Which term describes an early prehistoric path or route, sometimes made of timber or laid over wetlands?

• A. Gallery road
• B. Trackway
• C. Holloway
• D. Ridgeway

Answer: (B)

Trackway describes an early route built to cross difficult ground, often spanning wetlands with timber planks or piles to keep travelers dry and provide a stable crossing. This term specifically highlights both the purpose (a defined route across soggy terrain) and the construction used in prehistoric times, when people laid down timbers or raised platforms over waterlogged areas. A famous example is a timber trackway laid across a fen in Britain thousands of years ago, showing how such paths transformed muddy landscapes into usable roads.

Holloway, by contrast, is a sunken path worn down by repeated use, not defined by its construction for crossing wetlands. Ridgeway refers to a long route along high ground, rather than across wetlands. Gallery road isn’t the standard term for prehistoric crossings of this kind. So, trackway best captures the idea of a constructed path over wetlands used in prehistoric times.