Walking the Ridgeway - West Ilsley loop

Something of a strange shape to the route today! I call it the Porpoise. Been a while since we ventured onto The Ridgeway. But today we are back in Horse Racing country the other side of the A34in West Ilsley.

Leaving the motor in the village we found the footpath that leads to the Ridgeway. Initially it was a bit overgrown so a slight detour around the edge of a cornfield was needed in order to get back on the designated path.

Once again the racing gallops ran side by side with the path. Being mid morning any horses had long since gone after their early morning work.

The 2 Furlong Gallops marker

Wild Flowers and insects

It was a beautiful Midsummer's Day, quite hot but bearable nevertheless.  The wild flowers were really flourishing and attracted all sorts of Butterflies from, Marbled Whites, Gatekeepers , Speckled Woods, Ringlets and Red Admirals.

Lots of Ragwort on the edge of the gallops,strange in a way as it is highly toxic to horses. I suppose that they don't hang around long enough to have a nibble though.

The bold black-and-gold stripes make the Cinnabar Caterpillar  easy to identify.  As well as being the cinnabar caterpillar’s main food plant, ragwort supports more than 40 other insect species and is an important source of nectar.

They actually benefit from its toxicity by eating enough of it to become toxic themselves, and their colourful stripes are a warning to predators: I’m poisonous and taste terrible, don’t try to eat me.

Eventually they will metamorphose into red and black  Cinnabar Moths.

Sun and Shade

 It always feels good to be on The Ridgeway, that feeling of all those who have trodden the same path over the centuries. My walking companion wouldn't agree though . Having completed all of The Cotswold way he finds this walk a bit tame and lacking the features of The Cotswold Way. I think the circular routes that we do make the walk more interesting for sure but I would be happy just on The Ridgeway.


It's funny because you do see other walkers and cyclists on The Ridgeway but as soon as you veer off then you don't see another soul. We did see plenty of wildlife though. Birds including the obligatory Red Kites, Buzzards , Kestrels and a Hobby. It was great to see a Hare at close quarters , closely followed by a Roe Deer.

This stage of the walk is very interesting for historians with ancient burial mounds and hill forts regular sights. The first of which is the 'interestingly' named iron age site Scutchamer Knob. We had to divert a little off the track to find out a little more. It is also known as Cuckhamsley Hill is an early Iron Age round barrow surrounded by a copse of trees.
Originally called Cwichelmeshlaew or Cwichelm's Barrow, it is recorded as having been the place where King Edwin of Northumbria killed Cwichelm of Wessex in AD 636. It is now is a semi-circular bank with a round front. Its appearance may have changed in part due to vandalism based on the belief it was used to hoard treasure.In truth there is little to see now but worth the detour nevertheless.

Scutchamer Knob

Leaving The Ridgeway

Leaving The Ridgeway we follow paths that will eventually takes us back to the village of West Ilsley. Didn't see any shops in the village but there was a decent pub 'The Harrow' and a nice looking cricket club. Had a decent pint of 'Tribute' in the pub sitting outside overlooking the cricket pitch. a nice 10 mile walk .

The pond in the village of WI

WI Cricket Club