White Horse Hill

About

The internationally-renowned Bronze-Age Uffington White Horse can be seen for miles away, leaping across the head of a dramatic dry valley in the Ridgeway escarpment. The horse is only part of the unique complex of ancient remains that are found at White Horse Hill and beyond, spreading out across the high chalk downland.

The Manger, a dramatic dry valley, has steep rippled sides left from the retreating permafrost during the last Ice Age; these ripples are known as the Giant's Steps. To the east of the Manger lies Dragon Hill, a small roundish hill with a flattened top. It is said to be the site where St. George, England's Patron Saint, slew the dragon and the blood poisoned the ground, leaving a white chalk scar for all to see.

Crowning White Horse Hill is an Iron Age hill-fort known as Uffington Castle. A simple design of one rampart and ditch, the castle forms the highest point in Oxfordshire, with views for miles around over six counties.

Across the property, burial mounds can be spotted. These date from the Neolithic period and have been reused up to the Saxon age. The largest contained 47 skeletons and this can be seen as you walk up to the Horse from the car park, if you look carefully.

You can see all this and much, much more besides at White Horse Hill, so bring the whole family and spend a day discovering the hidden historical wonders that lay here.