Nature, history and archaeology combine in this tour of one of England’s scenic long-distance footpaths. South of Oxford and west of London, the Ridgeway follows chalk ridges and escarpments for 90 miles, from the sweeping views of the Wessex downlands to the beech forests of the Chiltern Hills. Celtic hillforts and Neolithic stone tombs provide fascinating glimpses of the past, and spectacular views evoke the landscapes described in the nineteenth century by Thomas Hardy and Richard Jefferies. Fred Christensen has walked the full length of the path, following in the footsteps of prehistoric people who used it for cross-country travel, of Saxon and Viking armies that fought along it, of medieval merchants and cattle drovers, and of modern hikers in search of natural beauty and ancient megalithic remains.
February 6: From Avebury stone circle via Barbury Castle to Ogbourne St. George
February 13: Past Liddington Castle and Wayland's Smithy to the Uffington White Horse
February 20: From Sparsholt Firs past Letcombe Castle to Goring-on-Thames
February 27: Across the Thames and into the Chilterns to Princes Risborough
March 5: Through the Chequers estate and over Coombe Hill to trail's end at Ivinghoe Beacon
About the presenter:
Fred Christensen is a former history instructor at University of Kentucky and ROTC instructor at University of Illinois, and spent eight years teaching the Army’s Command and General Staff Course. Fred spent 28 years in the US Army Reserves (including 5 years of active duty), retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1997. He retired in 2007 from the University of Illinois Admissions and Records office where he was in charge of issuing all diplomas for graduates and of maintaining graduate records for PhD candidates.
Since retirement, he has taught adult-education classes for 15 years at the University of Illinois OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) program. His passion for the study of history and archaeology has contributed to these classes and their content. Other accomplishments include teaching for Parkland College’s Community Education program and serving as president of ECIAS (East Central Illinois Archaeological Society) for the last seven years. His wife Judie is a retired librarian from the Champaign Public Library. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wonderful son and daughter-in-law and their three amazing grandchildren.
Tuesdays at Ten | Spring Series
February 6-March 5: The Ridgeway Path
March 12-April 2: Eclipse Magic
April 9-May 7: Gardening
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