Walking the Ridgeway - East Ilsley Figure of Eight

Our starting point for this leg of The Ridgeway was the beautiful Duck Pond in East Ilsley. Taking great care as their was a cycle race taking place we made our way out of the village.

The walk would take us across the Berkshire or Lambourn Downs. Very well know  as good racing country. We would see lots of gallops and stables as the day progressed no doubt.

The route

Starting stalls on the gallops

Today's route is a bit of a strange affair in truth. A rare figure of eight to try and maximise time on The Ridgeway.

The first part saw us walking parallel to the very busy 34, thankfully we were field side.



It was a strange weather day too. In the sun it was beautiful and very warm. As soon as it clouded over the temperature dropped as the wind got up.

It was particularly cloudy up on Compton Downs. It was here that we crossed the Ridgeway for the first time.

 
East Ilsley is famous from the seventeenth century to 1934 as a venue for sheep markets. It is not hard to imagine the ancient drovers up on The Ridgeway. 
At it's peak up to 70,000 sheep would have filled the village.
 

A34 in the distance

Monument to Hugh Frederick Grosvenor

A stone memorial inscribed with the name 'Hugh Frederick Grosvenor'a 2nd Lieutenant in the Lifeguards is quite understated in the hedgerow. He was killed here in an armoured car accident in 1947 aged just 19.

There seem to be paths veering off in all directions. It is a bit confusing.......

There are lovely views looking down to East Ilsley and across the gallops.

Walking downhill from Compton Downs we bypass the village of Compton Downs. The Saxon name is 'Coombe Town' or 'town in the valley'.

The sun has come out!

 










A familiar site then emerges in the shape of 'Streetley Warren'. Our finishing point fro the walk we did last week of course.

The second part of the loop in our figure of eight sees us going uphill on ' Roden Downs'. With the sun now fully out there are good views towards our old friends the Didcot Powers Station chimneys.

We follow The Ridgeway all the way back to our starting point at East Ilsley.