09/05/26 - A Wiltshire Way Day 1 - Swindon to Marlborough

A Wizard's Wanderings

Laurence Main was one of those distinctly British figures who blurred the line between travel writer, folklorist, and seeker of hidden landscapes. Best known for books on walking, ancient sites, and local legends, he openly described himself as “both a walker and a druid,” and his writing reflected that outlook throughout. Rather than treating the countryside as scenery to be crossed, Main approached it as a living map of myths, memories, and strange connections — a place where ruined abbeys, standing stones, old tracks, and half-forgotten stories all seemed to speak to one another.

His form of modern Druidry was rooted less in ceremony and more in walking, pilgrimage, and landscape experience. Main was associated with the Council of British Druid Orders and the Society of Ley Hunters, leading walks, talks, and “Vision Quests” at ancient sites around Britain. Fascinated by ley lines, sacred hills, dreams, and Arthurian echoes, he became part of the wider British “earth mysteries” tradition that flourished in the late twentieth century. There is something wonderfully eccentric and compelling about his work: part walking guide, part pub conversation, part mystical field notebook from someone convinced that Britain’s landscapes are still quietly muttering their old stories.

He's 75 now and the last interview I can find is for National Geographic. He is an expert on Cader Idris, where he has slept on the summit 24 times. He must be some sort of poet/madman. He looks exactly what you think a 75 year old druid looks like.

I have many of his walking/pubbing books from the 1980s and 1990s. The most curious are a series of unofficial long distance paths in the south of the country. They look self-published and contain hand-drawn maps and little useful information, other than books to read on first aid, veganism, ley-lines and druids.

It was only a matter of time before I attempted one.

I'm off to Wiltshire

Why bother with directions, when you can provide a bibliography

Swindon is chosen as the starting point. Civilisation in any comparable quantity will not be met until four days later in Salisbury. I should have been warned by the lack of the county's Good Beer Guide pubs. Wiltshire is an empty county.

Former Swindon haunts - the Victoria and the hospitality area of the old town - are saluted and it doesn't take long to reach the countryside. The first public footpath picked up at Coate Water. 

The only village accessed is Chiseldon. The Patriot Arms a victim of lack of patrons and "temporarily closed", following a longer-term closure.

No refreshments at Barbury Castle either. I expected at least an ice-cream van, if not a café.

The Ridgeway crossed before the Wessex Ridgeway is  picked up for delivery into Marlborough. 

Arrow straight walking, very few people and nowhere to stop.

But the views were good.

Other Ramblers heading onto the Ridgeway

The Wessex Ridgeway - very long, very dull

Marlborough - 2nd broadest high street in the land.... after Stockton-on-Tees

Enough pubs in Marlborough to warrant a separate blog.

Walk Details

Distance - 14 Miles

Geocaches - 26