Attractions and Places To See around Covingham - Top 20

Open all day and night. A very intriguing place. I sat for around half an hour one morning, had some breakfast and moved on. didn't see anybody else. found it very peaceful. unbelievable just how old it actually is.

Ashdown House (also known as Ashdown Park) is a 17th-century country house in the civil parish of Ashbury in the English county of Oxfordshire. Until 1974 the house was in the county of Berkshire, and the nearby village of Lambourn remains in that county. It is a Grade I listed building and the grounds are included in the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens at Grade II*. The house features 8,000 square feet of living space, a large central staircase, reception rooms, interlinking drawing and sitting rooms, a kitchen, a dining room and eight bedrooms. The property includes two lodges, three cottages and a hundred acres of land. The house was originally built at the junction of the four rides in Craven's hunting park – the four avenues no longer survive as they once did, but portions of them remain. The house is isolated, and the view from the roof includes park-like grounds and gardens, and beyond, woods and pastures. At least one of the woods of Ashdown Park predates the house. Glastonbury Abbey held the manor of Ashbury until the Dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. A deer park was established for the Abbey in the south of the parish. It is bounded by an ancient embankment enclosing a rounded area characteristic of Medieval deer parks. The embankment would have been topped by a park pale, probably of cleft oak stakes. The park may equate to the Aysshen Wood that a terrier of the parish in 1519 recorded as covering 415 acres. The former deer park is now the Upper Wood of Ashdown Park. Ashdown Park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Although a few alterations were made to the house, the building remained largely as-built until it was requisitioned for use by the army during World War II. The occupation left it in a near derelict state. The National Trust has owned Ashdown House since 1956 when it was donated to the trust by Cornelia, Countess of Craven (wife of William Craven, 4th Earl of Craven). The house is tenanted, and has been renovated by recent lease holders. In 2010 Pete Townshend bought a 41-year lease on the property and in 2011 a structural renovation was begun. Public access is restricted to the stairs and roof, with broad views of Berkshire Downs. There is also public access to the neighbouring Ashdown Woods. Admission to the house is by guided tour on Wednesdays and Saturdays from April to October.

Interesting rock formations - didn't feel the need to get naked though

Wayland's Smithy is an atmospheric historic site about a mile's walk along the Ridgeway from the Uffington White Horse. A Neolithic chambered long barrow, it was once believed to have been the home of Wayland, the Saxon god of metal working. Human remains found on the site indicate that 14 people were interred in an earlier burial structure between 3590 and 3550 BC. Between 3460 and 3400 BC a second far larger barrow was constructed on top. It is the ruins of this that can be explored by visitors to the site today.

Wayland's Smithy is an atmospheric historic site about a mile's walk along the Ridgeway from the Uffington White Horse. A Neolithic chambered long barrow, it was once believed to have been the home of Wayland, the Saxon god of metal working. Human remains found on the site indicate that 14 people were interred in an earlier burial structure between 3590 and 3550 BC. Between 3460 and 3400 BC a second far larger barrow was constructed on top. It is the ruins of this that can be explored by visitors to the site today. Fantastic spot, full of atmospheric history. A must visit place if you are on the ridgeway.

Easily manageable on any bike (when dry). There's a few rougher patches, but on the whole it's no worse than many roads and a lot less stressful than the main road that runs alongside it.

This mixed use path, part of Sustrans NCN Route 482, follows the disused Chiseldon & Marlborough Railway. The path is almost entirely well-maintained gravel and mostly flat, with some sharp ups and downs at entry/exit points. When dry, it can be easily ridden on a road or city bike (some skills required), but if muddy and wet a Gravel bike or MTB is recommended. Traction is overall very good, but be careful on bends with loose gravel. On a nice, sunny day this is a great trail away from traffic which will put a smile on your face! Always be courteous to other path users, giving ample room to pedestrians and other cyclists.

This mixed use path, part of Sustrans NCN Route 482, follows the disused Chiseldon & Marlborough Railway. The path is almost entirely well-maintained gravel and mostly flat, with some sharp ups and downs at entry/exit points. When dry, it can be easily ridden on a road or city bike (some skills required), but if muddy and wet a Gravel bike or MTB is recommended. Traction is overall very good, but be careful on bends with loose gravel. On a nice, sunny day this is a great trail away from traffic which will put a smile on your face! Always be courteous to other path users, giving ample room to pedestrians and other cyclists.