Wessex Ridgeway - Westbury to Tisbury - Day One
Saturday 31st July 2021
First day of the second chunk of the Wessex Ridgeway, from Westbury to Tisbury.
London July 2021
John's Pictures

13:58:45
Teazels close to Westbury station, where I started today's walk.

14:03:15
A distant view of a white horse on a hill from Westbury.

14:20:08
Not sure why I took a photo of the Aldi in Westbury as I was passing.

14:28:15
On the edge of Westbury now.

14:29:29
The Bell in Chalford, on the edge of Westbury. Looked like it might be a nice pub, but it was far too early in today's walk for a stop, and I'm not sure it was open anyway.

14:33:00
Wellhead Drove, where I turned off the main road.

14:33:03

14:34:09
A view of Westbury Hill over a gate.

14:34:45
Headed up this bridleway to climb Westbury Hill.

14:35:55
This was quite hard work in this relatively warm weather!

14:37:22
Beech nuts.

14:37:36
Beech nuts up close.

14:38:20
Looking across Westbury Hill.

14:41:12
Pleased to be in this shady bit.

14:43:04
Please excuse the sweatiness here! I was climbing a hill on a warm day with a backpack to carry.

14:43:26

14:47:32
Nearly at the top of Westbury Hill now?

14:48:01

14:50:42
At least on this path, the views from near the top seemed a little underwhelming considering the effort of getting there.

14:50:45

14:51:33

14:52:17
Alas I was once again back on the Imber Range perimiter path, which I cannot claim to be a fan of, but it was a necessary evil to get to the nicer bits of today's walk.

14:54:27
I think this picture captures the seemingly endless saminess of the Imber Range perimiter path. Although looking back at it now with those fluffy clouds it doesn't look entirely without merit.

14:59:26
Interesting clouds.

15:04:49
I was able to take a shortcut here and cut off a U shaped section of the Imber Range perimiter path.

15:05:35
Although it did potentially incur a bit more up and down as a result.

15:07:28
Nice chalky path. Although perhaps not the most carefree leisurely walk ever, given that immediately to my left hand side here is the edge of the military training area.

15:08:21
Scabious by the wayside.

15:10:20

15:12:29
The other end of the shortcut, where I rejoined the Imber Range perimiter path.

15:12:38
Looks like this shortcut was actually part of the official route of the Wessex Ridgeway.

15:13:26
Unusual to see any kind of political posters etc out in the countryside.

15:13:57
What sort of eggshell is this?

15:19:28
Quite flat around here.

15:22:44

15:25:29

15:28:24
Signposts at a turn in the Wessex Ridgeway.

15:30:39
Grainy photo.

15:35:31
A barn I passed, where I spotted a deer.

15:35:43
Attempt to get a photo of the deer.

15:36:17
...and a video...

15:36:28
...and another video.

15:36:33
...and another photo.

15:36:36
One last photo of the deer before it finally ran off.

15:37:29

15:39:40
The track as it headed towards Warminster.

15:41:26
Me on the track.

15:52:02
Nice old milepost.

15:53:35

15:54:37
A cat on the outskirts of Warminster.

16:12:20
Bit of a gap in the photos as I navigated my way through the very military suburbs of Warminster, before this point where I finally left the road.

16:13:09

16:14:11
Heading up to Battlesbury Hill.

16:16:47
The sign for Battlesbury Hill Fort.

16:16:51
The gate leading to the hill fort.

16:18:31
I quite liked the landscape at Battlesbury Hill Fort.

16:19:10
More scabious here.

16:19:14
Lots of wildflowers in amongst the long grass atop Battlesbury Hill.

16:19:26
The view down from Battlesbury Hill.

16:23:02
I stopped on this little mound for a while, to have a break, and eat a sausage roll I had picked up in Westbury earlier.

16:24:12
My walking boot and some wild flowers.

16:24:14

16:28:50
More of Battlesbury Hill and the view beyond.

16:30:23

16:31:13

16:38:07

16:40:10

16:41:47
Leaving Battlesbury Hill now, and on towards the next in this interest trio of hills.

16:42:29
I quite liked this composition here with the gate and the hills beyond.

16:44:00
Grainy photos.

16:44:04

16:46:59
Onwards to the middle of the line of three hills, which was not very imaginatively named Middle Hill.

16:49:33
Scabious.

16:50:49

16:53:45
The sky starting to look a bit moody at this point.

16:54:44
Heading up Middle Hill.

16:55:47
Unlike its neighbours, Middle Hill didn't seem to have a hill fort on top. Instead, a solitary tumulus.

16:56:22
I think that made it rather atmospheric in a way.

16:56:28
Although thr "no digging" signs were a bit of a shame.

16:57:38
Standing atop the tumulus.

16:57:49
I really liked this spot somehow - what wih the breeze and the changing sky at this point in the afternoon it had quite an atmosphere to it.

16:58:40
The other side of the tumulus.

17:01:28
Heading down the other side of Middle Hill.

17:07:57
Now to the third of the trio of hills, Scratchbury Hill. This had quite a different feel to it again.

17:08:45
Although this had also been a hill fort, like Battlesbury, it felt much more open and windswept.

17:09:02
Nice dramatic skies here.

17:10:16
More of those no digging signs.

17:10:26

17:12:00
Around Scratchbury Hill.

17:15:04
One of the no digging signs had been subsumed into a bush.

17:16:16
A flock of sheep of Scratchbury Hill.

17:20:22

17:20:58
They seemed happily oblivious to the ancient history they were stood on.

17:21:02

17:21:05
Leaving Scratchbury Hill now, another shot with a gate and fields / hills beyond.

17:21:39
The wheat (?) swaying in the wind.

17:21:50
A video walking through that windswept field.

17:23:49

17:25:31

17:26:24
More gates / fields / hills.

17:26:41
Not sure this "gate" was achieving much any more.

17:29:33
Some tumuli further along.

17:30:12
Teazels?

17:31:51

17:31:56
Still feeling quite full of beans at this stage of the walk.

17:41:26
Heading towards Cotley Hill Woods.

17:42:32

17:42:39
Just a short section through the woods.

17:43:42

17:43:56
...and then out the other side, and the path turned to the south to descend into Heytesbury.

17:44:39

17:48:31
A particularly tiny Wessex Ridgeway route marker.

17:48:39
My finger for reference.

17:48:56

17:50:34
I think this was just before I crossed over the A36.

17:54:51
I felt like a pub stop was warranted in Heytesbury, but alas this didn't initially look promising...

17:56:35
Heytesbury Jail?

18:04:09
Fortunately Heytesbury is a two pub village, and the Angel Inn was still open.

18:05:06
Me outside the Angel Inn.

18:30:43
A thatched cottage in Heytesbury.

18:31:21

18:32:07
I followed the river Wylye out of Heytesbury, which was quite pleasant.

18:33:13

18:37:12

18:37:14
A pleasant riverside dwelling.

18:38:28

18:38:37
I think I left the river Wylye here.

18:41:38

18:44:48

18:47:20
...or maybe not, looks like I had another glimpse of the river here.

18:52:24

18:52:43
Very overgrown section of path.

18:53:46

18:54:38

18:58:52
A happily less overgrown path.

19:01:12
Heading under a railway bridge, into the village of Corton now.

19:03:50
This was quite a pretty, sleepy little settlement.

19:04:38
Help yourself.

19:05:58

19:13:39
I decided to stop off at the Dove Inn for another pint, this being likely the last outpost of civilisation I'd be passing by today.

19:13:43
The Dove Inn. The extension here is a bit unfortunate, but I was pleased to pass another pub regardless.

19:15:21
An Alpaca or Llama or whatever in the field opposite the pub.

19:15:37

19:15:39

19:16:09
Bass Pale Ale. You don't often see that in pubs.

19:29:28
The garden at the Dove.

19:37:44
The village green in Corton.

19:39:21
Back to the trail once again.

19:39:24

19:40:07
I followed this track out of Corton, up Corton Hill.

19:44:16
The sunlight was starting to get interesting by this point in the day.

19:45:05

19:45:33
I decided to take a short detour to go and view Corton Long Barrow.

19:47:48
There it is, Corton Long Barrow, at least as close as I could get to it from the footpath.

19:48:03

19:48:53
A short video of Corton Long Barrow.

19:49:32
The sun hanging low in the sky over a field of cows.

19:51:14

19:51:45
A nice tree lined lane.

19:52:55

19:53:04
I was still in rather high spirits at this point, enjoying the walk in the evening sun.

19:55:52
The lane laid out before me.

19:57:27

19:58:34

19:58:44

19:59:43

20:04:43
A feed dispenser or something like that.

20:09:57
More agricultural trappings.

20:12:58

20:20:08
Heading towards sunset now.

20:20:20

20:23:27

20:24:13
Into the woods.

20:27:23
Last glimpses of the setting sun as I headed into the woods.

20:28:13

20:31:17

20:32:28

20:37:45

20:44:13

20:54:04

20:55:17

21:12:01
I eventually found a quiet spot for a rest, and made a late dinner.

21:22:10
The Something to Eat Macaroni Cheese once again.

22:46:36
Not sure what I was trying to take a picture of here, but it was clearly too dark by this point!

22:47:06
You can just about make out the silhouettes of some trees here.