UP! - North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Walking with white horses
THE North Wessex Downs AONB may be
further away from the coast than almost
anywhere else in England but visitors can
still enjoy dramatic white horses.
Carved into the chalk downland and
visible for miles, there are eight huge
equine hill figures contained within the
AONB – each accessible via a beautiful
panoramic rural walk.
The most famous is the prehistoric
Uffington White Horse near Wantage –
thought to be the oldest hill figure in
Britain – and also the largest at 360ft
(110m) from head to tail.
The youngest is the Devizes Millennium
6 | UP! On The North Wessex Downs
White Horse and it is the only one of our
AONB white horses facing eastwards like its
ancient cousin at Uffington.
Other North Wessex Downs white horses
can be seen at Hackpen Hill and Broad
Town north of Avebury; at Oldbury Castle
near Cherhill; near Alton Barnes and
Pewsey, both south-west of Marlborough,
which itself has a white horse tucked away
behind Marlborough College on Grantham
Hill at Preshute.
White horse whereabouts!
ALTON BARNES: Sited high in the Pewsey
Downs National Nature Reserve this 161ft
(49m) long by 180ft (55m) high white horse
can be seen from 22 miles (35km) away. Cut
in 1812 for Robert Pile from Manor Farm,
who ended up paying twice when the first
contractor absconded with the money.
BROAD TOWN: Circa 1864, 79ft (24m) long
by 59ft (18m) high. Accounts suggest it
was cut by farmer William Simmonds.
Visible from 20 miles (32km) away, best
viewed from Broad Town village.
CHERHILL: Second-largest, second-oldest
white horse in Wiltshire. Cut in 1780, 128ft
(39m) long by 141ft (43m) high, visible
from 30 miles (48km) away. Lies beneath
the Iron Age hill fort of Oldbury Castle.