Cycling from Avebury to Stonehenge: I did it byway

This ride was inspired by an episode of the recent Channel 4 series 'Walking Through History' in which Tony Robinson walked between the two neolithic monuments at Avebury and Stonehenge, taking in some of the ancient sites in between. I decided to try and design a cycling equivalent, and this ride is by way of an initial recce. It also fulfils my curiosity to visit the Larkhill military training areas of Salisbury Plain. This is a live firing zone, hence can only be visited by the general public on non-firing days. A call to the ranges access line on 01980 674763 revealed that the ranges would be open for the May Day Bank holiday weekend. The weather forecast for Saturday was for a sunny day with light winds, so I chose that day.

I loaded the mountain bike in the car and drove down to park in the National Trust car park at Avebury (free to members), and set off on my bike at around 10am. Here is a map of my route.

Having briefly visited the Avebury Stone Circle inside its embankments, I followed NCN route 45 paralleling the Avenue of stones, then on through East Kennett, skirting the hill with Adam's Grave atop (I didn't climb up to it) and, looking back, getting views of the Alton Barnes White Horse. This range of hills seems to have no collective name: it looks like it would make a great ridge ride or walk in its own right. In contrast to my native Surrey, the countryside hereabouts is wonderfully open, great views to distant horizons all round.

At Honeystreet, I crossed the Kennet and Avon Canal and pressed on to the A342. Here was the only real snag to my journey: the bridleway up Wilsford Hill, which was a quagmire in its lower reaches. Hopefully it dries out for the summer. I pushed up the hill, emerging with relief on solid ground at the crest of the hill, where the training area opened out before me. An excellent stone track skirts the Eastern side of the range: make sure you check that the red flags are not flying, and don't stray onto paths which enter to live firing area. I rode round to Larkhill. Apart from a few walkers, two Chinook helicopters overhead and a pair of Protected Mobility Vehicles which emerged from the undergrowth, I had it all to myself.

From Larkhill, I stopped off at Durrington Walls and Wood Henge to munch my sandwiches, then followed the byways to Stonehenge: truly is a ride through pre-history (see map above, plus the informative NT walking route), passing the Cuckoo Stone, following the old military railway, viewing the Cursus, to arrive at a gate giving access to the Avenue. DO NOT CYCLE OVER THE MEADOWS HERE: DISMOUNT AND PUSH. In truth, there was nothing visible on the ground, just a flower meadow grazed by cattle, but it was great to approach Stonehenge itself by this ancient route, lining up with the Healstone to arrive at the fence separating me, on my own, from the hordes arriving from the visitor centre. You can't access the road directly, you exit by skirting the edge of the old parking area, which is now being dismantled. (You cannot get up to the henge itself without buying a ticket.) I cycled up the old A344 (now closed to all vehicles but visitor buses) to the new visitor centre a mile and a half away. Here be loos and a cafe - and crowds of visitors.

Here the return journey began: up to the Bustard Inn and back across the range on the 'central' road, which starts as tarmac, but reverts to stone, with quite a few water-filled potholes - again, narey a soul was seen, and there were distant views all round. Having reached the car park at Redhorn Hill, I decided to descend via the metalled road, rather than risk another muddy byway. My original plan was to cross the 'White Horse Hills' on one of the several bridleways. However, (a) being by now knackered and (b) fearing more mud, I returned the way I came on NCN45. Arrived back at the car at about 1800.

I look forward to returning to explore more of the ancient sites on the way, which time did not permit first time round. The ride also revealed, perhaps ironically, how the military ranges have preserved a haven for nature: surely one of the most peaceful, best preserved and extensive natural areas in southern England.