Overton Hill to Avebury: A great dog walk in Wiltshire

This is a great option for a dog walk in Wiltshire combining four historic sites, beautiful Wiltshire countryside and a stretch of the Ridgeway National Trail. This hike is near the River Kennet and across gently rolling hills. Along the way, you’ll encounter open pastures, secluded trails, woodland pockets, and lovely river views, making it a truly rewarding hike.

Distance	Total Time	Difficulty
11.69 km	03:42	Moderate

We followed the circular walk route from the official Ridgeway National Trail guidebook, which covered all the local highlights. If your furry companion loves an energetic hike as much as mine do, then lace up your boots, grab the lead, and get ready for a day of rustic charm and beautiful countryside.

The walk starts from Overton Hill, and to get there, we used this address in the satnav: Overton Hill car park (Gunsite Rd, West Kennett, Marlborough SN8 1QG). The car park is small, and we were lucky to find a space as we arrived around midday. 

Don’t forget to check the post notes at the bottom of the page, with maps, a detailed table about the hike and links to everything mentioned in the post.

The Hike

We began our walk at the Overton Hill car park and took a moment to check the information board about the RidgewayTrail before heading south, crossing the A4. Our first stop, just across the motorway, was the Sanctuary – a historic site preserving the remains of a Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age monument featuring stone and timber circles. 

From there, we then continued south along the byway, crossing the River Kennett towards East Kennett. This stretch of the walk is pretty and easy to navigate, though a bit muddy given the rain in the week leading up to our hike.

Upon arriving at East Kennett, we took a sharp right and walked through the village, passing Church Lane to our left. We continued straight until we got to the red brick pump house. According to the guidebook, we were supposed to turn left just before the pump house, but the road was completely flooded, making us question whether we were in the right place. After some debate, we retracted our steps back to the pump house and instead crossed the river following the road. I highly recommend sticking to the road before the pump house as suggested in the guidebook as it avoids the long stretch of the A4, as seen on the map.

We eventually reached the entrance to West Kennet Long Barrow, the second historical site of this hike. We had a little pitstop there before crossing the A4 again, passing a gate, and walking alongside the river. 

At this point, we made another mistake you can easily avoid – we followed the waymarked path, which is also used by horses, and it turned out to be incredibly muddy. Instead of taking this route, continue walking north through the fields, parallel to this path, until you reach the gate in Avebury. This section of the walk is particularly lovely, with Silbury Hill views and the river to the left and pastures stretching to our right. The open landscape offered a perfect opportunity for a brief breather, take in the surroundings, and capture a few photos.

Avebury Henge and Stone Circles, the final historical site on our trail, is a beautiful and well-maintained landmark cared for by the National Trust. Beyond the iconic stone circles, Avebury offers several other attractions, including a welcoming pub where we took a well-earned break before continuing west along the Herepath or Green Street – a chalk road winding through farmland and pastures.

After passing several farms on our right, we chose to continue walking northeast, deviating from the guidebook route, since I wanted to cover a longer section of The Ridgeway.

So we continued straight until we reached the Ridgway waymark. From here, we turned right and followed the trail back to the car park.

This was a fantastic hike with the girls, who were so exhausted they slept for the rest of the day.

I think this dog walk in Wiltshire would have been even better had not rained heavily in the days before we went there. Still, it was a great day out.

There’s a special kind of tranquillity in this corner of Wiltshire – an unhurried charm that invites you to slow down and savour the moment. The changing scenery, from meadows and woodlands to peaceful riverbanks, keeps both you and your dog engaged the entire way.

Cheers,

Ademar