Prehistoric trackway following the ridge of the North Downs escarpment. For much of its course it is followed by a parallel trackway at the foot of the scarp, traditionally associated with a pilgrim route to Canterbury.

During the CTRL excavations, a section was cut across the trackway between the White Horse Stone site and the Pilgim's Way site. This found three separate hollow-ways at the site below the location of the modern track, with evidence of disuse between each phase. The first phase was c. 4m wide with sides 0.85m deep, with a layer of flint in the bottom, and ona SE-NW alignment. The second phase was c. 6m wide with two layers of flint in the botttom, and on the same alignment as the modern trackway. The third phase c. 9m wide with four layers of flints. The modern trackway seems to be a continuation of the third hollow-way. (1)

Description from record TQ 85 SW 310:
The Pilgrims Way trackway is the route taken by pilgrims to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury, from Winchester in Hampshire. Becket's shrine was seen as the most important in the country during the medieval period after his canonization in 1173, and Winchester was formerly the early medieval capital of England and an important religious centre. The route closely follows a pre-existing ancient trackway, and today much of the north downs way parallels the pilgrims way.

<1> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2006, The Prehistoric Landscape at White Horse Stone, Aylesford, Kent: CTRL Integrated Site Report Series (Unpublished document). SKE16368.