flip}}
|{{convert|550|m|order=flip}}
|{{convert|555|m|order=flip}}
|-
|6
|Wendover
|Ivinghoe Beacon
|{{convert|18.6|km|order=flip}}
|{{convert|408|m|order=flip}}
|{{convert|315|m|order=flip}}
|}
The Ridgeway is one of four [[long-distance footpath]]s that combine to run from [[Lyme Regis]] to [[Hunstanton]], collectively referred to as the [[Greater Ridgeway]] or Greater Icknield Way.

The Ridgeway passes near many Neolithic, [[Iron Age]] and [[Bronze Age]] sites including [[Avebury Stone Circle]]; [[Barbury Castle]], [[Liddington Castle]], [[Uffington Castle]], [[Segsbury Castle]], Pulpit Hill and Ivinghoe Beacon Hill, all Iron Age and [[Bronze Age]] hill forts; [[Wayland's Smithy]], a Neolithic chieftain burial tomb; the [[Uffington White Horse]], an ancient {{convert|400|ft|adj=on}} chalk horse carved into the hillside near Uffington Castle; and [[Grim's Ditch]], a {{convert|5|mi|adj=on|sigfig=1}} section of earthwork near [[Mongewell]] created by Iron Age peoples as a possible demarcation line. Other points of interest include the [[Blowing Stone]] and Victory Drive, the private drive of [[Chequers]] (the British Prime Minister's country retreat).

The Ridgeway's surface varies from chalk-rutted farm paths and green lanes (which have a propensity for becoming extremely muddy and pot-holed after rain) to small sections of metalled roads. Designated as a [[bridleway]] (shared with horses and bicycles) for much of its length, the Ridgeway also includes parts designated as [[Byway (United Kingdom)|byway]], which permits the use of motorised vehicles. [[Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984|Local restrictions]] along many byway sections limit the use of motorised vehicles to the summer months. Under the [[Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000]], many public rights of way in England and Wales that authorities had not explicitly classified as bridleways or byways defaulted to the classification "restricted byway" which precludes the use of motor vehicles at all times, except authorised vehicles and where required for access. As a result, much of the Ridgeway remains prohibited to motor vehicle use by the general public year-round.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ridgeway given 22-mile motor ban |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfordshire/5005478.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=22 May 2006 |access-date=5 November 2007}}</ref> However, the Ridgeway is the only means of access for many farms, especially in the more remote parts of the Downs.

[[File:Restricted byway sign on the Ridgeway near Compton, Berkshire, England.jpg |right|thumb|Sign alongside the Ridgeway indicating a restricted byway on Compton Downs]]
In 2024 the Ridgeway National Trail comprised {{convert|21|mi}} of public footpath, {{convert|14|mi}} of public bridleway, {{convert|20|mi}} of byway (much of which has seasonal restrictions on motor vehicles), {{convert|22|mi}} of restricted byway (all in Oxfordshire and Berkshire) and {{convert|10|mi}} of public road. The {{convert|43|mi}} of the Trail to the west of the River Thames has no sections of public footpath and is therefore open along its entire length to cyclists and those on horseback. The remaining {{convert|44|mi}} of National Trail to the east of the River Thames contains the {{convert|21|mi}} of public footpath in many noncontiguous parts, making it impractical for cyclists and those on horseback to follow this half of the Trail. The Ridgeway Partnership is currently in the process of creating a Ridgeway Riding Route.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cycling the Ridgeway | url= https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/the-ridgeway/cycling/ |access-date=27 March 2024}}</ref> [[File:A family of cyclists riding on the Ridgeway through Hale Wood near Wendover in Buckinghamshire, England.jpg|thumb|Cyclists on the Ridgeway National Trail in the Chilterns]]

Despite the Ridgeway's artificial creation, the TV programme ''[[Seven Natural Wonders]]'' featured it in 2005 as one of the wonders of the South.<ref name=seven>{{cite web |title=Seven Natural Wonders |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/sevenwonders/south/uffington_mm/index.shtml |url-status=dead |publisher=BBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212042828/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/england/sevenwonders/south/uffington_mm/index.shtml |archive-date=12 February 2012}}</ref>