Wayland's Smithy
- Hatt
- Jun 27, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 1, 2020
Wayland's Smithy is a free-to-enter English-Heritage-run Neolithic Long Barrow on the Ridgeway foothpath, located very close (about half a mile) from the Uffington White Horse: on the top of the same hill.
The barrow is closed up but you can walk on and around it. Although the site lies in the middle of miles of open grass and farmed land, a border of trees has been left around the barrow giving the impression of entering a clearing in the woods.
This was my favourite of all the prehistoric sites we visited in 2020, it felt beautiful, peaceful and friendly. The glade of trees made all the difference compared to the rather exposed West Kennet Long Barrow. To me, Wayland's Smithy seemed to emotionally embody the reassuring, inward-looking "our family belongs here" part of the presumed long barrow concept, whereas West Kennet felt more like the outward-looking territorially aggressive "this place is ours" inversion.
Access:
We walked to Wayland's Smithy along the Ridgeway path from Uffington Castle/White Horse - visiting the two sites that way round is recommended as it involves a one-field short climb to the White Horse from the English Heritage car park and then a long gradual descent along the footpath, instead of climbing the whole way. The round trip is approximately 2 miles long.
What would have been even better was realising that Wayland's Smithy has it's own dedicated parking layby a very short distance along the Ridgeway from the site - another white road comes up to the Ridgeway path near to the long barrow and then peters out into a private access road as it crosses the Ridgeway, but has a layby next to the footpath. Starting from the layby would cut the trip down to tens of metres each way.
Accessibility:
The walk and Smithy itself were easily accessible for people on foot, with well maintained broad footpaths and mowed grass. The layby meant that the Smithy is not very far from a car if walking distances is a problem. There are no benches at the Smithy, but you can sit down on the rocks/steps/banked ground if necessary (weather depending).
Up on the hill near Uffington Castle I would say that the Ridgeway footpath is definitely not suitable for mobility scooters or wheelchairs (unless very robust) - there are ruts and many large stones even though the path is overall relatively flat and clear as a walking route. You might be able to take a travel system pram if you were keen and the baby was well strapped in for a bumpy ride, as the wheelbase would be higher, but it wouldn't be the best place to head to. At the end nearest the Smithy it is better, with some parts completely gravelled and smooth (see picture of one of the better sections) and I think you probably could take a mobility scooter or wheelchair from the layby to the Smithy without catastrophe - it might be best to have someone on legs with you to deal with the gate/any surprise potholes you get stuck in though.
At the actual monument there is mowed grass and/or dirt path around and on top of the barrow and it is possible to enter a very short distance between large rocks to see the initial chambers on either side (the frontage of the barrow having been reconstructed). You could take a mobility scooter, wheelchair or pram around the edge of the barrow but not inside (way blocked with stones) or over/onto the top (too steep to get up there).
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