Top 12 Natural Monuments around Buckland

Tip: If you're hiking at White Horse Hill in Uffington, take your time to soak in the ancient history and breathtaking views. The hill is home to the famous Uffington White Horse, a prehistoric chalk figure carved into the hillside over 3,000 years ago. Hike: The trail around the hill offers stunning panoramas of the Vale of White Horse and beyond. You can extend your walk to Dragon Hill, a small flat-topped hill linked to legends of St. George, and even further to Wayland’s Smithy, a Neolithic burial chamber. The open landscape and rolling hills make for a refreshing and scenic hike!

small, flat-topped hill near White Horse Hill in Uffington, shrouded in myth and legend. One of the most famous stories claims that this is where St. George slew the dragon. The bare patch of chalk at the top is said to be the spot where the dragon’s blood spilled, making the grass unable to grow there. Geologically, the hill is a natural chalk formation, but its unusual shape and connection to local folklore make it a fascinating stop on any hike in the area. From the top, you get a great view of the surrounding countryside, adding to the mystical feel of the place!

If you're hiking at White Horse Hill in Uffington, take your time to soak in the ancient history and breathtaking views. The hill is home to the famous Uffington White Horse, a prehistoric chalk figure carved into the hillside over 3,000 years ago. The trail around the hill offers stunning panoramas of the Vale of White Horse and beyond. You can extend your walk to Dragon Hill, a small flat-topped hill linked to legends of St. George, and even further to Wayland’s Smithy, a Neolithic burial chamber. The open landscape and rolling hills make for a refreshing and scenic hike!

If you're hiking at White Horse Hill in Uffington, take your time to soak in the ancient history and breathtaking views. The hill is home to the famous Uffington White Horse, a prehistoric chalk figure carved into the hillside over 3,000 years ago. The trail around the hill offers stunning panoramas of the Vale of White Horse and beyond. You can extend your walk to Dragon Hill, a small flat-topped hill linked to legends of St. George, and even further to Wayland’s Smithy, a Neolithic burial chamber. The open landscape and rolling hills make for a refreshing and scenic hike! Attention - no drones allowed

Badbury Hill is home to the Iron Age Badbury Camp, a circular hill fort partially leveled in the 19th century. It’s thought to be a possible site of the Battle of Mons Badonicus. The hill also has a WWII firing range on its west side. Today, Badbury Clump, a nine-acre wooded area, is known for its bluebells in May and is a popular spot for walkers and dog owners. It’s now managed by the National Trust.

Great to view at a distance or with a drone. Nothing really to observe when close up.

Go when the sky is clear. If you go on a cloudy day you'll be disappointed.

Come on a clear day. I didn't. Also I bet it looks great with a drone. Next on my wishlist. The Uffington White Horse is a prehistoric hill figure, 110 m (360 ft) long, formed from deep trenches filled with crushed white chalk. The figure is situated on the upper slopes of Whitehorse Hill in the English civil parish of Uffington in Oxfordshire, some 16 km (10 mi) east of Swindon, 8 km (5.0 mi) south of the town of Faringdon and a similar distance west of the town of Wantage; or 2.5 km (1.6 mi) south of Uffington. The hill forms a part of the scarp of the Berkshire Downs and overlooks the Vale of White Horse to the north. The best views of the figure are obtained from the air, or from directly across the Vale, particularly around the villages of Great Coxwell, Longcot, and Fernham. The Uffington White Horse was created some time between 1380 and 550 bc, during the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age. The site is owned and managed by the National Trust and is a scheduled monument. The Guardian stated in 2003 that "for more than 3,000 years, the Uffington White Horse has been jealously guarded as a masterpiece of minimalist art." The Uffington Horse is by far the oldest of the white horse figures in Britain; the others inspired by it have an entirely different design. Until the late 19th century, the horse was scoured every seven years as part of a more general local fair held on the hill. Francis Wise wrote in 1736: "The ceremony of scouring the Horse, from time immemorial, has been solemnized by a numerous concourse of people from all the villages roundabout." After the work was done a rural festival was held sponsored by the lord of the manor. During the Second World War the figure, easily recognisable from the air, was covered over with turf and hedge trimmings so that Luftwaffe pilots could not use it for navigation during bombing raids. It was uncovered after the war by Welsh archaeology professor William Francis Grimes.