England’s best views
White Horse Hill
Towards the Vale of the White Horse
‘There is a gentle rolling quality to the Berkshire chalklands yet they can still be wild and, above the Vale of the White Horse, mysterious. The White Horse may date as early as 1700bc, though it has been variously attributed to such figures as King Arthur and King Alfred.
The galloping figure is 374 feet from nose to tail. Immediately below it is the remarkable geological feature of The Manger, so distinctive it has been thought manmade. Above the hill are the earthworks of Uffington Castle, one of a row of Iron Age earth forts along the downs.
The view north up the vale features wind turbines, waving for attention, while to the east can be glimpsed the steaming cooling towers of Didcot, now to be decommissioned. Will they, I wonder, be removed? ’
* Subscribe to Country Life and save; Get the Ipad edition
* Follow Country Life property on Twitter
