Courtesy of GK Chesterton Before the Roman came to Rye or out to Severn strode, The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road. A reeling road, a rolling road, that rambles round the shire, And after him the parson ran, the sexton and the squire; A merry road, a mazy road, and such as we did tread The night we went to Birmingham by way of Beachy Head. I knew no harm of Bonaparte and plenty of the Squire, And for to fight the Frenchman I did not much desire; But I did bash their baggonets because they came arrayed To straighten out the crooked road an English drunkard made, Where you and I went down the lane with ale-mugs in our hands, The night we went to Glastonbury by way of Goodwin Sands. His sins they were forgiven him; or why do flowers run Behind him; and the hedges all strengthening in the sun? The wild thing went from left to right and knew not which was which, But the wild rose was above him when they found him in the ditch. God pardon us, nor harden us; we did not see so clear The night we went to Bannockburn by way of Brighton Pier. My friends, we will not go again or ape an ancient rage, Or stretch the folly of our youth to be the shame of age, But walk with clearer eyes and ears this path that wandereth, And see undrugged in evening light the decent inn of death; For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen, Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green.
@ColinH19734 жыл бұрын
Excellent poem. Thanks for reminding me of how good it is. Thanks.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Well thats just wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
@dennis75114 жыл бұрын
GK Chesterson. Thank you for posting this. Now I know why I must return to the land of my ancestors : to take this road less travelled.
@zcam1969 Жыл бұрын
@@ColinH1973 did they McDonalds in the Bronze Age
@beckysharpe72689 ай бұрын
I thought I was the only weirdo totally into old roads until I found your site.
@neilhenty4050 Жыл бұрын
RE: Seaton in Devon. There is a road called Harepath Way, which drops down from the Lyme to Exeter road and heads towards the sea, parallel, though about half a mile or so distant from the estuary and the supposed Roman port (and some say where the Fosse Way started/ended). Harepath, comes from Hereapath, or Army Path in Saxon. If the Harrow Way came down into Seaton, it could well have been used and then remembered as a Herepath. The route would have presumably avoided the flood plain of the River Axe which would have been much wider and deeper in those days to allow for a busy harbour. Interestingly, the modern Harepath Rd is much closer to the Roman Villa site and the site of the Seaton Down hoard than the harbour would have been.
@andyalder79104 жыл бұрын
Parallel trackways are supposedly formed when the first path became too slippery so the herd walked on the dryer land to one side. This still happens on brand new footpaths although as it's people's feet rather than animals that cause the erosion the tracks are thinner and closer together.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Ah well that makes sense as this was on quite a hill too.
@paulclark76584 жыл бұрын
Bronze age dual carriageway?
@cdl04 жыл бұрын
@@paulclark7658 Yes, now known as the A303. :-)
@peteannells42183 жыл бұрын
@@pwhitewick Ancient 'trackways' were not necessarily narrow like a modern road. There had to be room for herd and flocks (to overtake...) and diverted for floods and landslides etc. For instance, the route that became the A1 was up to a mile wide ! Flat land. Routes would narrow in tight valleys and on ridges.
@UKAlanR3 жыл бұрын
An couple of old byways near where I live have a 'two-storey' parts where the original route is slightly steeper, and sometimes used by farm vehicles, so that foot traffic can more easily pass through (especially in winter, when mud and water make the main route very difficult).
@martinwarner11785 ай бұрын
Love spotting track ways of our yesteryear folks, I've recognised plenty in my area, ten feet sunken from the land! Keep up the great work, it is always amateurs that truly find out. Peace and goodwill.
@lordwessex95533 жыл бұрын
One reason old roads or paths wander so much is that they were often much broader or even just a general direction of travel and drifted around avoiding potholes etc until farmers enclosed, restricted them or moved them around the edges of fields.
@user-ol8fn2dy8hАй бұрын
And big trees
@JasperFromMS4 жыл бұрын
I live in America and there is an old road called the Natchez Trace that ran along ridges from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi. It was important in the days before steam because one could travel down the rivers boat to from Tenn to New Orleans, walk back to Natchez and then to Nashville without having to cross any major rivers. It had been an Indian trail for thousands of years and there are often multiple sections. When trees would fall and block the path, people would go around them and create a new path. This is exactly like you show in the video. I learned in archeology class in college that the trails were originally created by animals, specifically the megafauna (mammoths, mastadons, etc) and predate humans. Large animals like elephants do the same thing in forested regions today.
@JasperFromMS4 жыл бұрын
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natchez_Trace
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Wonderful. I'll have a read later. Thanks for sharing.
@simonbone4 жыл бұрын
@@pwhitewick It's a scenic parkway nowadays, meaning you can drive along the route without encountering much commercial activity.
@kenthetuner4 жыл бұрын
Another great informative video thank you. On a lighter note I was telling my friend that Amesbury is considered one of the oldest settlement in southern England, I could see by his face that he was thinking and after a little while he replied "it can't be cause you'd have to go through Andover first to get there"
@AndyBsUTube2 жыл бұрын
Great vid as always. At about 8:40 Paul mentions Pilgrims Way and suggesting it is more recent. I doubt this. The PW runs (mainly) along the top edge of the North Downs just north of where I live. (Redhill, Surrey) This is a natural line for a track, well defined, less tree growth, good ground - chalk drains well and it's reasonably easy going along the gradient. On the lower ground it's clay, wet, sticky and densely overgrown - the rest of the land further south all the way to the south downs was similarly difficult ground and heavily forested - the Saxons called it the 'wild' - today we call it the Weald although it is very different now - the oak forests are largely gone and the ground drained and opened for agriculture. The Romans drove a few roads though it N-S but otherwise left the central area alone - they too would intially have used the local trackways - so these long term E-W 'main roads' along the N+S Downs scarp edges would have been key to the regional road network before nd after the Romans.. When the Romans started their road network they took a different approach and engineered fairly straight-line 'shortest distance' routes between cities/key locations. But the ancients took the natural paths that the landscape offered, and followed the contours and good ground - avoiding steep or soft terrain. The Roman 'brute-force' a solution - building the Pevensey-London + Chichester-London (roughly the modern A29/24 and A22) roads must have been a project from hell. I suspect the Pilgrims Way - and the Harrow Way, the Ridgeway and quite a number of other similar trackways are as old as there have been people in Britain - at least 5K years. And mainly defined by the geology. Also - when looking at parallel tracks it's sometimes the case that ploughing banks can indicate an older boundary/edge too. And more modern (last 150 years or so) tracks are more generally straighter (or more evenly curving) than the older tracks which are more likely to follow the contour more closely. All very subtle but these clues add up.
@MrNas424 жыл бұрын
4,000 years is a bit young for a British trackway. There are many routes that pass by 5,000 + year monuments that were located to be beside a preexisting track. Some must date back to 10,000 when southern Britain was extensively re-occupied after the last ice age.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Indeed, I think 4000 years is a tad conservative for this route and as you suggest its likely a lot older.
@carolbage83004 жыл бұрын
Another great day out, from the arm of my chair. Lovely. Bob
@john3Lee4 жыл бұрын
There is a "rule of thumb" method of ageing a hedge line beside a trackway, and that is how many different species of hedge or tree type there are, over a given distance... Might be useful if there are two parallel paths, and you want to establish the older of the two..
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Ah excellent, I don't recall of course but should we go back that way I will have an investigation
@ryescott94454 жыл бұрын
Is it older if there are more species? There are lots of plum trees in the hedgerows where I live in Beighton, Sheffield
@123yozzer4 жыл бұрын
@@pwhitewick great videos. Would love you both to do old colliery sites.
@firesurfer4 жыл бұрын
@@hobmoor2042 As Arte Johnson said. Veddy interesting.
@ryescott94454 жыл бұрын
Hob Moor took a screenshot of your comment for future reference. It’s quite rural where I live to say it’s a old mining village. It’s got at least two farms. The next village closer to Sheffielde is Woodhouse, that has four farms and one train station. There ara two lines running through it I think. Lots of history in both villages. Peter Pans cave in woodhouse is a old entrance to the mine I think.
@HobbiesAndSunshine4 жыл бұрын
Very interesting, I've often wondered about all these old and possibly forgotten roads and tracks, how people used to get around.
@antmerritt4 жыл бұрын
I could have watched a video on this that was twice as long! 😁 keep em coming! So pleased at the mix of content you provide. 👍👍👍👊
@ianjenkinson35854 жыл бұрын
You ask if ancient trackways are deliberately preserved. When I worked for East Hampshire District Council, about 30 years ago, we had a policy of preserving these features in any new development, as did most Hampshire Councils. These policies are now contained in the South Downs National Park Planning Policy document www.southdowns.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/plan_2013May09_Agenda-Item-15-Appendix-1.pdf I can't find the actual document online but pages 12&13 make reference to ancient trackways. This Policy is mostly concerned with Petersfield but we covered a much wider area. We worked closely with English Heritage and local archeological groups to define the routes along with (as another contributor suggests) the number of hedge and tree species lining the routes plus the depression into the chalk substrate as a test for authenticity. We also tested for 'unusual' plants as these were frequently transmitted by animals being herded along the routes as 'droppings' (they ate in one area but defecated in another) I hope this is useful
@britishreaction544 жыл бұрын
Simply wonderful. Your enthusiasm is infectious.
@wurlitzer8954 жыл бұрын
Fascinating as always, guys! Thanks so much. Your constant hard work is greatly appreciated. Stay well! Pete A
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Pete.
@paulwood77984 жыл бұрын
A great vid again Mr and Mrs Whitewick.. The myth that Romans bought roads to this Isle needs readressing because there is plenty of evidence of a good road system long before the Romans arrived. Ones I have looked at like The Kerry Ridgeway and The Ridgeway have honed me into Co-Axial fields sliced through by Roman Roads in Herefordshire and Shropshire . These fields and their attached roads are barely given the Credit and little talked about but they are there. Again a Great vid folks thanks for sharing.
@georgedrum12992 жыл бұрын
The icknield way is one of the most ancient trackways and of major archeological importance, running from Wiltshire to the Neolithic flint mines known as Grimes Graves
@ColinH19734 жыл бұрын
Grand restful stuff to let us escape reality for a very short while. Much appreciated and thanks.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Colin.
@arilebon4 жыл бұрын
Thank you -- this was fascinating. Also a special shoutout to the wonderful videography, editing, and sound.
@grahamsumner99133 жыл бұрын
Great stuff this video. I have lived in Andover and a long stones throw from HarrowWay school for just over 13 years now, and to learn about facinating history more or less on my doorstep had me glued. Thank you both for that. Bye the way, is there anything such as the Icknield Way/Road ? I work at a school with that name.
@75elgrebo Жыл бұрын
Icknield Way is a Roman road running NNW-SSE past Andover, the Portway runs ENE-WSW. The Harrow Way is older than both as Paul sets out here in this video. The only stretch that remains mostly untouched in Andover is the section between the East and West Portway Industrial estates. The Harrow Way school sits on a later stretch, though all concrete and houses now.
@lizdersley98038 ай бұрын
You can follow the Icknield Way through part of Suffolk, from West Stow towards Elveden and more, but watch out for the motorbikes and 4 wheel drives!
@alistairshaw32064 жыл бұрын
The world's first one way system, explored by Paul and Rebecca! Great video again, it keeps us from suffering even worse cabin fever! You and Rebecca must be climbing the walls by now.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
We are indeed climbing those walls!
4 жыл бұрын
Judging by the size of the potholes outside my old house in Darlington, THAT was the oldest road in Britain...But nice to see you both back....
@ucprof20084 жыл бұрын
Although I live in California, I’ve done the Coast to Coast walk from St Bees Head to Robin Hood Bay, one of the best experiences of my life, and really enjoy your videos. The interaction between the two of you is really appealing, keep it up.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Michael, much appreciated, thats definitely what we aim for.
@HenrysAdventures4 жыл бұрын
Another great video! I'd like to think one day I'd have time to walk down all these ancient roads and explore the areas around them.
@damieneverett70534 жыл бұрын
My Government Sanctioned daily walk is often up and down the Harrow Way from the Hospital to the west of Portway and back.
@TheNgandrew4 жыл бұрын
Another cracking video! I learnt a lot, and just really enjoyed the video. Keep it up (lockdown permitting)! You mentioned you don't have lots of time to undertake historical research. I think you do pretty well on that score, but there were a couple of examples of either loose use of language or slight errors (not overly detracting from the video I should emphasise). At one point you referred to Thomas a' Becket's pilgrimage route. I understand pilgrims used to travel on pilgrimage to Canterbury to worship at his shrine there. Truly a minor quibble. You also mentioned pilgrimages as a reason for Winchester's prominence. Winchester was a significant Roman settlement, and was a major city in Anglo-Saxon times. One of the reasons it has such an amazing cathedral is that the royal treasures of the Anglo-Saxon kings was stored in a previous cathedral there, and William the Conqueror wanted to house those treasures in more magnificence and impress the locals at the same time by having such a wondrous cathedral built. I think it was quite a significant settlement before pilgrimages began. It is certainly the case that pilgrims used to travel from Winchester to Canterbury (amazing devotion) to worship at the shrine of St. Thomas a' Becket. I do enjoy your videos, and I hope we soon get this nasty virus under control so you can go exploring again and making interesting videos.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Nigel as we said in the video, more than happy to be corrected on these things, we aren't historians and don't have huge amounts of time so definately happy for those with knowledge on such matters to chip in.
@benmcdonnell41673 жыл бұрын
The old Basingstoke by-pass, (Not the ring road) is named "The Harrow Way". Btw I once saw a documentary about the pre historic grid system of ley lines, real practical ones, not magical ones, that criss crossed possiby the entire country. They weren't paved, but lines of sight along man made landmarks miles apart, a stone pile, a cutting into the side of a hill etc, which still exist.
@RolandMillward4 жыл бұрын
Another interesting video. Thanks for bringing this history to life.
@alisonwickett3156Ай бұрын
Really enjoyed that Its fascinating thank you
@finnwillows60313 жыл бұрын
Thanks for making this! I followed along on google maps from Ontario.
@martinedmundson983 жыл бұрын
Paul & Rebecca, new to the series and it is most enjoyable and ‘relieving’ for the ‘Cabin Fever’ that 'Lock Down III’ is causing. Of about the same age as the Harrow Way is the extended 'Ridgeway - Icknield Way’ that likewise started about Seaton but went to the North NorfolK Coast via the ‘other’ Chalk escarpment to the North of this route. Evidence from that route puts it in the Stone Age, Grimes Graves at Thetford in Norfolk from the ‘flint mines’, so I would expect that this is of similar vintage. Keep up the good work.
@auser14844 жыл бұрын
Stay safe both of you, many more disused stations to go. 😎
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thank you, you too!
@christowers844 жыл бұрын
Great video guys, I really love your content keep it coming it's just what we all need right now some lovely education and escapism. Hope your both well?
@peternoyce93504 жыл бұрын
Another great video Paul and Rebecca! thank you for sharing your days out with us!
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Peter. Our pleasure
@michaelpilling96594 жыл бұрын
Lovely to see you two again. Super film. Very intersting historical information. Thank you for taking me along with you
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
A pleasure Michael.
@martinbarker23162 жыл бұрын
Another great episode as I make my way through your back catalogue and another one in my backyard as I work at Stannah right next to the Harrow Way..
@pwhitewick2 жыл бұрын
Haha... excellent. I'm about the same distance from it as you then!
@martinbarker23162 жыл бұрын
@@pwhitewick home is Ropley so I've studied the Alton & Basingstoke and the Meon Valley lines, I also had a holiday near Tavistock a few years ago and bored the family to tears tracking the lost lines and canals around Morwellham Quay.. all of which you have covered..
@pwhitewick2 жыл бұрын
@@martinbarker2316 need to go back to Morwelham though..... did you see the Leat video?
@martinbarker23162 жыл бұрын
@@pwhitewick yes, that was the video that introduced me to your channel, that valley is riddled with lost industrial infrastructure.. the Calstock incline up to the Devon Consuls
@nilo704 жыл бұрын
Thank you for sharing this with us ! Cheers from California
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
A pleasure, thanks Olin.
@tpobrienjr4 жыл бұрын
What a great walk! You do such a great job of blending old tech (paper maps and books) and new tech (drones, satellites, go-pros, etc.) - maybe better than anyone else on youtube. Thanks!
@andrewholloway2314 жыл бұрын
Hope that you are both well and keeping safe. A really nice video.
@johnsparkes89634 жыл бұрын
Another very interesting video, very enjoyable thank you both for sharing.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thanks John, a pleasure
@spookerd4 жыл бұрын
I love it when you guys do anything about old roads and the oldest road is even better. Any chance you might one day do a video in the Orkney Islands (if they have abandoned stations, etc)?
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Yup, trust me when this is all over, we are going EVERYWHERE.
@Garwfechan-ry5lk5 ай бұрын
The Ridgeway in South Wales was called by the Romans Ancient, it leads to the area of Gloucester from as far as Preseli and St Davids, it has Bluestones along its route.
@dmitryaleksandrov82234 жыл бұрын
Amazing job guys! Looking forward to see an episode about Varsity line (Oxford - Cambridge)
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thank you, not a million miles away so I am sure it won't be long.
@StephenWilliams4 жыл бұрын
Such a welcome interlude, even more so during the present emergency. Many thanks.
@martinwarner11785 ай бұрын
Never was an ENERGENCY. Some of us spotted it right away. Only pointing out, so you don't get done over on the next hoax. Peace and goodwill Stephen.
@StephenWilliams5 ай бұрын
I regret to inform you that you are delusional if you seriously think it was a hoax. I personally know three people who died. 2:27
@martinwarner11785 ай бұрын
@@StephenWilliams Don't have regrets, just keep sticking to the advice, take some more vaxx. Good luck going with that. Peace and goodwill.
@StephenWilliams5 ай бұрын
You really do need to give your head a wobble.
@syncrosimon4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Guys👍👍👍
@TrevsTravelsByNarrowboat4 жыл бұрын
People thought that duel carriageways were modern. Harrow way beats them all.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Haha, yes buy some considerable margin!
@bremnersghost9484 жыл бұрын
Built by Williamorix Takesallmydoshix for Horse & Chariot Racing
@davidcutts26504 жыл бұрын
Another interesting walk with good narration. Thank you. 👍👍😎
@willsgetoff11574 жыл бұрын
Another interesting insight into a forgotten piece of our ancient past thanks for taking us along.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Wills, always a pleasure.
@nexialist66 ай бұрын
Thanks very much. I live in LonSuton near Odiham and the HarrowWay runs through the village. I ave been interested in trying to find its route to Seatn where my great grandad lived. I diod read that it msy haveincorporated the Iron road connecting cornwal with Dover. Strange that there isno feinitivehistory of the harrow Wayto read. Keep the videos coming
@anthonygostling4 жыл бұрын
A nice sunny day for you both.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
We were quite lucky weren't we
@susierebelryder4924 жыл бұрын
The Icknield Way and especially The Ridgeway are the oldest roads. Can’t wait to walk them.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Yup, we have a few walks planned on those too. Can't wait to get traveling again.
@dlittlester2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for doing these. History is so important, and so interesting.
@pwhitewick2 жыл бұрын
Glad you like them!
@saltleywsc4 жыл бұрын
Another great video both to brighten my day in isolation !
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
A.pleasure Merv
@davie9414 жыл бұрын
hiya paul and rebecca , yet another great cool video , wow a rare sight in the uk , a blue sky lol , loved it thank you both and stay safe :)
@tonystone93672 жыл бұрын
Love your clips
@CheshireTomcat684 жыл бұрын
Good to see the return of the crow flying past the drone, from an earlier video, about 5 mins in! Interesting vaid as always.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Well spotted!!
@davidwilkinson3338 ай бұрын
Another fun vid from you both. Great stuff! I don't think I've ever heard of the Harrow Way but I should have as I grew up in the village of Wye, in Kent, where the ancient Ridgeway/Pilgrims Way branches south to cross the Stour before heading to the coast. I now live just outside Seaton at its western extremity. So now I am curious as to why it should have terminated here at the mouth of the Axe, or whether, in fact, this section is another branch breaking south to a significant estuary while the main route continues west, most likely to Dartmoor and further, since Dartmoor was widely cleared and settled during the Bronze Age.
@johnorchard44 жыл бұрын
When discussing the offshoot of the Pilgrim's way it was stated that Winchester's importance was due to the Pilgrim's Way. Winchester's importance had nothing to do with Thomas a'Beckett, it was already a much more important place. Canterbury became the home of the (first bishop and later...) Archbishop's of Canterbury by accident. The king of the Jutish kingdom of Kent was amenable to Augustine's mission in the late sixth century century, but, the then ruler in Lundenwic was hostile. Consequently, the orders of Gregory to re-establish the Roman bishopric of London as the base for the Gregorian mission came to naught - the See of London was not re-established for many years. Canterbury was the capital of the kingdom of Kent, but it was one which soon fell under the hegemony of other kingdoms. Winchester, on the other hand, became the capital of Wessex and was host to the bishopric of Winchester. By the time of Thomas'a'Becket, this Royal vill was much more important since it had been de facto Capital of the united England prior to and at the time of the Norman Conquest. The Bishopric was far and away the wealthiest of the Bishoprics in England. The Pilgrim's way effectively linked Winchester to Canterbury (as other Pilgrim's ways linked other important religious sites), it just happened to have made use of the already existing way which went straight to their destination. Obviously the whole of the path from Canterbury to Seaton was not originally a Pilgrim's way because it predated Christianity. It was obviouslky due to other reasons that it was established, but that is not unlike many other ancient ways, not least the Ridgeways (which topographically most longer distance ways were!). This route is undoubtedly ancient but it is far from proven that it is the oldest - but then I think that point is made in the video too. My own specialist study as an historical geographer is the post-Roman period and the settlement of the English. These tracks, along with water courses and the Roman roads were often important in that settlement - if only as boundary markers to these new settlements, because they were well established and obvious permanent markers in the landscape.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thanks John, thats all very interesting. I have no clue why I suggested what I did about the prominence of Winchester. Unfortunately with one project per week the notes are a distant memory. Your insight is extremely interesting, this is exactly the type of comment that we like to see.
@davewatson309 Жыл бұрын
Check out the kerry ridgeway, its older, from ireland through wales to the midlands without getting your feet wet. Cluns tiny museum is full of flints from far off found along it!
@shaunwest36124 жыл бұрын
Great video Paul and Rebecca,some beautiful shots👌,and very interesting,did your feet hurt?, looking forward to your next video 👌😀👍
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Feet, legs and every muscle in our bodies!!
@andrewwardmedia4 жыл бұрын
Great video and interesting. Thanks for sharing
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it
@SMILEVIDEOTRAINS4 жыл бұрын
always something new, thats why I follow you...
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Keith.
@mikego187534 жыл бұрын
Another interesting & enjoyable vid. Thanks.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thank you Mike.
@simonballard64134 жыл бұрын
Another excellent video. So interesting - thanks, both of you.
@TheDalaiLamaCon Жыл бұрын
Quality waffling is scarce, keep it up!
@johnstilljohn31814 жыл бұрын
That's fantastic - I need to buy some 19th century maps and look for old roads like that...
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Definitely do that John.
@neilthomas92444 жыл бұрын
Great vid. Hope you've got more vids. lurking around to help keep sanity [oops too late!] during this lockdown.
@MuttleyMutter Жыл бұрын
Interesting walk. Music too loud, which spoiled it a bit. But then I'm old and don't have much headroom in my hearing any more, so just ignore me. Following, or even finding, an ancient trackway in ground that has been affected by road-building, railways, agriculture and so on - i.e. Southern England - is really difficult, so hats off to you for trying :) Tracing prehistoric trackways is mostly a matter of guesswork and conjecture. Prehistoric man was not literate, and the maps they used, if there were any, would be difficult to recognise now. There's a theory that they went from landmark to landmark, features in the landscape that are not always apparant now. Alfred Watkins in The Old Straight Track has a number of credible ideas about what those landmarks might have been. Ignore later associations with ley lines, ancient magic and so on, the ideas are interesting.
@Bugster425 ай бұрын
nice to se becs in a vid after a long absence
@carolynrowse22854 жыл бұрын
Fascinating, many thanks.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thank you Carolyn.
@philiptownsend40262 жыл бұрын
I'm about a year late in commenting but I heard of another contender for Britain's oldest road. Some few years ago I listened to a documentary on the wireless about the present day A303. There are a great many neolithic burial mounds near to that road and also Stonehenge of course. Archaeological evidence points to significant neolithic population and that they ate very well including meat from large animals. So the A303 would have been preceded by lesser roads, trackways etc and even it is thought it may have been a wild animal migration route hence the neolithic population living well on the meat walking past their doors. So the A303 is a very old road, maybe preceding human population of Britain
@sheilastallard4 жыл бұрын
My husband as a guide to the Ridgeway we walked a section to look at Waylands Smithy burial mound.Just keep safe. xx
@jmpattillo4 жыл бұрын
As an American who lives in the eastern US, I am amazed at how free people are to walk around in the U.K.
@darryldarwent36764 жыл бұрын
That's b/c "Local highways authorities (usually county councils or unitary authorities) are required to maintain the definitive map of all public rights of way in their areas" en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights_of_way_in_England_and_Wales I wish it was that way in Western Canada.
@britishreaction544 жыл бұрын
Why does that surprise you?
@jmpattillo4 жыл бұрын
Carl Wilson There is no freedom to roam in the US apart from public land, sidewalks etc. Since there is relatively little public land in the Eastern US, you are pretty much restricted to public parks, forests (which may take hours to reach) and sidewalks. You couldn’t open a farm gate and walk through private land. I know you can’t do that everywhere in the UK, but you do have freedom to roam in many areas.
@lordwessex95533 жыл бұрын
We can only walk along public rights of way, many of them ancient and fiercely protected by locals.
@gaffysmenk4 жыл бұрын
Brilliant.. What an adventure. There aren't any old ways like that where I live, but from our house i can see two burned mounds and several chambered cairns. One of which had a drainage ditch cut through it in the 1800s and the southern half ploughed out. I'm convinced the stone sump where the field drainage ditch meets the road drainage ditch is the cist from the chambered cairn as its the same as the one in the county museum. Waffle waffle.. Can you tell I've been in lock down for a while. :)
@jimmyviaductophilelawley55874 жыл бұрын
Great video guys.... I grew up in Warrington and Latchford is a good place to visit there's 3 eds's bank Quay low level, arpley and Latchford. Also a great abandoned viaduct like the cadishead but has the added attraction of Latchford locks on the msc... Look forward to seeing that one when all this over best wishes
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Have you seen our Cadishead Video with Martin Zero!?
@jimmyviaductophilelawley55874 жыл бұрын
@@pwhitewick yeah that's why I mentioned it....Latchford viaduct is miles better but then I'm biased but it is a really good place if you're interested in the ship canal at all because the embankments are made from the spoil and you can sort of see the ship canal in reverse....I'm a bit obsessed with the manny ship as we called it but that's coz I grew up crossing it playing on it's banks and swimming in it....
@jimmyviaductophilelawley55874 жыл бұрын
Hi Rebecca when all this over I'm going to try to follow my long held dream of doing a video history of the Manchester ship canal and when I do I'd appreciate your and Pauls help with the practical side of how to go about things
@auntielizcosgrove3 жыл бұрын
I really enjoy your videos. Thank you
@furryanimal87764 жыл бұрын
Fascinating as ever.
@matthewjshow65634 жыл бұрын
Well done! Great music!
@wychwoods4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for an excellent video up to your usual high standard. Just one suggestion: the music track was a lot louder than the voices so I had to keep changing the volume to make sure I didn't wake She Who Must Be Obeyed.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Yup we didn't get the levels quite right in this one.
@housemovewoods4334 жыл бұрын
@@pwhitewick No matter - it is good in all the others. keep up the good work!
@AndRewUK243 жыл бұрын
Another new local walk for me. I have just moved to Andover a few months ago. Walveton Industrial Estate? Do you mean Walworth Industrial Estate? Thanks for the video.
@thelastpendragon47584 жыл бұрын
Raleigh ford lane leading up scratchyface out toward littleham church is a fairly old road on toward the lepper colony !. So that roughly dates it leppers!. , renames Raleigh ford lane as the cut of the path is a thousand years of feet walking over it!. Got to love Devon!.
@johnbirch7639 Жыл бұрын
Uaed by the decendants of Brutas of Troy from Devon to what became
@johnhext78454 жыл бұрын
Great video our history should be preserved for people to explore, the road is similar to the drovers roads in Devon.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thank you John. Absolutely agree.
@bobly2 жыл бұрын
Well done Rebecca for getting the right info as that book Paul has might lead you both into places where you might get lost, Paul you have to trust Rebecca as she is a smart cookie
@rudyardkipling5175 Жыл бұрын
The Pilgrim’s Way dates back to the 12th c. and was the route taken to Canterbury to the shrine of St Thomas of Canterbury, earlier known as Thomas à Becket, once Chancellor to Henry II and a close friend of his. But as Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas became Henry’s enemy, as they tussled over control of the Church in England. Henry wanted to remove the powers of Church courts, for example, and to take the revenues of vacant bishoprics, which was of course a motive for not filling them, which in turn was bad for the Church. The quarrel ended in Thomas’ assassination in 1170 by four knights who took Henry at his word when he said, ‘Will no-one rid me of this turbulent priest!’ Henry had not ordered the murder but he took some responsibility, and himself made the pilgrimage to Thomas’ shrine, walking barefoot from London ( or maybe Winchester?). Thomas was canonised in 1173, but he subsequently became persona non grata with Henry VIII, who saw in him the same resistance to royal rule as Henry met when he broke with the Church of Rome.
@hubertvancalenbergh90224 жыл бұрын
Hard to believe that narrow trail is 4,000 years old . . . but we'll never be sure. Nice work, as always. A question about the music in the background of "Lost Railway Tunnels of the South Downs" (19 July 2019) at 14:00. Is it on Epidemicsound.com?
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Yup. Small chance it was artlist.io but most comes from epidemic.
@alec39723 жыл бұрын
Great film, do you the Lidar maps? Some of the Roman road films do with interesting results
@justvin72144 жыл бұрын
You said Fareham when you meant Farnham, also Winchester's importance goes way further back than Thomas Becket (I know you admitted you weren't historians but I thought I'd mention it). Btw a friend hedged his new car coming out from under that bridge at the start of the video - scared the crap out of me and sobered me up very quickly lol.
@simonrichardson50774 жыл бұрын
Great work ,thanks
@deanbutler14672 жыл бұрын
On the map at 3.42 there are "tumuli" about a mile north of the bit where the book says the route was lost, with a "byway" down that meets your route - I wonder if they are relevant? Your route sort of follows the contours at this point - I wonder if foot / horse traffic used to go straight over the hill, then carts / wagons formed a later route following the contours?
@paul11534 жыл бұрын
I like the shoutout to Portillo.
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
And Bradshaw's guide of course... ;-)
@acidsunrise4 жыл бұрын
Brilliant.Again.👍
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Thank you.
@andykopgod4 жыл бұрын
haha, love Portillo's bradshaws guide
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
I was genuinely quite excited about carrying the book
@keithevans79964 жыл бұрын
Thanks for a lovely sunny video. Would make a nice walk to make at the moment in line with government restrictions which allows us to exercise once a day by walking or cycling!!
@Sim0nTrains4 жыл бұрын
Nice video, really enjoyed that one.
@Fubar2024 Жыл бұрын
Hmmmm. i was in UK in my 20's and got the chance to ride my bosses horse along an old monk trail in Kent. It went through people fields which we had approval to ride throuh. I wonder if this is the same route??
@thomasjohn42364 жыл бұрын
I Love your videos two thumbs up.
@bobparsons774 жыл бұрын
Great video as I suffer minus 15C and more snow!
@pwhitewick4 жыл бұрын
Ouch!
@programmingfortheweb4 жыл бұрын
Holding the book... Is that like holding the remote? 😂😀😂