Wantage is a good base for walking and cycling in the Vale of White Horse and on the North Wessex Downs. The Ridgeway National Trail runs along the top of the downs just south of the town, and quiet lanes link the villages across the Vale. You can stay overnight in Wantage or one of the villages, or at the Court Hill Centre, on the Ridgeway itself.
Walks near Wantage
We have mapped 14 walks around Wantage, from short strolls along the Letcombe Brook to full days on the Ridgeway and White Horse Hill. Each one has a route map, distance, difficulty, where to park, a GPX download and the pubs and cafés on the way.
Some favourites:
- The Ridgeway: often called Britain’s oldest road, with wide views over the Vale. Park at Court Hill, above Wantage on the A338, or at Segsbury Camp above Letcombe Regis.
- White Horse Hill: the Uffington White Horse, Uffington Castle and Dragon Hill, about six miles west of Wantage. See the countryside around Wantage.
- The Letcombe Brook: a chalk stream that runs from Letcombe Regis through Wantage to Willow Walk nature reserve, with easy walking and plenty to see.
Printable walks from the Vale and Downland Museum
These older routes can be downloaded and printed. Copies are also available from the Vale and Downland Museum in Wantage, which can suggest historic walks around the town too.
- Route 1: the Dudley Iles Nature Trail, part 1
- Route 2: the Dudley Iles Nature Trail, part 2
- Route 3: Victorian Wantage, part 1
- Route 4: Victorian Wantage, part 2
- Route 5: Old Grove walk
- Route 6: White Horse Hill walk
- Route 7: Stockham walk
- Route 8: Aeroplane walk
- Route 9: Springfield walk
- Route 10: Harcourt walk
Letcombe Brook discovery trails
The Letcombe Brook Project has two short discovery trails, one in Wantage and one in Grove: see Letcombe Brook walking trails. Printed copies are at the Vale and Downland Museum.
Cycling in Wantage
The best way into local cycling is Cycling UK Wantage, the local group of Cycling UK (formerly the CTC). It covers Wantage and the surrounding towns and villages, and runs a programme of rides for all abilities. Other sports and cycling clubs are in the sports clubs section of the directory.
The Vale is mostly flat and crossed by quiet lanes, so it suits easy rides between villages. The climb up to the Ridgeway is steep, and the Ridgeway itself is a rough byway in places, better on a gravel or mountain bike.
Cycle routes
More walking and cycling trails
For trails across the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire, see southernoxfordshire.com, the visitor website run by the two district councils, and the Ridgeway National Trail website.