The Ancient Ridgeway and Avebury Cycle Tour

About

Your personal guide Steve will lead you on The Ancient Ridgeway and Avebury Cycling Tour.
Our adventure begins at Avebury, take a journey to a deeply significant World Heritage Site to Avebury, Wiltshire. There is still much mystery surrounding Avebury and this tour will take you through some of the fascinating history along the way. We begin our journey riding away from Avebury village towards Silbury Hill. This striking hill is Neolithic and was constructed by hand. The reason for its existence is unknown. Leaving Silbury Hill, we have a short ride along the A4 with West Kennet Long Barrow in the distance on the right hand side. We then pick up the Ridgeway, the oldest trail in Europe and an ancient byway and begin our ascent onto the Marlborough Downs. Taking a right fork, we leave the Ridgeway and pass through Sarsen stones as we cross Overton Down. Here you will find the Devil's Den, a dolmen burial chamber, which is also Neolithic. Travelling through The Gallops, a racehorse training area, we start our first decent through the villages of Rockley and Ogborne Maizey before picking up some of the old railway line between Marlborough and Swindon.
We then join the Ridgeway again near Ogborne St George from where you will be offered spectacular views across the surrounding downland. We will make a pit stop for a packed lunch/refreshment break in woodlands along the Ridgeway. From here, take a seat on the bench and look across Swindon. We pass by the earthworks at Liddington Castle, a late Bronze Age/early Iron Age hillfort before dropping down onto the road and picking up the Old Ridgeway onto a steep climb towards Barbury Castle Country Park. Here, once more, you can expect some stunning views. We will cycle right through Barbury Castle hillfort as we continue our journey along the Ridgeway.
We will have the opportunity to view one of Wiltshire's White Horse chalk carvings, Hackpen White Horse. One of eight white horse chalk carvings found in Wiltshire, this horse dates from 1838 and was commissioned to mark the coronation of Queen Victoria. Shortly after, we take a right hand turn along the byway – this is rutted in places but makes for a fun and bumpy ride! Passing through a farmyard, we can see the impressive Avebury Stone Circle in the distance. We travel through the sacred Avebury henge which is believed to have been constructed between 2850 and 2200BC. We will spend some time here soaking up the history with plenty of chances for photos by the stones.
Duration: 4 to 5 hours
Distance: 27 Miles Elevation gain over the total ride: 1,840 ft (560M) with some challenging climbs and descending
Types of bike: Gravel, Mountain, and E-Mountain
Terrain: Roads, bridleways and byways including roots and loose stones
Is this Ride For Me: You Will need reasonable fitness and be confident in mountain bike handling skills
We recommend bringing the following:
Warm Clothing Dependant on weather on the day - additional layers recommended
Waterproofs Dependant on weather on the day - waterproof clothing recommended
Food Refreshments for on-ride refuelling e.g. energy bars
Drink Sufficient water or energy drinks
Bikes must be in good safe and working order; puncture repair kit, spare inner tube & bike pump also required. Cycle helmets must be within the manufacturer's warranty period (3 years from the date of manufacture). More details on all the above will be sent after booking has been confirmed
Maximum riders: 5
Fully Qualified Mountain Bike Leader – Level 2 Qualification Accredited Through British Cycling
DBS Checked
Approved Fully Qualified Outdoor First Aid
Public Liability Insurance Through British Cycling
A riders information form will be sent by email once your booking has been made and will need to be completed and returned to us prior to the activity date.