The Ley Line Legacy: Watkins' Early British Trackways and the Old Straight Track

The Ley Line Legacy brings together Alfred Watkins' two groundbreaking works, Early British Trackways and The Old Straight Track, in a single volume charting the origins of one of Britain's most enduring landscape theories.

First published in 1922, Early British Trackways introduced Watkins' revolutionary concept of 'leys', straight alignments linking prehistoric monuments, burial sites, and ancient landmarks across the British countryside. Drawing from detailed fieldwork in Herefordshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire, and beyond, Watkins argued that these linear pathways once served as a form of practical navigation and sacred geography.

In The Old Straight Track (1925), Watkins further developed his theory with expanded research and wider-ranging examples, offering a deeper examination of Britain's ancient landscape through both archaeological observation and folkloric tradition. His work traced the alignment of stone circles, mounds, and waypoints, proposing an interconnected web of pre-Roman routes shaped by early civilisations.

Although Watkins' ideas were met with scepticism by archaeologists and geographers, they've since become foundational in the study of sacred geography, with ley lines reinterpreted in spiritual and esoteric traditions. The Ley Line Legacy presents these influential texts in one edition, offering a detailed exploration into the mystical energies and folklore of Britain's ancient paths.