09:00 Devizes bike fitting · 10:00 the Wansdyke at Shepherds’ Shore · 11:15 Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow.
Tangible ToursTours that touch
WiltshireOne-day e-bike journey
Roman Ridgeway Day Tour
A one-day circular e-bike ride from Devizes to the surviving Roman road across Fyfield Down, with later earthworks and Neolithic landmarks along the way.
1 dayJourney
49 kmDistance
370 mTotal climb
Devizes returnFinish
The itinerary
Checkpoint by checkpoint.
Pause at Avebury for lunch among the henge and stone circle before riding east.
Follow chalk byways to the subtle surviving Roman road agger on Fyfield Down, then loop through Bishops Cannings to Devizes around 17:00.
Why we ride this one
Straight lines across a curved land.
The Romans arrived in a landscape that was already ancient — Avebury and Silbury were as old to them as they are distant to us — and drove their London to Bath road straight through it. On Overton and Fyfield Downs the agger, the raised bed of that road, still runs under the turf among the grey wether sarsens. It is subtle. Once your guide shows you the line, you cannot unsee it.
This is a day out rather than an expedition: coffee in Devizes, the Wansdyke by mid-morning, Avebury for lunch, the old road in the afternoon and back down into the Vale by tea. It suits riders who want the whole sweep of Wiltshire history in one go, and anyone who would rather sleep in their own bed.
The sarsen fields themselves are worth the ride. The "grey wethers" of Fyfield Down are the finest surviving spread of sarsen stone in Britain, the quarry from which Avebury and Stonehenge were built, left lying where the ice-age ground put them.
Highlights of this route
- Margary 53The London–Bath Roman road, visible as a low agger across the down.
- Grey wethersFyfield Down National Nature Reserve and its great scatter of sarsen stones.
- Wansdyke at Shepherds’ ShoreA post-Roman bank and ditch cutting the older road corridor.
- Avebury lunchAn hour among the stones, with the henge bank rising above the village street.
- West Kennet Long BarrowA short walk up to the oldest building on the route, c. 3650 BCE.
Good to know
- Fyfield Down is a National Nature Reserve — cattle graze freely and gates must be closed behind the group.
- The Roman road section is the roughest ground of the day; short walking sections are normal after rain.
- Everything on this route is free to visit; the only cost on the day is lunch.
The route
The maps open once you book.
Every turn, landmark and climb of this ride is drawn out for riders who have reserved a place. Pay your deposit and the full topographic maps, elevation profiles and landmark notes unlock here and in your guest portal.
- Riding
- 49 km
- Climbing
- 370 m
- Length
- 1 day
Route explorer
Places along the way.
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Enlarge3 photographs of Devizes
Stage 01 · Market town departure
Devizes
132 mTown streets · towpath51.3510° N, 1.9970° W
ArchaeologyDevizes is the practical gateway to the ancient route network north of the Vale of Pewsey.
StoriesCastle, canal and market stories mark the beginning of the circuit.
E-bike accessBike fitting and handling tuition take place before a gentle roll from town.
Norman town · canal age
Devizes grew around a Norman castle and became a wool and brewing town; Wadworth has brewed here since 1885 and still delivers by shire horse. Just east, Caen Hill Locks lift the Kennet and Avon Canal 72 m in 29 locks — one of the wonders of British waterway engineering and the gateway to our routes.
Look out for
- Wadworth Brewery, brewing since 1885, dray horses still working
- Caen Hill Locks — 29 locks in just over 3 km
- A Georgian market place that has held markets since the 12th century
Visiting today
Meeting point, bike fitting and handling briefing take place here before a gentle roll out on the towpath.