Urchfont to Bratton

We slept better and the other guests returning from a wedding in the early hours didn't really disturb us. Breakfast was a repeat of yesterday's lovely meal, but with no-one to talk to we were easily ready to leave Isobel Cottage (Beckampton B&B) at 9am. We'd booked a taxi for 9.15am but it was waiting for us as we crossed the road to the Waggon and Horses and the driver took a more direct (so less expensive) route back to Urchfont, though still cutting through Etchilhampton to avoid Devizes. The taxi dropped us back at the Lamb Inn in Urchfont. The sun was just coming out (it obviously hadn't see the weather forecast which was for cloud all day) and it stayed dry all day, with some high cloud in the late afternoon. The countryside was glorious as on the past two days of walking, but today we began our circumnavigation of the firing ranges of Salisbury Plain, and the stretches on the wide track alongside the ranges were rather hard on the feet and rather dusty, especially given the large number of 4x4s that were driving along, apparently just for the fun of it. It's not a hobby that I can begin to understand!

I'm getting ahead of myself. We started by exploring Urchfont a little further. It has a lovely duck pond, surrounded by historic buildings, with the Church behind. We walked up to the Church but didn't go inside because it was a Sunday morning and we didn't want to end up interrupting a service. We continued our walk through the village then took a sunken chalky track which climbed steadily to the red flag on Urchfont Hill that indicated that we had reached one of the Salisbury Plain firing ranges for the first time, here the Westdown Artillary Range.

We turned right at the red flag and walked around a little copse ('New Plantation') passing a dog-walker who was calling for her dog; slightly further on we came across a dog waiting for its owner by a 4x4, parked at the top of the next track down to Urchfont, and we expect these two facts are related! We weren't actually next to the firing range, but rather walking on a track a short distance from another track that was adjacent to the firing range, but we were clearly in a military area (though, presumably because it was a Sunday, there wasn't much activity). The views were good and we passed or were passed by dog walkers (and dogs) and horse riders (and horses) but the track itself was hard and boring and we were also passed by a number of vehicles.

We passed above Market Lavington then took a path which brought us through attractive woodland to West Lavington. At one stage the path took us around two sides of a triangle, presumably to take us to see some 'strip lynchets' (ancient agricultural terraces), but the strip lynchets were not visible from this point.

In West Lavington we left the route of the Wessex Ridgeway and walked along the busy main road just far enough to visit the pretty church and The Bridge Inn. It was nearly 12 noon, so the morning service was over and we were able to go inside the church to see the memorials for which it is renowned, and the pub was open so we stopped for a welcome J2O. Then we walked back alongside the little stream (which the guidebook rightly comments has beautiful clear water) and then returned to the route of the Wessex Ridgeway, climbing steeply and then following a lane behind the pub and the church.

We turned up a path past playing fields, as in Marlborough rather good quality playing fields, on this occasion apparently belonging to Dauntsey's School. As we climbed we could see the strip lynchets on the opposite site of the valley, the ones we had not been able to see from closer up. We continued to climb, initially on a well worn chalky track through woodland, then on a green track between hedges. We descended into another woodland and stopped for lunch. It was a nice spot though somewhat spoilt by the sound - and later appearence - of off-road motorbike riders. After lunch we climbed again, not absolutely certain that we were on the right route (indeed, certain that we were not on the route shown on the map), but this section was lovely walking, with views opening up behind us, and this brought us to the Imber Range Perimeter Path in exactly the right place, near New Zealand Farm Camp.

Of the next section of the Imber Range Perimeter Path, perhaps the least said the better - we were passed by too many off road vehicles. Unusually, when the surface changed from stony track to tarmac, the walking became more pleasant as there was less dust from passing vehicles, and shortly after the surface changed back to a track at Coulston Hill, the busier route went left, following the route of the White Horse Trail. A short distance further on, motorbike noise again disturbed our peace and quiet, and I was annoyed to discover that this was from children racing on mini motorbikes and quadbikes, some well equipped but others without even crash helmets. I was so annoyed with the parents who were encouraging their offspring that I didn't check our route properly and we took the wrong path. Fortunately Richard is an observant walker and he noticed that we were on the wrong side of a field. We retraced our steps and found the stile we should have crossed behind the vans and cars belonging to the parents of the kiddy-racers...

It was a relief to be on a path once more, and now the dust came from two tractors working on the field we were skirting. Then we had to negotiate another tractor which was cutting the hedge. We left the field near Westdown Farm and sat down for a rest, then crossed the road and followed a track to what looked like an old airfield where people were parking cars and setting out on walks. We followed a green lane back to the Imber Range Perimeter Path, a road here and quite pleasant walking.

The road became a track, but with no off-road vehicles! We eventually cut across a field to the Brattan Camp car park. There were lots of people about and an ice cream van. We didn't feel like an ice cream, which was perhaps a bit silly because at about the same time we realised that we'd have some difficulty getting anything to eat in Brattan on a Sunday evening. Brattan Camp is an enormous Iron Age hill fort and just below it is Westbury White Horse. The white horse is believed to have been cut into the hillside in the 16th Century. It is now 'protected' by a covering of concrete, but is nevertheless impressive. We had the added attraction of a young man who was kite-skateboarding in the car park and another man who prepared and then took off in a hang-glider, flying over the white horse and Westbury Cement Works below us.

We left the Wessex Ridgeway and walked down the road to the village of Bratton, around a mile below. We had arranged to arrive at Lynnwood Lodge at around 6pm and we were almost exactly on time. Julian Booth was looking out for us and showed us to our room. He is obviously fairly new to B&B (usually just doing it at weekends to bring in some extra cash) but our room was lovely and he was a good host - don't be put off by the grubby carpet on the stairs. In the evening we walked to Bratton's pub, 'The Duke' which serves excellent cider even if it doesn't serve food on Sunday evenings!

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