Sheep Down

Restricted byway going past the Chilton to Ridgeway path heading towards Downs Lane

Restricted byway heading towards the A34 junction

From Folly Barn the junction with the bridleway to Folly Down

Bridleway passing Folly Barn heading to Bury Lane

The A34 is a major road which runs from the A33 and M3 at Winchester in Hampshire, to the A6 & A6042 in Salford, Greater Manchester. It forms a large part of the major trunk route from Southampton, via Oxford, to Birmingham, The Potteries and Manchester. The road is in two sections. The northern section runs south through Manchester and Cheadle, and bypasses Handforth, Wilmslow and Alderley Edge, before passing through Congleton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, and the southern suburbs of Stoke-on-Trent. It then continues south via Stone, Stafford, Cannock and Walsall, passes through the middle of Birmingham (where it briefly merges with the A41), before meeting the M42 motorway at junction 4 south of Solihull. The southern section begins some 50 miles (80 km) to the south, at junction 9 of the M40 motorway, 10 miles (16 km) north of Oxford. It continues south as the western part of the Oxford Ring Road, crossing the River Thames on the A34 Road Bridge. It then bypasses Abingdon, Didcot, and Newbury before finally finishing just east of Winchester, at junction 9 of the M3 motorway. This part of the A34 is dual carriageway throughout. Together with parts of the M3 and the M40, the southern section of the A34 forms an important route carrying freight from Southampton to the Midlands. Because of the volume of traffic, bypasses were built along this route; at Newbury on the A34, and at Twyford Down near Winchester on the M3, but these were controversial for environmental reasons and were the scene of significant direct action environmental protests in the 1990s. Instead of cutting a short road tunnel through Twyford Down, the entire escarpment was carved-out and the motorway placed through it. (abridged from Wikipedia Link )

A crop of oil-seed rape viewed from a footpath just south of the south of the Ridgeway.

Approaching the A34 from the west.

Carved stone post by the A34, in parish of East Ilsley (West Berkshire District), Kate's Gore Hill; half way up, just into Berkshire, on wide grass verge beside dual carriageway, on West side of road. Ilsley gable, erected by the Andover & Chilton Pond turnpike trust in the 18th century. Inscription reads:- To NEWBURY 11 ILSLEY 2 ABINGDON 9 OXFORD 15 1776 Milestone Society National ID: BE_ABNE09

The car park to the west of Bury Lane, for access to the Ridgeway. Lots of potholes that fill with water in rain. There is another car park that is slightly smaller to the east of Bury Lane.

The car park to the east of Bury Lane, for access to the Ridgeway. There is another car park that is slightly larger to the west of Bury Lane, which can be seen in the distance.

Looking from The Ridgeway at Bury Down, an area of downland on the Berkshire/Oxfordshire border. The landscape beyond is in Oxfordshire.

Looking towards the A34 on The Ridgeway.

Looking towards the A34 on The Ridgeway.

A public bridleway from The Ridgeway towards Folly Down. The bridleway runs to West Ilsley.

Looking towards the car parks on Bury Lane on The Ridgeway.

Looking north from The Ridgeway towards Oxfordshire. The line of the trees in the distance is roughly where the county border is.

Looking towards the A34 on The Ridgeway.

Looking towards the A34 on The Ridgeway. To the right a restricted byway heads towards West Ilsley.