Walking (and wild-camping) on the Ridegway
Discussion
Has anyone walked the Ridgeway?
Usually in the summer me and my mates will go for a hike/wildcamp/climb a mountain etc (Wales or Lake District), but this year it doesnt look like its going to happen, so i was wondering about doing the Ridgeway (solo).
I had thought of doing it across 2 days via mountain bike, now im toying with the idea of 4-5 days hiking instead.
Ive heard that while wild camping is illegal in England, land owners along the Ridegway will usually turn a blind eye if you are respectful (this is from the National Trails website). I havent yet studied the route in detail but wondered how easily people found spots to camp - did you wait till it was almost dark to set up? Did you camp in woods or just at the side of the trail?
Ive never done that much walking before - never that many days on the trot either - but im reasonably fit and have a good range of lightweight kit. I'd try to avoid carrying litres of water by taking advantage of taps on the way, and would probably treat myself to a few pub meals along the way to supplement my own food.
Would love to hear your heroic accounts of doing it
Usually in the summer me and my mates will go for a hike/wildcamp/climb a mountain etc (Wales or Lake District), but this year it doesnt look like its going to happen, so i was wondering about doing the Ridgeway (solo).
I had thought of doing it across 2 days via mountain bike, now im toying with the idea of 4-5 days hiking instead.
Ive heard that while wild camping is illegal in England, land owners along the Ridegway will usually turn a blind eye if you are respectful (this is from the National Trails website). I havent yet studied the route in detail but wondered how easily people found spots to camp - did you wait till it was almost dark to set up? Did you camp in woods or just at the side of the trail?
Ive never done that much walking before - never that many days on the trot either - but im reasonably fit and have a good range of lightweight kit. I'd try to avoid carrying litres of water by taking advantage of taps on the way, and would probably treat myself to a few pub meals along the way to supplement my own food.
Would love to hear your heroic accounts of doing it
I walked the Ridgeway a few years ago. I did two three day stints a fortnight apart due to time constraints. On both halves I made one wild camp and one stop at a campsite. The basic rule is arrive late, leave early, leave no trace. I usually stop and eat while it's still light and then press on a bit further until the light starts to go. I usually do my walks around the equinoxes in March or September so that it starts getting dark around seven pm. I have also walked the Cotswold Way and the South Downs Way, both end to end, both with only one campsite stop.
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