Long before motorways and railways, Britain was crisscrossed by ancient paths. Prehistoric trackways followed chalk ridges above the impenetrable forests. Roman engineers laid arrow-straight roads to move their legions. Medieval pilgrims walked from shrine to shrine. Drovers herded cattle hundreds of miles from Welsh hillsides to London markets. These historic routes still exist, many now quiet green lanes or footpaths, waiting to be rediscovered.
Walking or exploring these forgotten roads offers a unique way to experience Britain. You follow the same paths as Stone Age traders, Roman soldiers, Canterbury pilgrims, and Welsh drovers. The landscapes have changed, but the routes endure, offering a connection to thousands of years of human movement across this island.
The Ridgeway: Britain’s Oldest Road
A Path Across 5,000 Years
The Ridgeway has a claim to being Britain’s oldest road, a prehistoric route that once stretched over 250 miles from the Dorset coast to the Wash in Norfolk. For at least 5,000 years, and possibly much longer, people have walked or ridden this high chalk ridge, which provided dry, clear passage above the densely forested and often waterlogged lowlands.
The modern Ridgeway National Trail preserves 87 miles of this ancient route, running from the World Heritage Site of Avebury in Wiltshire to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire. Designated as a National Trail in 1973, it passes through two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: the open chalk downland of the North Wessex Downs in the west, and the gentler, more wooded Chilterns in the east.
Why the High Ground?
Prehistoric travelers chose the Ridgeway for practical reasons. The chalk uplands were naturally drier than the clay valleys below, easier to clear of vegetation, and offered commanding views that provided early warning of potential danger. The route became a trading path, a drove road, and eventually a military route. Bronze Age chieftains, Iron Age warriors, Roman legions, and Saxon armies all used this ancient highway.
What You Will See
The western section of the trail, between Avebury and the Thames at Goring, is particularly rich in prehistoric monuments. Avebury itself, with its massive stone circle and mysterious earthworks, is one of Europe’s most important Neolithic sites. Walking east, you pass Barbury Castle, an Iron Age hillfort with panoramic views; Liddington Castle, another hillfort traditionally associated with King Arthur; and the haunting long barrow of Wayland’s Smithy, where legend says a traveler could have their horse shod by leaving a coin.
The most famous landmark is the Uffington White Horse, a highly stylised Bronze Age figure carved into the chalk hillside. Below it lies Dragon Hill, where St George supposedly slew the dragon, and the dramatic natural amphitheatre of the Manger.
Walking the Trail
The Ridgeway is one of the easier National Trails, following well-waymarked paths that never rise above 300 meters. Most walkers complete it in about a week, though the western half (Avebury to Goring) takes only three to four days and offers the most dramatic scenery and ancient sites.
Practical Information:
- Length: 87 miles (139 km)
- Time: 5-8 days for the full trail; 3-4 days for the western section
- Start/End: Avebury, Wiltshire to Ivinghoe Beacon, Buckinghamshire
- Difficulty: Moderate; suitable for most abilities
- Best Season: Spring to autumn; some sections can be muddy in winter
The Icknield Way: Stone Age to Game of Thrones
The Oldest Road in Britain?
The Icknield Way runs from Norfolk to Wiltshire, following the chalk escarpment of the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills. Some historians argue it is the oldest road in Britain, predating even the Ridgeway. The route may have been in use from the Mesolithic period (before 4000 BC) and was certainly established by the Neolithic era (4000-2000 BC), making it potentially 6,000 years old.
The name is Celto-British in origin and may derive from the Iceni tribe, the people of Boudicca, who may have established or formalised the route to facilitate trade from their East Anglian homeland. However, some scholars suggest the name has Old English origins, leaving the question open.
Literary Connections
The Icknield Way has inspired writers for over a century. The poet Edward Thomas walked and wrote about the route in 1911, publishing his account in 1913. His journey influenced the contemporary nature writer Robert Macfarlane, who begins his celebrated book The Old Ways by walking sections of the Icknield Way. Perhaps most surprisingly, George R. R. Martin used the Four Highways, including the Icknield Way, as the model for the Kingsroad in his A Song of Ice and Fire novels.
The Modern Trail
The Icknield Way Path, designated a Regional Route in 1992, follows 110 miles of the ancient route from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Knettishall Heath in Suffolk. This allows walkers to connect directly from the Ridgeway, continuing the coast-to-coast experience.
The trail passes through rolling chalk countryside, historic market towns, and quiet villages. It connects with the Peddars Way at Knettishall Heath, and together with the Ridgeway and Wessex Ridgeway, forms part of a 363-mile coast-to-coast walking route.
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The Pilgrims’ Way: In the Footsteps of Chaucer
From Winchester to Canterbury
The Pilgrims’ Way is the historic route supposedly taken by medieval pilgrims traveling from Winchester, the ancient capital of England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. Becket was murdered in 1170 and canonised in 1173, and for the next 365 years until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538, his shrine was the most important pilgrimage destination in England.
However, the physical path is far older than the Christian pilgrimage. Archaeological evidence dates the underlying trackway to 600-450 BC, with probable use extending back to the Stone Age. Like the Ridgeway and Icknield Way, it follows the natural causeway of a chalk escarpment, taking advantage of the dry, easily cleared high ground.
The Canterbury Tales
The Pilgrims’ Way gained literary immortality through Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, written in the late 14th century. Chaucer’s vivid cast of pilgrims, from the noble Knight to the bawdy Wife of Bath, offers an incomparable portrait of medieval English society, and the poem has kept the pilgrimage route alive in public imagination for over 600 years.
Walking the Route Today
Much of the traditional Pilgrims’ Way is now part of the modern road network, but walkers can follow the parallel North Downs Way National Trail for much of the journey. The full route from Winchester to Canterbury covers approximately 138 miles, typically walked in about two weeks. An alternative route from London to Canterbury, following the ancient approach from Southwark, is around 90 miles and takes about a week.
The landscape varies from rolling chalk hills and ancient woodlands to the orchards and hop gardens of Kent. Churches, medieval bridges, and old inns mark the route, offering tangible connections to the medieval pilgrims who passed this way.
Practical Information:
The Fosse Way: Rome’s Frontier Road
The Longest Roman Road in Britain
The Fosse Way was one of the most important roads in Roman Britain, running 220-230 miles from Exeter (Isca Dumnoniorum) in the south-west to Lincoln (Lindum Colonia) in the north-east. Built in the mid-first century AD, it is the longest Roman road in Britain and one of the straightest: from Lincoln to Ilchester in Somerset, a distance of 182 miles, it never deviates more than six miles from a straight line.
A Frontier and a Highway
The name comes from the Latin fossa, meaning ditch, suggesting the road may originally have been flanked by defensive ditches. For the first few decades after the Roman invasion of 43 AD, the Fosse Way marked the western frontier of Roman rule, separating the conquered lowlands from the unconquered lands beyond. Later, as Roman territory expanded, it became a major trade and military route connecting important settlements.
The road linked some of the most significant towns in Roman Britain: Exeter, the capital of the Dumnonii tribe; Bath (Aquae Sulis), with its famous hot springs and temple complex; Cirencester (Corinium), the second-largest town in Roman Britain; Leicester (Ratae Corieltauvorum); and Lincoln, a major legionary fortress and colonial town.
Exploring the Fosse Way Today
Much of the Fosse Way survives as modern roads, including sections of the A46 and A429. However, some stretches remain as quiet lanes, bridleways, or footpaths, allowing walkers to experience the route more intimately.
Highlights include Bath, where you can visit the remarkably preserved Roman baths; Cirencester, with its excellent Corinium Museum displaying Roman mosaics and artifacts; and Lincoln, where the Newport Arch survives as the only Roman arch in Britain still used by traffic. Original wheel ruts are preserved in the Roman road beneath St Mary’s Guildhall in Lincoln.
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Wade’s Causeway: Mystery on the Moors
Roman Road or Prehistoric Monument?
High on Wheeldale Moor in the North York Moors lies one of Britain’s most enigmatic ancient roads. Wade’s Causeway, also known as Wheeldale Roman Road, appears on maps dating back to 1720 as a Roman road, and for centuries was believed to be part of a route running from Malton towards the coast near Whitby.
The visible section is a little over a mile long, consisting of an embankment of soil, peat, gravel and stone about two feet high and between 13 and 23 feet wide. The exposed foundation layer gives the impression of an ancient paved road crossing the wild moorland.
Changing Interpretations
However, recent scholarship has questioned the Roman attribution. Some researchers now suggest the structure may be medieval, or possibly not a road at all but a much-modified Neolithic or early Bronze Age boundary feature. English Heritage has acknowledged that the balance of opinion now favors a prehistoric rather than Roman origin.
Whatever its age, Wade’s Causeway remains an atmospheric and mysterious place. The name derives from a local legend that the road linked the homes of two giants: Wade, who lived at Mulgrave Castle, and his wife Bel, who lived at Pickering Castle.
Visiting the Site
The best-preserved section crosses Wheeldale Moor and is managed by English Heritage. The site is freely accessible and can be reached on foot from Goathland or by car via a minor road from the A169. The surrounding moorland offers spectacular views and the chance to spot wildlife including red grouse and curlew.
Practical Information:
Drovers’ Roads: The Cattle Trails of Britain
Moving Livestock Across the Land
From the Middle Ages until the coming of the railways around 1900, Britain’s roads echoed to the hooves of cattle, sheep, and even geese being driven to market. Drovers, professional herdsmen, walked vast distances from the uplands of Wales, Scotland, and northern England to the markets of London and other major towns.
The scale of this trade was immense. At its peak in the 18th and 19th centuries, tens of thousands of animals made the journey each year, traveling at an average of about two miles per hour. The cattle wore iron shoes for the journey; geese had their feet dipped in tar or were fitted with leather boots; sheep were often rested in traditional stopping places still marked on maps as “sheep wash” or similar names.
The Drovers’ Routes
Many of today’s major roads follow ancient drovers’ routes, including sections of the A5 in Snowdonia, the A44 through mid-Wales and the Welsh Marches, and parts of the A1 and the winding A303. Roads that were never paved have become byways, bridleways, or green lanes, offering quiet walking and riding routes through the countryside.
Drovers’ roads were typically wider than ordinary roads, often 40 to 90 feet across, to accommodate large herds. They frequently followed high ground to avoid tolls and enclosed farmland. Along the way, drovers’ inns offered accommodation and refreshment, and smithies shod the cattle for the harder English roads ahead.
Walking the Drovers’ Roads Today
Many sections of historic drovers’ roads are now accessible as footpaths and bridleways. The Pennine trails follow ancient packhorse and drovers’ routes, while numerous local paths trace the old cattle trails through Wales and the Marches.
A particularly rewarding resource is the book The Drovers’ Roads of the Middle Marches by Wayne Smith, which documents the history of these routes and provides detailed guidance for 16 circular walks along them. The localdroveroads.co.uk website, maintained by a dedicated enthusiast, catalogues shorter stretches throughout Wales and the borders.
Practical Information:
Finding and Exploring Historic Routes
Using Maps and Research
Ordnance Survey maps are essential tools for exploring historic routes. The Explorer series (1:25,000 scale) shows public rights of way, including footpaths, bridleways, and byways open to all traffic. Historic routes often appear as straight lines across the landscape, cutting across modern field boundaries in ways that betray their antiquity.
Place names offer clues to historic routes. Look for “Street” (from the Latin strata via, paved road), “Way,” “Path,” “Lane,” “Causeway,” and “Holloway” (a route worn deep into the landscape by centuries of use). Welsh names containing “sarn” (causeway) or “ffordd” (road) often indicate ancient routes.
Practical Considerations
Footwear and Equipment: Historic routes can be muddy, overgrown, or poorly defined. Sturdy walking boots, waterproof clothing, and detailed maps are essential. A GPS device or smartphone app can help when waymarking is unclear.
Rights of Way: In England and Wales, public rights of way allow access along defined routes regardless of land ownership. Respect the Countryside Code: close gates, keep dogs under control, and leave no trace.
Seasonal Variations: Many ancient routes become muddy or waterlogged in winter. Spring and autumn often offer the best conditions, with moderate temperatures and relatively dry ground.
Accommodation: Long-distance routes like the Ridgeway and Pilgrims’ Way are served by villages and small towns offering accommodation and refreshments. Camping may be possible with landowner permission.
Guided Walks and Resources
Several organizations offer guided walks along historic routes. The Long Distance Walkers Association maintains detailed information about hundreds of trails across Britain. National Trails provides resources for the Ridgeway and North Downs Way (parallel to the Pilgrims’ Way). Local walking groups often organize themed walks exploring Roman roads, drovers’ routes, and other historic paths.
The Appeal of Ancient Roads
Walking an ancient road offers something that few other experiences can match. The physical act of placing your feet where countless others have walked, century after century, creates a connection across time that goes beyond intellectual understanding. The landscape may have changed, forests cleared and fields enclosed, but the path endures.
There is also the practical appeal of routes chosen by people who understood the land intimately. Ancient paths follow contours, avoid obstacles, and take advantage of natural features in ways that modern roads, designed for speed, often ignore. Walking these routes, you begin to see the landscape as earlier travelers saw it: the reasons for each turn, the logic of the high ground, the wisdom of the old ways.
Britain’s historic routes are a precious and often overlooked heritage. They deserve not just preservation but use, for it is only by walking them that we can truly understand what they meant to the countless travelers who came before us.
Conclusion
From the Stone Age to the Victorian era, Britain’s roads tell the story of how people moved, traded, worshipped, and conquered. The Ridgeway and Icknield Way preserve routes that may be 5,000 years old or more. The Fosse Way shows the ambition and engineering skill of Rome. The Pilgrims’ Way connects us to the medieval faith that drew millions to Canterbury. The drovers’ roads remind us of a vanished economy of cattle and sheep moving across the land.
These routes are not museums. They are living paths, still walked and explored, still offering the joy of travel and discovery. To follow them is to join a line of travelers stretching back to prehistory, to understand Britain not as a series of destinations but as a network of journeys. The old roads are waiting, and they have stories to tell.
