I walked the Ridgeway with Alex, a friend from work who wanted to get out and walk more but was locked in the flat-lands of the south with little motivation to get himself out at the weekend without the impetus of meeting up with someone. I provided that impetus and he provided the excuse for me to drive down to find the hills south of Birmingham.
Our first walk together was a traverse of the Malvern Hills. As we both drive up from different directions we have the luxury of two cars, which means we can do a linear walk, using one car at each end, rather than being restricted to the traditional compromise of a circular walk.
We would meet at a point designated as the end of the walk – selected for good parking facilities, proximity to the actual path and within a reasonable walking distance of the point we designated as the start of the walk. We would leave one car in the parking place I’d identified and then drive back to the start point where we’d leave the other car. We would then walk along the path to the first vehicle and then drive back to collect the second. Sounds simple doesn’t it? But I think Alex still struggles to grasp the principle of meeting at the end of the walk, rather than at the beginning!
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2 thoughts on “Ridgeway 2010”
I am going to walk the way this spring. Would appreciate any comments or help on how to go about the places to stay. Reserve or wing it???
Monte, I would recommend you buy the Trailblazer guide book for the Ridgeway; as with all their guides it’s completely comprehensive and will give you the best information on accommodation, getting to and from the walk and loads of other information. You can find it here: http://trailblazer-guides.com/book/ridgeway
I walked the route in sections, using a car, so can’t really say much about the B&Bs along the route. Depending on what you mean by spring, you are probably walking early enough to avoid the busy periods, but it is a National Trail so you need to balance the two.