This walk was created by Andrew Goudie, a professor of geography at Oxford University. On the left hand side as you look down the valley, is a series of more-or-less parallel trenches. However, only the top appears to be artificially flattened. LDWA Walks. The main entrance appears to have been on the north, which was protected by an earthen passageway that would have been further protected by wooden stakes. For example, we saw The Manger, which once had a stream that carved away the rock but is now what we call a dry valley. Stop in the car park. Length - 3.3 miles / 5.3 km. On this walk today we’ll explore chalk landscapes - places where underneath your feet is a type of rock called chalk. Please note Wiltshire Council does not verify the information on external web sites. As if it wasnât enough to have visited all of the Wiltshire White Horses across 2017, Jo had one more in store for us, just over the border in Oxfordshire.. We drove east along the M4 motorway, one last time. In between the hills and ridges are valleys. Uffington / Knighton / Ridgeway - 11.5km. Departing for Swindon East, to later arrive the the pay-and-display car park (free for National Trust members) at White Horse ⦠The ramparts were also once topped by a timber palisade – a defensive line of stakes. This short walk on the North Wessex Downs offers wonderful and the chance to explore some fine ancient monuments including the Uffungton White Horse, Uffington Castle ⦠This valley is cut back steeply into the chalk and heads up to the White Horse itself. Region - North Wessex Downs. After your exercise head north from the hill into the village of Uffington for some post walk refreshments. Dragon Hill is a lovely place to see typical grassland flowers. This short walk provides an excellent way to explore a number of ancient monuments including the White Horse, Uffington Castle and the Long Barrow at Wayland's Smithy together with a section of the Ridgeway one of Britain's oldest thoroughfares. These are hard sandstone blocks that are now called ‘Sarsen stones’. National Trust large car park, free for members or £2 for 2 hours/£4 all day. There is also abundant use of brick, perhaps made from local clay, especially for vital parts of the building structure such as window arches, doorways and corners. Main features of the area are the White Horse at Uffington, the river Thames and the Ridgeway National Trail. of all these different materials gives the village so much of its charm. It extends just over 6.4 kilometres (4 miles) from north to south, but it is less than 1.6 kilometres (1 mile) wide. There’s also a figure on the way out of Weymouth of George III. National Trust large car park, free for members or £2 for 2 hours/£4 all day. A simple design of one rampart and ditch, the castle at 860 feet (262m) above sea level forms the highest point in Oxfordshire, with views for miles around over six counties. Clay does not allow water to pass through it so It’s at this point that the spring gushes out. In summary. This short walk on the North Wessex Downs offers wonderful views and the chance to explore some fine ancient monuments including the Uffungton White … On White Horse Hill is an Iron Age hillfort known as Uffington Castle. None of these materials are good for building. The walk begins in the southwest corner of Oxfordshire, where a line of hills forms a natural border with the county of Berkshire. location only) Go to North Wessex Downs Walks The villagers also employed some blocks of local sandstone – sarsen stone – which we will discuss at our final stop. Richard White. The White Horse © Rory Walsh RGS-IBG Discovering Britain, The White Horse, Uffington © Webb Aviation www.webbaviation.co.uk, Kings, saints, goddesses, fire-breathing dragons and a giant horse…. Part of the Geological Map of Great Britain. As we clamber down from Dragon Hill, we come into a great green valley called The Manger. In southern England, there are quite a lot of figures carved in the chalk. Once on the Ridgeway, turn right and retrace your steps back to the start of the walk. A circular walk around White Horse Hill. Sarsen stone © Rory Walsh RGS-IBG Discovering Britain. White Horse Hill: Great walks and views. Underneath the low-lying valley bottoms, including the Vale of the White Horse in front of you, is a different type of rock called clay. They have also been called ‘greywethers’ because where they appear in fields at a distance they look like sheep. Take this path and continue onwards. The flatness of The Manger's floor may also result from the same process. When you are ready, find the gate in the bottom corner of the churchyard opposite to where you came in. Departing for Swindon East, to later arrive the the pay-and-display car park (free for National Trust members) at White Horse ⦠I hope you enjoy the walk! But if you look around – not least in the middle of the car park – there are a whole series of curiously-shaped brown rocks. the Bronze Age chalk horse figure itself. Villages need water, so this was a perfect location. Plenty of sheep grazing so have to watch where you are walking. Unless stated otherwise, dogs are allowed, but preferably on leads. Mostly field paths in picturesque downland country to the south of Uffington The starting point for this impressive walk in the Vale of White Horse, Uffington is the quintessential English village, so it should come as no surprise to find aspects of it are represented at ⦠Discovering Britain is delivered by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). Woolstone is not only beautiful, it’s also very old and Iron Age pottery has been found nearby. Distance â 5 miles taking approx. Shortly after the trig point, the path bears right. It may be that the figure represents a horse goddess connected with the local Belgae tribe. good for building. Continue along the flattest ground at the bottom of this dry valley. So that’s why the village is where it is but, by being long, the parish also had access to the important grazing lands of the chalk downs behind. Immediately to the south of Uffington castle, there’s a lovely green lane streaked with white chalk where vehicle ruts have been made. Turn right at the bottom of the steps and follow the footpath. Rather, it’s a great hill fort that was constructed in the Iron Age round about 2,700 years ago. A 7.4-mile walk from the highest point in Oxfordshire at White Horse Hill, near Uffington, following the Ridgeway national trail towards Ashbury and passing Wayland’s Smithy. Walking the Uffington White Horse: ‘A delicate carving in the chalk bounding gracefully across the hillside’ Fiona Reynolds August 15, 2020 . Uffington White Horse & Wayland's Smithy Introduction to Walk 3116. Home » Oxfordshire walks » White Horse Hill, Uffington. These features are called 'avalanche chutes'. This short walk on the North Wessex Downs offers wonderful and the chance to explore some fine ancient monuments including the Uffungton White Horse, Uffington Castle … Several grass paths to choose from leading to the White Horse or to Uffington Castle. There’s the famous white giant at Cerne Abbas in Dorset. National Trust large car park, free for members or £2 for 2 hours/£4 all day. Want to go hiking around Vale Of White Horse to explore more of this corner of Oxfordshire? 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