Hiking Club News - Ridgeway Hike by James M - March 2024

Ridgeway Hike

By James M, Year 9

On Saturday 16th March 2024, a group of eight boys and two teachers set off on what might’ve been their most challenging hike yet.

I stepped out of the car and approached the school gates. The cold breeze hit me as I walked over to the group, who were stepping onto the coach. Luckily for me, we only had to wait for a few minutes before getting in. After counting to make sure we were all there, Mr Matthews climbed into the front of the coach and we set off. The drive was to Wendover, an important landmark in ‘The Ridgeway’. The entire route spans from Avebury to Ivinghoe Beacon, and it’s been used since ancient times, although we would only be walking across the last section.

After we arrived, everyone stepped out of the coach. We had parked just outside the Church. We walked up to the town centre and were given half an hour to look around the town and buy anything if we wished to do so. The group spent this time in various ways. Mr Matthews and Dr Reda chose to visit Rumsey’s Chocolaterie, a popular chocolate shop, and some others did too. Meanwhile, a few people wandered into the shop to stock up on sweets and confectionery (a common theme is that no one bought anything particularly healthy).

When the time elapsed, we all wandered back to the coach and put what we didn’t need for the hike inside. Mr Matthews explained a surprisingly complicated coach plan to us, which involved Dr Reda departing for the first leg of the journey. After this, Mr Matthews decided that it was time to do some hiking on the hiking trip, so we set off.

The first section of the walk involved us walking along a road near some farms and some houses that (according to Francessco) looked quite similar to those from Fallout 4. We also spotted a runner that (for some reason) inspired the majority of the group to speed up significantly. Following our short burst of energy (no doubt thanks to the sugar), we had to wait for the slow people to catch up before continuing at a decent pace. 

After this road eventually ended, we crossed the barrier into Wendover Woods. It was one of the most challenging parts of the hike, thanks to its incredibly steep uphill sections. The fact that Kristian and Francessco forced me to run up there with them didn’t exactly help. 

We did get to the top eventually. After waiting (once again) for the slow people, we made our gradual descent down the hill. The less challenging nature of the descent allowed me to admire the view of the woods we were walking through. After we reached the bottom, we continued to walk until reaching a strange indent in the ground that would be best described as a trench. The pioneers of this trail, in all their wisdom, decided that it was the best place to walk, so we did just that. With the promise of reaching Dr Reda at the end of this trench, we ran ahead once again, leaving those slowpokes in the dust.

We emerged from the woods to see Dr Reda waiting for us at the side of the road. Daniel and Mr Matthews then appeared, ‘coincidentally’ talking about Physics when they did. After waiting for everyone else to catch up, we walked down that road for a while. It was fairly empty and the walk itself was uneventful, aside from when we passed a pylon. Multiple people proposed that we attempt to climb it, but Mr Matthews (likely fearing the paperwork) decided that we should move on.

We then found a gate and ventured back into the woods, with the same order falling into place. However, before we could carry on walking, Kristian and Francessco decided that it would be an amazing idea to climb up an incredibly steep slope for absolutely no reason. Some others joined in, and the more cautious of us allowed them to tire themselves out.

During our walk across these woods, we came across an incredible view on the side of the hill we were on. This is where we stopped to have lunch. After resting and taking in these views, we set off once again. Shortly after this, we met up with Mr Mason, who decided to accompany us for this section of the hike. We went through these woods, which used to belong to the Rothschild family, an incredibly wealthy family who set up a prestigious school not far from where we were.

We then departed the woods and walked along a road for a short while, before going across a grassy path. We were then met with some nice, open terrain to finish off the walk. We were nearing the end of the hike. However, it wouldn’t be that easy. We were met with a massive and extremely steep hill that we had to climb down. Most people chose to run down, though others played it safe and walked to the bottom safely. That was far from the worst part. Now was the time for the walk back up that dreaded hill. 

By the end, we were all breathing heavily and most of us were lying on the ground. It absolutely cemented this walk as our most challenging one yet. Still, we had to get back up. We were not yet at Ivinghoe Beacon. 

Struggling, we all stood up and began to walk. Our pace was, admittedly, slower here than it had been for most of the hike up until then. Ignoring that, we made our way up the plethora of twists and turns until we could see the beacon. Using this as inspiration, a few of us chose to sprint straight towards it and get there way before the others. Upon seeing the beacon, we slumped down onto the ground, once again out of breath. We had made it. 

After waiting for the others to catch up, we all admired the stunning views, took a group photo, then walked back to the car park where the minibus was waiting. We got in there and all decided to rest. Upon checking, Mr Matthews found that we had walked a grand total of 13 miles! Our longest hike yet! 

In conclusion, I, and everyone else who went, enjoyed the hike very much and I’m sure we’re all looking forward to the next one. If you’re reading this and would like to come, remember that there’s always a space for you.