On Tuesday 21st October, 12 of us travelled up to Badbury National Trust wood to meet up and start a three day walking break based from Marlborough. The first walk was led by Rob Jones-Owen. The second and third day's walks would be led by Barbara Macdonald. The forecast for the week was mixed with storm Benjamin heading our way so we had to be ready for any weather other that a heatwave! Fiona was able to join us for this first day's walk and returned home afterwards.

Day 1 Badbury and Coleshill circular walk. Distance 11 miles. Tuesday 21st October

It was a mostly overcast day as we met in the car park at Badbury Hill. This was a new area for most of us. Rob introduced us to the area and explained that Badbury Hill had been an Iron Age settlement but now all we could see was an impressive stand of trees on the circular footprint of the settlement. We started by a walk through and around the wood and then headed off to Great Coxwell. There we visited an enormous stone barn that was almost large enough to be a small cathedral. Modern dating techniques have found that the roof timbers were cut in the winter of 1291 and so the barn was most probably built in 1292. It was built by the monks of Beaulieu Abbey for storing all manner of grown produce and provide an undercover threshing area. Centuries later, threshing by hand eventually became steam driven. Animals were also kept in the barn. Under the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII the barn fell into private ownership and was eventually bequeathed to the National Trust in 1956. Throughout its over 700 years it was used for the same farming purpose. It has had a new roof and the original wooden beams treated against beetle and woodworm attack. Now the barn is used for cultural and heritage activities, celebrations, drama and musical performances amongst many less original activities.

Moving on we made our way to Coleshill. This is a pretty village with a large “Model Farm” complex. The original Palladian Manor House burned down in 1952. The farm complex was used in WW2 as a secret training centre for Churchill’s resistance and is now a Rural and Heritage Skills Centre. School groups come there for activity days. We had our lunch here and cafe and toilets were available. Continuing on we walked through lower lying farmland, past a gang of power workers reconductoring a high voltage line (to my great interest!) and on to Buscot Park where we stopped on a bridge and our customary group bridge photo was taken. On the way we spotted a tree with a tiny pixie house and pixie garden immediately surrounding it at the bottom of the tree. Our return to the cars took us around a field to avoid a herd of frisky cows that Rob encountered on his recce. We thanked Rob and said goodbye to Fiona and set our sat-navs for Marlborough where we all met up again for our excellent evening meal and settled down for the night.

Day 2 Avebury and West Kennet ancient landscapes. Distance 13 miles. Wednesday 22nd October 

It was a very pleasant surprise to wake up to blue skies and sunshine. After a hearty breakfast we set about the complexities of moving ourselves and our cars to both the far end car park and the start car park trying to remember in which cars to leave our boots and comfy shoes. Barbara started this walk, which was a linear walk from a quiet car park not far out from Marlborough to Overton Hill car park near West Kennet. Our walk took us out through a sun-drenched valley of cattle and Grey Wether stones. These sandstone boulders were deposited during the last ice age and looked dramatic set in the green grass and surrounded by the golden autumn colours of trees. Barbara had to leave us at this point and Denise ably took over as our leader. We soon crossed over The Ridgeway long distance path and continued on the Wessex Ridgeway until we arrived at Avebury and its enormous circular henge. There we stopped for coffee at the visitor centre. Our new walking member, Maria, chose to sit and enjoy the sunshine while the rest of us headed off to conquer Windmill Hill, a couple of miles further away. Despite good instructions from Barbara, who had recced the route quite recently, we met a lady walking her dog who insisted that the way we had planned to go was no good and was rutted and muddy making it virtually impassible. In the end we decided not to offend her by ignoring her uncompromising advice and took her preferred and longer route. We will never know just how bad our intended route would have been. We all suspected it would have been no challenge to us Hillingdon Ramblers! Arriving at Windmill Hill we had great views of the surrounding countryside. Running a bit late we headed back to Avebury where Maria was probably on her 10th coffee and still sitting in the sun! We had our lunch but the much anticipated Cornish Pasties had all sold out so soup was our lunch. We were given time to explore before we headed off again. Some of us checked out the circular ring of stones and were amazed to discover that main roads had been driven right through the ring decades ago, removing some stones in the process. Clearly the importance of this ancient site was not in the minds of the road planners.

Heading out after lunch we walked along the standing stone avenue before climbing up Waden Hill where, on the other side, we looked down on the magnificent and mysterious Silbury Hill. No-one really knows what its purpose was but it certainly looks amazing. Crossing the road from Silbury Hill, we next called at West Kennet Long Barrow and with phone torches switched on, entered the dark interior burial chamber which is 5,500 years old. All of us having emerged intact, we continued on to our final monument, called The Sanctuary. At a mere 4,500 years old this was a ceremonial monument comprising stone and wooden circles. Now it is represented by short painted concrete posts positioned at the locations of the original stone and wooden posts. Across the road, we were glad to find our two cars still present and locked in the remote car park between travellers vans and we made our way back to Marlborough having had a most interesting day.

Day 3 Hungerford to Marlborough. Distance 13 miles. Thursday 23rd October

With Storm Benjamin supposed to have hit us overnight, we were pleasantly surprised to find it fairly calm and dry when we opened our bedroom curtains. The forecast had changed and it was going to come later that day. Undaunted and plans unchanged, we headed to Hungerford. Jackie’s satnav had taken her the pretty way so arrived a while after my car. Parking tickets sorted, we set off and through the churchyard to arrive shortly at the Kennet and Avon canal. The first few to arrive immediately took the opportunity to help open a swing bridge to allow through a rather tatty and smoky narrow boat. That fun over, we continued along the towpath for about 15 minutes and crossed the canal where we took a group picture. A passing walker kindly took our picture so we are all in it this time. Our route then took us along fields and over several small river bridges to arrive at Littlecote House. At the end of a long lime-tree-lined drive was the magnificent Grade 1 listed house glowing red with the autumnal colours of its ivy-clad walls. It is now a Warner hotel but had previously been owned by Henry VIII and was where Henry was introduced to Jane Seymour. Taking our boots and rucksacks off we went in and sat in their timber clad tea room where those that wanted had coffee and cake. Service was slow so this took rather longer than Barbara had intended. The cakes were nice though! There was just time for a quick look around the old house. It certainly was stunning and oozing with character. A haunted bedroom and fully equipped chapel were just two of many rooms. Leaving the main house and walking out through the garden some of us made a short detour to see the remains of a Roman house that was on this site. Only the bottom of the flint encrusted walls remain but these are remarkably intact. Of particular importance was a beautifully preserved mosaic floor from The Orphic Hall. This mosaic was perfectly flat and appeared in as good a condition as when it would have been laid in around AD 360. Thankfully it is under an open wooden framed roofed structure to help preserve it. 

History over, we walked on in the sunshine to catch up the others. Our route then took us into the pretty village of Ramsbury. It was then that storm Benjamin paid us a visit. Our return route to Marlborough took us along a high and largely exposed hillside track with spectacular views looking over the River Kennet valley. The wind had whipped up and rain fell all the rest of the way back. The time for stops and viewing was over although even in the driving rain the colours of the Autumnal scenery were delightful. Heads down, we walked on and the countryside gave way to the sight of Marlborough but there was one last wooded stretch to go through before dropping down on a steep and, by now, slippery path to the main road near our hotel. It was a good test of our rain gear this afternoon. I know mine had failed. We thanked Barbara for arranging this holiday for us and all the work that goes into it. Some had decided to head home and some were staying one more night. One final task of returning our cars to the correct places was required and then a hot shower and change from our wet clothes. Our stay at this Premiere Inn had been very comfortable and the hotel restaurant surprisingly good. Our 3 days had clocked up 96,000 steps on my phone but fine dining had not resulted in any weight loss!

Frustratingly, the following day was glorious sunshine but it made the drive home very pleasant, at least until we encountered the M25!

Report by Simon Thornhill