Easy hikes and walks around Baydon

Great walk with challenges

Alfred's Castle is a small Iron Age hill fort, situated behind Ashdown House in the civil parish of Ashbury in Oxfordshire (formerly Berkshire). It lies 2–3 km south of the Ridgeway and is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It has a large enclosure attached that shows as a cropmark. Excavation has shown this to be contemporary with the small enclosure, started in the 6th century BC. The hill fort was established within a series of late Bronze Age linear ditches and revealed much evidence for occupation within it. In the late 1st century, a Romano-British farmhouse was built within the abandoned prehistoric enclosure. King Alfred won a great victory against the Danes at the Battle of Ashdown, in AD 871. Being located just to the west of Ashdown House, Victorian antiquaries associated Alfred's Castle with the King's troop movements before the battle. The exact site of Alfred's battle has not yet been determined, however, so is a matter for debate. The most likely sites are near Compton and Aldworth in Berkshire. Excavations were carried out at Alfred's Castle from 1998 to 2000 by archaeologists from Oxford University. A final analysis was published in 2014.

Ashdown House (also known as Ashdown Park) is a 17th-century country house in the civil parish of Ashbury in the English county of Oxfordshire. Until 1974 the house was in the county of Berkshire, and the nearby village of Lambourn remains in that county. It is a Grade I listed building and the grounds are included in the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens at Grade II*. The house features 8,000 square feet of living space, a large central staircase, reception rooms, interlinking drawing and sitting rooms, a kitchen, a dining room and eight bedrooms. The property includes two lodges, three cottages and a hundred acres of land. The house was originally built at the junction of the four rides in Craven's hunting park – the four avenues no longer survive as they once did, but portions of them remain. The house is isolated, and the view from the roof includes park-like grounds and gardens, and beyond, woods and pastures. At least one of the woods of Ashdown Park predates the house. Glastonbury Abbey held the manor of Ashbury until the Dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. A deer park was established for the Abbey in the south of the parish. It is bounded by an ancient embankment enclosing a rounded area characteristic of Medieval deer parks. The embankment would have been topped by a park pale, probably of cleft oak stakes. The park may equate to the Aysshen Wood that a terrier of the parish in 1519 recorded as covering 415 acres. The former deer park is now the Upper Wood of Ashdown Park. Ashdown Park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Although a few alterations were made to the house, the building remained largely as-built until it was requisitioned for use by the army during World War II. The occupation left it in a near derelict state. The National Trust has owned Ashdown House since 1956 when it was donated to the trust by Cornelia, Countess of Craven (wife of William Craven, 4th Earl of Craven). The house is tenanted, and has been renovated by recent lease holders. In 2010 Pete Townshend bought a 41-year lease on the property and in 2011 a structural renovation was begun. Public access is restricted to the stairs and roof, with broad views of Berkshire Downs. There is also public access to the neighbouring Ashdown Woods. Admission to the house is by guided tour on Wednesdays and Saturdays from April to October.

Aldbourne is a beautiful Wiltshire village located within the boundaries of the North Wessex Downs Area of Natural Beauty. There are a few great pubs, cafés & restaurants to keep you busy in Aldbourne, such as The Blue Boar, The Crown & Time at the Forge.

Brilliant pop up right on the ridgeway. The pulled pork was amazing!

A cracking Indian restaurant right on the Ridgeway - you do not need to take a detour - had a fabulous curry here would really recommend it

The Alan Liddiard Forge, Aldbourne Small friendly cafe with tables inside, outside and in the shoeing shed. Real leaf tea, warm scones, lovely cakes and space for bikes

A pop up cafe / food truck selling Helen Browning Organic bacon and sausage babs, tea, coffee, and other snacks. A great stop on the ridgeway or a destination in itself!