Fovant villagers are very lucky to have a multitude of beautiful interconnected paths, allowing us a huge variety of circular walks. Like much of the landscape around us, our paths are imbued with history and provide exhilarating viewpoints of the open meadows, chalk downs and woods surrounding us.

 

Some, like the footpaths which ascend and descend from Chiselbury Hill Fort, have been used since neolithic times and have ancient names such as Sigewine's Dyke, the Limbway & Hollow-way. As with many such ancient pathways they run from and to, high vantage points, alongside rivers and to water sources and we have many of these in Fovant.  These routes provide magnificent viewpoints of the surrounding countryside allowing the walker to appreciate the openness of the fields and sky.  Others like the 'Herepath' running along the top of Fovant Downs is noted in Saxon charters as the 'War Path' or 'Army Path' and allows two horsemen to ride side by side.  It was also the first Turnpike road in England.  This path has probably witnessed many different armies ride and stride along it from past times; Romans, Danes, Cavaliers & Roundheads and it is still an important byway today.  The Green Drove is another ancient route and an Anglo Saxon extension of Sigewine's Dyke.  It was also used & improved by the military during the First World War to allow troops and equipment to access the training camps which stretched from the fields of Fovant eastwards to Compton Chamberlayne and housed up to 20,000 troops at any one time.  

​

Mike Harden has painstakingly researched the eighteen footpaths, three byways and five bridleways which crisscross across our village in person, and described each pathway in trails which are easy to follow.  His guides note places of historical interest along each route and are illustrated with photographs.  You can download his trail booklet from FHIG website.