Five Silver Duke of Edinburgh's Award participants recently took part in a practice expedition, cycling along Britain’s oldest road The Ridgeway, the same route used since prehistoric times by travellers, herdsmen and soldiers. Mr Macpherson, DofE Manager & Head of Outdoor Education, provided this report:
After lessons on Friday 18 October our expedition group departed for the relatively short journey to Wiltshire and the start of the Ridgeway national trail. The plan was to cycle from Overton to Princes Risborough, along the Ridgeway where possible, in preparation for the qualifying expedition in Easter.
The Ridgeway is a walking/cycling route in a surprisingly remote part of southern central England. It travels for 87 miles (139 Km) from its start in the World Heritage Site of Avebury to Ivinghoe Beacon.West of the River Thames, The Ridgeway is a broad track passing through the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Open views of rolling chalk downland and many archaeological monuments are close to the Trail including Stone Age long barrows, Bronze Age round barrows, Iron Age forts and the figures of white horses cut into the chalk. East of the Thames, The Ridgeway travels through the more-wooded and intimate hills and valleys of the Chilterns AONB where, as well as further archaeological treasures, there are several nature reserves rich in the wildlife found in chalk grassland habitats.
The Friday traffic was kind and we arrived at our campsite in good time. After a meal the group set about final planning and preparation for an early start the next morning. In contrast to the preceding week, the following day was forecast to be bright and sunny, and it was hoped it would stay that way for the next three days.
Day one started on a very wet, boggy and uphill part of the trail, however after a bit of a slog the trail levelled out and more importantly dried up. Good progress was then made with great views across the chalky downland and thankfully the trail became easier as the day went on. Even with the weight of the group's kit in trailers, most of the Ridgeway trail is rideable and even better nearly all of it is off road, using byways and bridleways along most of the way.
Our campsite for the first night was in the shadows of Uffington Castle hillfort, an Iron Age fort with its own white horse cut into its ramparts. A great place to finish our first day however the trail had a rather unpleasant sting to the end of the day... We had to leave the Ridgway and follow a short stretch of footpath to reach the campsite and unfortunately we had four kissing gates to negotiate. To achieve this the group had to un-hitch their trailers and lift both their bike and trailer over the gate, re-hitch and repeat at each subsequent gate. Bearing in mind we had been in the saddle for seven hours it was not a happy end to the day... ahhh expedition life!
Day two would bring us closer to home as our next campsite was in Wallingford. After the previous day's fun and games with kissing gates we decided to backtrack along a short stretch of road and pick up the trail once again at Uffington Castle hillfort. Today the group would be less closely supervised to allow them more independence, however I would never be too far away, following on along the trail 30 minutes or so behind. This meant that I could be on hand to assist if required and to supervise any stretches that were needed. At Goring, the Ridgeway becomes a footpath for a section and a detour along the Swans way was required to allow the group to cycle to Wallingford. This final leg of the day was soon over and a tired group arrived at their campsite with just enough time to set up their tents and cook a meal before it got dark. Another long day in the saddle.
Day three would present a slightly more challenging day navigationally as the route followed several different trails, criss-crossing the Ridgeway on the Swans way and short sections of other bridleways. Our target was Princes Risborough where our support vehicle would be waiting for us. Some good lessons had been learnt over the previous two days and the group travelled efficiently and confidently along their route. Although legs were tired after three days in the saddle they made good time and soon arrived at the end of their journey, just as it started to rain.
There were a few challenges along the way however I think the group enjoyed the journey. Travelling such a long distance along bridleways and byways with only a few short sections on minor roads made the journey all the more rewarding. The practice expedition is designed to allow expedition groups to find out what works and what doesn't so that they arrive on their qualifying expedition fully prepared. I think a lot was learnt from this trip and the group are now looking forward to their qualifying expedition in Wales during the Easter break.
