Amesbury Town Council

This walk heads 3 miles across the fields east of Amesbury and takes an hour or so depending on your pace. The route begins in Bulford Village, but can easily be picked up from Bulford Camp, Folly Bottom or Ratfyn (from the bridleway that crosses the A303 from Ratfyn Road). Although it may be outside the World Heritage Site, and is often referred to as the ‘wrong side of the river’ by archaeologists, don’t be misled into thinking that it is not an area of considerable pre-historic interest. Several surviving monuments indicate that ancient man used this area extensively, and this little jaunt reveals some impressive barrows – as well as some lovely views of Beacon Hill. From Bulford Village head down the lane alongside Bulford recreation ground and follow the concrete road left after the final house (1). At the farm entrance take the footpath on the left, head up the hill and continue straight on when you emerge onto the gravel track. On your left is a 5000 year old Neolithic Long Barrow. Usually these mass graves are found near to living areas and it’s possible that Stone Age man had settled somewhere in the fields around the barrow. Looking right you can see Durrington Walls (visible just above the large barn opposite the long barrow). Originally the banks of this giant henge would have been covered in gleaming white chalk and would have been far more visible than it is today! At the far end of the track (2) join the tarmac lane and follow it alongside the A303 until you reach Folly Bottom (3). Here cross the roundabout and head onto the footpath accessed just off of the private road. As you follow the path across the fields you can see several Bronze Age burial mounds to the left and right, with some particularly impressive ones built at the top of Transmitter hill. Several more eroded ones can be seen on the left as you skirt alongside the woods (4). As you approach the sub station on Double Hedges lane, take the opportunity to climb the barrow on the right of the path (5) and look between the two barrows opposite. You can just make out the Bulford Stone – a Sarsen that was excavated in 2005 revealing several Bronze Age cremation urns around it. Cross the road carefully and follow the track opposite. When you reach the small woods on the right (6) head left and up the path alongside the field boundary. As you cross the fields you gain a sense of the importance of the dominant barrows you passed earlier. On your right the woods on the far side of the field mark the route of the former light railway that ran from Amesbury to Tidworth. The offices you approach toward the end of the field (7) were built on the site of the old station, and when you reach the end of the path and drop down to road you can still see a railway signal. Head right alongside the road and back into Bulford village.

Information supplied by Stephen Fisher.