Chalk ridges, hill forts, and a gradual path to the sea
The Wessex Ridgeway is a long-distance self-guided travel route linking walking routes, landscapes, and places across Wiltshire and Dorset, running from Marlborough to Lyme Regis on the Jurassic Coast. Often described as the continuation of The Ridgeway, it extends the line of ancient tracks across southern England, following high ground and open countryside toward the sea.
Much of the route stays on elevated chalk ridges. Paths cross open fields and grassland, with wide views over farmland and valleys on either side. Climbs are steady rather than steep, and progress follows the natural shape of the downs, moving from one crest to the next.
Earthworks and hill forts appear regularly along the skyline. Mounded ramparts, chalk figures, and ancient boundaries mark the long history of movement across these hills. Woodland gathers in the valleys, while hedged lanes and quiet tracks link small settlements and farms.
Towns such as Blandford Forum and Beaminster provide natural pauses between longer stretches of open ground. Further south, the chalk gives way to softer hills and pasture before the route descends gradually toward the coast, where Lyme Bay and the cliffs of the Jurassic Coast come into view.
Chalk, pasture, and open sky shape this inland ridge walk — a steady crossing of Wessex that follows high ground from upland downs to the sea.
Trail Overview
Distance
Approx. 87 miles / 140 km
Typical time on foot
7–10 days
Start
Marlborough, Wiltshire
Finish
Lyme Regis, Dorset
Terrain
Chalk ridges, farmland tracks, woodland sections, river valleys, villages, and market towns
Waymarking
Greater Ridgeway / Wessex Ridgeway markers
