Bright autumn sunshine greeted a group of 20 Westbury Walkers on November 13th as they set off on a walk of just over 8 miles starting from East Tytherton, a few miles east of Chippenham.
The walk which was led by John Parker took them across farmland, via Tytherton Lucas, to the track of the old railway line from Chippenham to Calne.
Being Remembrance Sunday, at 11am the walkers joined with the nation to observe the two minutes silence. They then proceeded to Studley where the walk continued along a lane before rejoining a wooded section of the railway track for about a mile, passing the site of a former Cistercian Abbey. The walk left the track after about a mile to join a lane leading past Hazeland Mill and up a steep hill to the Dumb Post Inn. From here a path led through meadows, with views across to Cherhill Down with its monument and White Horse visible in the distance, to the village of Bremhill where the walkers stopped for their picnic lunch in the church yard.
After passing through the village a foot path led across fields and on to a ridge with far reaching views to the south soon replaced with views to the north as the route doubled back towards the monument erected to the memory of Maud Heath who in 1474 left land and a bequest to provide a Causeway providing farmers with a dry route across the River Avon flood plain to market in Chippenham. Just before the monument the walkers left the ridge and took a path downhill leading them back to East Tytherton.
Report by John Parker
