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Home > Walks > Region > South East England > Uffington Return to Walks

Imprints in the chalk

tooltipDiscovering Britain walk

Discover how geology has shaped society and culture in Oxfordshire

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Kings, saints, goddesses, fire-breathing dragons and a giant horse… Welcome to one of the most intriguing and atmospheric sites in Britain.

At Uffington in South Oxfordshire, you can enjoy spectacular panoramic views, discover a unique collection of ancient landmarks and explore a picturesque village. This walk uncovers some of the stories behind and beneath this popular place.

You will discover how the underlying rock of a place – in this case chalk – strongly influenced human activity: their fortifications and defences, their religion and culture, their travel and trade, their settlements and buildings.

It is a fascinating story of how the physical landscape has shaped human activities and behaviour. 

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Walk Info

Distance:

3 miles

Level:
Some very steep ascents and descents

tooltipSome very steep ascents and descents

Suitable for:
An exciting location for children of all ages

tooltipAn exciting location for children of all ages

Dogs should be kept on a lead in grazing areas

tooltipDogs should be kept on a lead in grazing areas

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Region:
South East England
Setting:
Countryside
Landscape:
People in the landscape Shaping the landscape Prehistoric landscapes
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Start:
White Horse Hill
Finish:
White Horse Hill
Getting there:

tooltipSituated on the B4507 between Swindon and Wantage

tooltipServed by local buses running between Swindon and Wantage

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Uffington

The White Horse at Uffington
© Webb Aviation www.webbaviation.co.uk

Uffington

Distinctive building materials in Woolstone
Jenny Lunn © RGS-IBG Discovering Britain

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Route map

Select pins on the map to find out more about each point of interest on the walk

Walk kit

Choose between an audio or written guide: download and enjoy!

Downloads

Written guide
A flat route mostly on urban streets

tooltipHelp with downloading - Double-click the icon to download this PDF file. You can save it to your computer or open it now. The file is designed as a booklet. To print it choose ‘Booklet Printing’ from your printer options.

Audio guide
A flat route mostly on urban streets

tooltipHelp with downloading - Double-click the icon to download this ZIP file of the audio commentary (mp3 files) and accompanying booklet (PDF) which contains maps and directions. You can save the audio files to your computer then add them to your mp3 device. This will vary for each device but you can use any supplied software (such as iTunes, Windows Media Player) or drag and drop the files. The PDF is designed as a booklet. To print it choose ‘Booklet Printing’ from your printer options.

Extras
A flat route mostly on urban streets

tooltipHelp with downloading - Double click to download this GPX file and load it on to your GPS device.

Photo Gallery

Find out what you might see on the walk - click on an image to view full size

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Links

Find out more about the walk story and places of interest along the route

External links open in a new window


Ancient Britain

A guide to the White Horse

http://www.pegasusarchive.org/ancientbritain/white_horse.htm

English Heritage

Wayland's Smithy

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/waylands-smithy

The National Trust

Ashdown House

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-ashdownhouse

The Scouring of the White Horse by Thomas Hughes (1859)

A scanned PDF copy of Hughes' novel at the Open Library

http://openlibrary.org/books/OL7034942M/The_scouring_of_the_White_Horse

Uffington Community Website

Guide to village history, local attractions and accommodation

http://www.uffington.net/

University of Oxford

The University archaeological dig at the White Horse

http://www.arch.ox.ac.uk/HOR1.html

The White Horse pub, Woolstone

http://www.whitehorsewoolstone.co.uk

English Heritage

Uffington Castle, the White Horse and Dragon Hill

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/uffington-castle-white-horse-and-dragon-hill/

National Trail

The Ridgeway

http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ridgeway/

The National Trust

White Horse Hill

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-uffingtonwhitehorsewaylandsmithy

Tom Brown’s School Museum

http://www.museum.uffington.net

The Uffington White Horse Show

Annual show held August bank holiday at the site

http://www.whitehorseshow.co.uk

Vale of White Horse District Council

http://www.visitvale.com

Wiltshire White Horses

A guide to the chalk horse figures in neighbouring Wiltshire

http://www.wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk

Credits

The RGS-IBG would like to thank the following people and organisations for their assistance in producing this Discovering Britain walk

 

Professor Andrew Goudie for creating the walk

 

Jenny Lunn and Rory Walsh for editing the walk materials and taking photographs

 

Caroline Millar for editing the audio commentary

 

Nick Stanworth and Gemma Coate for additional assistance with compiling walk resources

 

Jonathan Webb for kind permission to use his aerial photograph of the White Horse

thank you
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