Walk from Ogbourne St George to Sparsholt: Day 2 The Ridgeway

The walk today from Ogbourne St George to Sparsholt, has two sides. First, there is a lot of prehistoric history, with Wayland’s Smithy and the oldest chalk hill figure in Britain. Some optional detours to see a dutch style house with an interesting history, some more Iron Age Hill forts, and the famous blowing stone.

Looking across the red leafed covered ground to the stones of Wayland's Smithy on the walk between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt.

It is basically the section of the Ridgeway where you will have the most stuff to see. It is also today that you will cross over from Wiltshire to Oxfordshire.

A dirt trail covered in red fallen leaves, and lined with tall bushes, when walking between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt.

The other side is the less fun side.…

What to expect on the walk

Most of the walk between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt is on hard ground. There is a bit mud and softness to give your feet a break. But not enough. By the end of the walk, my feet were burning and I had blood blisters.

A blue big road sign saying 'Ridgeway National Trail' when walking between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt. There is a road sign picture above it of an adult and child walking.

A path leading straight ahead, lined with grass and bushes.

A mud road leading straight ahead, lined with strips of grass, and some trees on the right and bushes to the left.

A wide walking path leading downhill, lined with bushes with green and red leaves, on the route between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt. There is a person and their dog ahead on the path.

A road leading ahead on the road, with a green hedge and white walled cottage on the left side, and trees and bushes on the right side.

This was probably exacerbated by the fact that in the 16 miles and 5.5 hours of walking, I only stopped once. For 4 minutes for lunch. I started the walk much later than I should have (for good reason, which I explain in the route description), which meant my daylight hours were running out. I didn’t have time to stop.

There is also a motorway crossing. The crossing is easy over a bridge, but it’s very loud and aggressive.

Looking down and along the motorway on the walk between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt. There are cars driving along the motorway. The road is lined with orange and red leafed trees on both sides.

Apart from these things, it was a lovely walk. With lots of nice far reaching views. There are a few hills, but nothing aggressive. The main one is at the start of the walk out of Ogbourne St George, to get you back up to the ridge.

Looking across the grass field to a valley ahead.

Looking aver the top of red and green leaved bushes to mist covered fields and hills in the distance, on the walk from Ogbourne St George to Sparsholt.

Looking over the tall grass to undulating fields, with red and green leafed trees dotted about, as far as the eye can see.

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Logistics

Start: Ogbourne St George, Wiltshire. SN8 1SE.

Finish: Sparsholt, Oxfordshire. OX12 9PL
Distance: 16 miles
Time: 5h 30min

Difficulty: Easy trail, moderate due to the length.
Terrain: Lots of hard ground. Plus dirt trail, mud, puddles, grass.
Elevation gain: 750m

Dog friendly: No stiles. No loose livestock seen. The (only) accommodation in Sparsholt is not dog friendly.
Time of year: Autumn

You can read about Day 1, Avebury to Ogbourne St George here. Or day 3, Sparsholt to Goring and Streatley here.

Amenities when walking between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt

Elm Tree cottage south of Ogbourne St George (and on the trail) has a water tap. It’s privately owned, so you need to ask to use. There is another one at some barns just over halfway into the walk towards Sparsholt.
The Burj Indian Restaurant 6 miles into the walk (im not sure if you have to pre-book). A takeaway stall at the Ridgeway Farm, 8 miles in. It’s called Helen Browning’s Flying Pig, and uses food sourced from the farm. It’s only open Wednesday to Sunday (10am to 3pm).
The Star Inn at the end in Sparsholt has a restaurant.

There is nothing else along the trail itself. There are optional detours, which I explain in the route description below.

A wooden sign in the grass, pointing left for drinking water, on the walk between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt.

Public Transport

The X5 and 80 goes to Ogbourne St George from Swindon (30min) and Marlbourgh (10min). Sparsholt has nothing, so you have to spend the night.

Accommodation

In Sparsholt, you have one option. The Star. It’s not the cheapest place, and I was at first a bit salty having to pay for it. However, I was very happy when I got there. It’s quite nice. Much nicer than the places I usually stay in. The bed was a bit soft for my liking, but I got over it. They offer breakfast, and a restaurant dinner.

In Ogbourne St George, you can stay in either the Inn with the Well, or The Sanctuary. I stayed in The Lamb Inn, in Marlborough (10min down the road from Ogbourne St George). These are all dog friendly.

Map for the walk from Ogbourne St George to Sparsholt

You can see my more detailed route map for the walk from Ogbourne St George to Sparsholt on Alltrails. You can also download a GPX file from here.

An old wooden trail signpost nestled within the bushes, pointing left and back along the ridgeway, between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt.

Tips for walking from Ogbourne St George to Sparsholt

Leave early to allow time for exploring off the trail. There are lots of things to see on this one.

Take some blister plasters.
The route today is well signposted, however, I found that some of the signs were a little hidden (I explain the full route below, so don’t worry).
Take snacks, as there are no shops en route. Consider taking lunch (pre-made or freeze dried), unless you are OK with walking down off the the trail to find a pub. There is a restaurant on the trail, but it’s early in the walk between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt, so may not tie in for lunch time. If you are doing the walk on the weekend, then you will have a food truck option. The rest of the time, you won’t.

If you are not already staying in Ogbourne St George, when you get the bus in, get off at the bus stop Southend. The bus driver didn’t know this stop, so keep an eye on the map so you can press the bus bell for it. It is the first stop south of Ogbourne St George. The ridgeway trail starts from around here.
Less of a tip, and more something to be aware of, at the end, you have to leave the Ridgeway to reach Sparsholt. It’s just under 2 miles off the main trail.

Route description: Ogbourne St George to Sparsholt

I woke up today to a lot of rain. A lot. After checking multiple weather channels, I settled on the one that told me it would stop at midday. Then went and had my breakfast. I had specifically chosen the room rate without breakfast included, but my confirmation email told me my breakfast was included, so I went with it.

Check out was 10am, so I waited until the last moment to leave, then after a quick stop at Waitrose to pick up my lunch for the day, I sat down under the bus shelter and waited.

I really needed to start the walk now. I had a long day of walking ahead of me to reach Sparsholt, and if I waited until midday, I would run out of daylight hours. So I got on the bus, then turned around and got back off. Then spent the next 20min trying to find out the risks of lightening.

I had a choice to make. Walk in the rain, or wait and walk in the dark. At 11am it was still raining, but I decided I preferred the rain to the dark, and got on the bus to take me back to Ogbourne St George.

Oh, did I mention it’s my birthday today?

Start the walk from Ogbourne St George to Sparsholt

I cheated a little today. Rather than go back to where I left the Ridgeway yesterday, I decided to pick it up where it joins the main road. That only seemed logical, as the bus stops right next to it. As it’s my birthday, I’m allowed.

Off the bus, the trail is on the right side of the road (when looking north) next to the Elm Tree Cottage. It was nice and wet and muddy, just as I expected. From here it’s gently uphill.

A big muddle of water on the muddy trail, with green bushes and a black wooden trail signpost on the left side, at the start of the walk from Ogbourne St George to Sparsholt.

A muddle trail leading straight ahead, lined with green bushes.

(If you are already staying in Ogbourne St George, you can walk south along the road to reach the Elm Tree Cottage, to start the walk to Sparsholt).

For some time, the trail is sheltered by the trees. I was very pleased by this. Apart from being sheltered from the elements, all the wonderful colourful autumn leaves gave me good vibes.

At the junction with the stone walls, continue straight, then at the road, continue straight across.

A muddle trail junction, with a wooden trail signpost on the left, and an opening in a stone wall ahead, The stone wall is mostly hidden by overhanging tree branches and bushes.

A muddy trail surrounded by green and red leafed trees overhanging on the walk from Ogbourne St George to Sparsholt.

Looking across the road, with the wide dirt trail leading straight ahead, with bushes and trees to the right, and a cottage with red car parked in front to the left.

As you get higher up, you will start to get some views through the trees, then at the next junction, turn left.

A wide dirt trail, lined with trees and green ivy.

A junction with a wooden trail signpost pointing left to walk along the Ridgeway towards Sparsholt from Ogbourne St George. — Turn left here

Walk out in the open

The trail now levels off. For some time you will be on a path that can be a mix of hard, muddy, and puddle ridden. Going between openness (the rain had luckily stopped by this point) with some gorgeous views, and tree bushes with no views.

A wide muddy dirt trial with a big puddle covering it. The trail is lined with short hedges.

A narrow dirt trail leading straight ahead, lined with tall green leafed bushes.

Looking over the bushes towards a white walled cottage nestled within the trees, when walking between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt.

I wondered what the prehistoric people would think. That one day people would be walking the whole length of the road for fun.

When you reach the country road, take a left, then at the main road, go straight across.

A road running diagonally left, with a wooden trail signpost and trees and bushes on the other side. There are a few fallen orange leaves on the ground. — Go left here

Looking across there road, to the walking path on the other side, running alongside a field. — Go straight across here

After a bit more openness, you will be sheltered by trees again. Go straight across another junction, then someway further along, follow the path as it curves to the right. Just past this curve, there is the option to curve to the left, or go straight. You want to curve left. There is a Ridgeway sign here, but it’s hidden in the trees.

A walking path leading straight ahead, dotted with puddles, and lined with strips of overgrown grass. There are fields on both sides of the path.

A wide dirt trail covered in fallen leaves, and lined with bushes and trees.

A trail junction, with a wooden signpost on the corning on the right. There are bushes and trees lining the trail that leads ahead. — Go straight here

A muddy wet dirt trail leading straight ahead, lined with bushes and trees.

A gravel path as it curved to the right through the bushes. There is a wooden trail sign at the curve. — Curve right

A junction in the gravel path, with a mass of bushes in the corner of the junction. — Curve left here

The views

Just past the curves (up a hill btw), you will suddenly have the most wonderful views. Slightly further along, there are a bunch of trees with a wooden bench, for rest and view admiring. As I was on a strict schedule to reach Sparsholt, I would be doing no sitting today. So I admired the views as I walked.

Looking down and across an expanse of fields which are lined with trees, as far as the eye can see, on the walk between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt.

A dirt walking path with fields to the left and big trees on the right. There is one big tree with branches overhanging the path. There is a wooden bench below that tree.

If you look ahead to the left, you should be able to make out the ditches of Liddington Castle (an Iron Age Hill Fort).

Strips of thin trail leading straight ahead through the grass, surrounded by large fields, on the walk towards Sparsholt from Ogbourne St George. — The Liddington Castle ditches are visible in the far left of this photo

Keep going, then when you reach a bit where there is a trail fork offshoot to the left, take it.

A split in the thin dirt trails, as they run through the grass. There is a hill ahead to the left. — Go left here

This next little bit can be particularly muddy if it has rained. I was slipping about too much for my liking, so tried to hug the grass.

A thin muddle trail leading ahead through the grass, with a crop field to the left and a hill ahead.

The next junction can be a little confusing. What you want to do is turn left, then almost immediately right to walk up a gentle hill along the edge of the crop field.

A thin dirt trail through the unkempt grass, with an orange crop field hill ahead. — Turn left here

The thin trail curving ahead up the hill, with overgrown tree grass on the right and an orange crop field on the left. — This is the almost immediate right turn

It was at the top of this hill that I saw my first dear of the trip.

Looking across the brown crop field to two dear running across the horizon, on the walk between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt.

Liddington Castle and the M4

Keep following the trail surround by fields and views, then at the gate junction, you can turn left to go and see Liddington Castle. I didn’t do this as I had no spare time. For the Ridgeway, stay straight.

Looking down across the large grass hill field, to a mass of woodland trees ahead. The leaves of the trees are in varying shades of green and red. — View to the left

A metal gate and fence with a wooden trail signpost on the right.

At some point you will start to hear the road. It’s a big one. A motorway.

The trail takes you downhill on a gravelly path to first reach the smaller road. Turn left here, then turn right at the next road.

A thin gravel path leading downhill on the left on the walking route between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt. There are fields to the right, and a hill ahead with groups of red leafed trees up it.

A road running left to right, with a grass field on the other side leading to a tree covered hill. There is a wooden trail signpost in front of the road, pointing left.

A big road leading ahead to the left, and a smaller road leading off it to the right. — Turn right here

There is no nice path for walkers here. What you are given is the grass verge. In an effort to keep my feet dry (the grass was unkempt and wet, and I have holes in my waterproof hiking boots), I attempted to walk on the road. But it was the hardness of it (as opposed to the cars) that scared me back onto the grass.

A road with a grass verge on the right side.

After crossing over the M4, you have more road with no thought for hikers. You will then pass by a few houses, then at the junction, continue straight passed the Indian Restaurant with lots of flags outside.

A long road leading ahead, lined with trees. The trees on the right are leafless, the trees on the left have a mix of green, orange, and red leaves. There is a thin grass verge on both sides of the road.

A road leading ahead diagonally left, with attached houses on the other side. There is a red telephone box next to the houses.

After yet more road, you will reach a wide dirt road, going off the main road, on the right. Take it, and continue on the trail up the hill.

A road lined with bushes and trees with green and red leaves. There is a muddy dirt verge on the left side, covered in fallen red and orange leaves.

A road, with a dirt path leading off it to the right. The path leads between some bushes and trees. — Turn right here

The hard ground

Once you reach the top of the hill, for a very long time (for most of the rest of the walk to Sparsholt in fact), the ground will be hard. Hard and relentless. There are some nice views though.

A gravel road leading straight ahead, lined with steps of unkept grass. There is a white car parked on the road ahead. There are a few straggly trees lining the road ahead.

Up here, you will be level-ish for a little bit, before descending to reach a junction. To the left through the gate, you will see a really interesting valley. If I had the time, I would go and explore. If you want to explore, you can walk through the valley and down to Bishopstone, which I have read is quite picturesque. If you want to make your walking days shorter, you also have the option to stay there.

A trail sign pointing left and right along the ridgeway, on the walk between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt. The sign is in front of a metal gate, with a field and valley on the other side.

For the Ridgeway, stay on the main path, and at the junction, turn left.

A wide path leading straight ahead, lined with strips of grass and bushes on the left side.

Cross from Wiltshire to Oxfordshire

Going forward, you will pass some more junction (where you stay straight), and the Ridgeway Farm with the pigs. This is the halfway point in the walk between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt. This is also where you will find Helen Browning’s Flying Pig food stall. If you have the right day (Friday/Saturday/Sunday), this would be a good lunch stop.

Big puddles on the path, with a junction head, and some farm buildings.

Looking over the bushes to the field with pigs.

A path covered in fallen leaves. The path is lined with bushes and trees, with one tree with light orange leaves hanging over the path.

Staying straight, you cross from Wiltshire to Oxfordshire (unfortunately there aren’t any signs to symbolise this), and you will next reach some barns with a drinking fountain. I didn’t test the fountain, as I was good for water, and it was about 10 meters to the left which I didn’t want to do. So I can’t comment on if it works.

A path junction, with road signs in the grass on the corner of the junction.

Deja Vu and possible detours

After more straight, and more hard ground, you should come across a sign for the Rose and Crown down the hill. This is a dog friendly pub with accommodation in Ashbury. It’s about 10 miles into the walk, so would be another option to stop for lunch. It is down a hill though. Which means you would have to come back up. It would also be a good point to end the walk for the day if you want to keep the days shorter.

A walking trail leading straight ahead with a strip of grass down the middle and unkempt grass lining either side. There are some bushes and tree lining the trail ahead.

A dirt path leading ahead and then curving to the right, lined with tall bushes. There is a chalk board Sogn on the left side of the path pointing down the hill for the Rose and Crown pub.

I know this sign. I have walked here before. I knew this meant I was near to Wayland’s Smithy and the famous White Horse.

If you would like another detour, you can also turn right here, which will lead you to Ashdown House (this is where I walked to last time I was here). It’s a dutch style big house, which has been described as the perfect dolls house. It has an interesting history which I describe on that walking guide which you can read about here.

Lunch

I was pretty hungry by this point, in the past 10 miles I hadn’t even had a snack. I didn’t have the time to stop. I decided to keep going a little further to reach the next road junction where there was car parking, hoping there would be a bench there. There wasn’t. So I stayed standing and gave myself 4 minutes to finish my food before continuing on.

A parking area, with cars parked on the right side, and a man with his dog ahead.

That 4 minutes of standing still, was enough to make starting walking hard again. The feet were burning at this point.

Wayland’s Smithy

After some more hard ground walking along a tree lined trail, you should see a left trail with information. Go that way to see Wayland’s Smithy.

A thin walking trail, lined with overgrown grass, and a field spread out on the right side.

A thin gravelly dirt trail lined with strips of grass, and tall bushes with green, orange, and red leaves.

A black wooden trail signpost pointing left and right for the ridgeway. the sign is in front of some bushes.

The trail leading through a wooden gate, with red leafed trees and bushes ahead.

I have been before, but decided to give up some precious time to go and look again.

It’s a Neolithic long barrow from around 3700 BC, with chambers where human remains have been found. You can read a bit more about the history on the English Heritage website.

A dirt ground covered in fallen red leaves, with the stones of Wayland's Smithy ahead, partway through the walk between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt. The area is surrounded by trees with orange leaves.

Big stones at the opening of the chamber of Wayland's Smithy. The gourd in front is covered in fallen red leaves. There are trees behind it with orange leaves.

White Horse Hill

After Wayland’s Smithy, continue back along the Ridgeway, going straight at a few more junctions, as you make your way up the hill. At the top, when you reach a gate on your left, this will take you to Uffington Castle (another Iron Age hill fort), which is the highest point in Oxfordshire. Then on to the oldest chalk hill figure in Britain.

A road and trail junction, with grass and bushes un the corners. There is a road sign in the corner of the junction ahead.

A narrow walking path lined with long grass, bushes and trees.

A wet grass trail leading ahead on the right, and a wooden gate in the wire fence to the left. there is a large grass field on the other side of the fence and gate. — Turn left here if you want to see the Uffington White Horse

The Uffington White Horse dates back some 3000 years. You can’t see it very well. You need to be in the sky for that.

As you know by now, I didn’t have time for detours, so I didn’t go and have a look. You can see what it’s like on my Uffington White Horse walk guide. The hills and views over there are stunning, so I recommend it if you have the time.

The final stretch of the walk to Sparsholt

At this point, the end is near. And today, so was the dark. The sun would be setting soon, so I hurried along, keeping a fast pace.

Staying straight past the White Horse Hill gate, when the fence turns left, stay on the path that goes straight.

A split in the muddy grass trail, with grass fields ahead as far as the eye can see. — Take the right fork

The left will take you down to Britchombe Farm where there is a campsite, and cream tees in the summer.

The trail will now take you on a mix of level and downhill, with one surprise (potentially muddy) uphill across the road.

A walking trail leading ahead, lined with tall grass on the left and short grass on the right. There are some red leafed trees ahead.

Looking over the tall grass to an orange crop field.

A dirt trail with a few puddles, lined with grass and red and green leafed trees.

A road cutting across the frame, with a wide dirt trail leading straight ahead on the other side. The trail is lined with bushes and trees, with one trees branches overhanging, full of orange leaves.

The Blowing Stone

At this road, you do go straight across to continue the trail towards Sparsholt, however, there is an optional detour to see something cool. If you turn left, down at the bottom of the road is the Blowing Stone. This stone has lots of holes, and if you blow into the correct ones, you can produce a booming sound.

Legend says it was used by King Alfred to summon his Saxon troops for battle.

Staying on the Ridgeway though, after the muddy uphill, it will level off, with a view to a hill ahead. Don’t worry, this hill is for tomorrow. You want to take a left at the junction just below it.

A muddle trail with a strip of grass down the middle, and lined with straggly bushes.

A trail leading straight ahead, towards a hill ahead, near the end of the walk between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt. There is tall unkempt grass on the left side of the trail.

A junction in the muddy grassy dirt trail. There are a few bushes and trees ahead. — Turn left here

The long way home

It was at this point that I breathed a sigh of relief. I had made it…sort of. I had left the Ridgeway, and just had to walk to Sparsholt now. Although, any form of civilisation looked very far away.

A dirt trail leading straight ahead, covered in fallen red leaves near the end of the walk between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt. There are green leafed bushes on the left side, and an orange leafed tree on the right, with its branches hanging over the trail.

I put that out of my mind, and slowed down a little. If it got dark now, it didn’t matter too much.

The descend down was gentle, but also never ending. Everything was now hurting, and for the first time I started to wonder if I could make it. If my legs and feet would carry me to the end. In the 16 miles between Ogbourne St George and Sparsholt, I had stopped for 4 minutes for lunch only. I had no snacks, and I didn’t sit down at all.

Was it the adrenaline of trying to make it before dark that kept the pain away? Now that I was more chilled, it all came out.

The end

I don’t have any photos for the last bit of the walk into Sparsholt, as by now the sun had set, and it was very dark.

To get there (and to the Star) Inn, when you reach the road at the bottom, turn right, then take the first left a short way along. Continue along the road, and at the junction, turn right. This leads to you Sparsholt. When you reach the end of that road (which is surprisingly long), turn left, and the Star Inn will be a short way further on the right.