White Horse Hill

About

Crowned by the dramatic Bronze Age chalk horse, White Horse Hill is a place of mystery and romantic legend, with stories of dragon slaying and poisoned blood. Climb the hill to the highest point in Oxfordshire and take in views across six counties. From birdwatching to kite flying, there’s always something to keep you busy at the White Horse.

Climb to the top

Put your best foot forward and climb to the highest point in Oxfordshire. The trig point, which marks 262m, is located between the horse and Uffington Castle. From here you can take in the best views of this historic landscape with its high crest and rippling valley below.

A twitcher's delight

The skies over White Horse Hill are busy with bird life all through the year. Take a look upwards and you're likely to spot buzzards, kestrels or red kites hunting voles and field mice. In the spring and summer, keep your eyes open for skylarks, meadow pipits, corn buntings and partridges which breed in the grassland.

Ancient archaeology

The horse is only part of the many ancient remains that are found at White Horse Hill and beyond, spreading out across the high chalk downland. Here are some of the other features to explore:

- The Manger is a dramatic dry valley and 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. The blood poisoned the ground and left a white chalk scar for all to see.

- Crowning White Horse Hill is a simple Iron Age rampart and ditch hillfort known as Uffington Castle.

- Burial mounds can be spotted across the landscape. These date from the Neolithic period and were 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.