Day-by-day trail itinerary
The Ridgeway: 6-day itinerary
The Ridgeway is a 139 km National Trail across the chalk of southern England, from Ivinghoe Beacon in the Chilterns to The Sanctuary at Overton Hill near Avebury, along a line of track that has been in use for thousands of years. Its two halves walk quite differently: wooded Chiltern escarpment with villages close by east of the Thames at Goring, and open downland ridge with very little on it to the west. Around a quarter of the route is byway open to all traffic, which is why the western half is rutted and why motor vehicles are lawfully on parts of it outside the winter restriction.
Choose your pace
Compare The Ridgeway itineraries
A practical starting point
6 days from Ivinghoe Beacon to The Sanctuary
Use these daily distances and overnight stops as a starting point, then customise the trip in the planner.
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1
Day 1: Ivinghoe Beacon → Wendover
18.4 km · 223 m ascent · 4h52–6h52 (about 5h43, incl. ~57m of stops)
Via Ivinghoe, Pitstone, Aldbury, Tring Station, Cow Roast, Wigginton, Tring, Cholesbury, Buckland Common, St Leonards, The Lee -
2
Day 2: Wendover → Watlington
27.7 km · 424 m ascent · 7h26–10h30 (about 8h45, incl. ~1h28 of stops)
Via Ellesborough, Little Hampden, Little Kimble, Great Kimble, Askett, Cadsden, Monks Risborough, Whiteleaf, Princes Risborough, Horsenden, Lacey Green, Bledlow Ridge, Bledlow, Chinnor, Kingston Blount, Aston Rowant, Lewknor -
3
Day 3: Watlington → Streatley
24.8 km · 282 m ascent · 6h30–9h10 (about 7h38, incl. ~1h16 of stops)
Via Cookley Green, Park Corner, Nuffield, Ipsden, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, North Stoke, Cholsey, Moulsford, South Stoke, Goring-on-Thames, Lower Basildon -
4
Day 4: Streatley → Letcombe Regis
23.2 km · 289 m ascent · 6h–8h28 (about 7h04, incl. ~1h11 of stops)
Via Aldworth, Compton, East Ilsley, Chilton, West Ilsley, Farnborough -
5
Day 5: Letcombe Regis → Hinton Parva
17.2 km · 188 m ascent · 4h26–6h16 (about 5h14, incl. ~52m of stops)
Via Letcombe Bassett, Sparsholt, Kingston Lisle, Woolstone, Ashbury, Bishopstone -
6
Day 6: Hinton Parva → The Sanctuary
27.6 km · 277 m ascent · 7h08–10h05 (about 8h24, incl. ~1h24 of stops)
Via Liddington, Chiseldon, Ogbourne St Andrew, Ogbourne St George
Solve the practical questions
Plan The Ridgeway with confidence
Route-specific answers from Trailstrider's researched trail data, with the planner ready when you want to turn them into your own trip.