On one of the few sunny days we have had so far this year I visited the Uffington horse in Oxfordshire. A famous chalk horse carved into the hillside near the village of Uffington. Dating from prehistoric times to between 1380 and 550 BC the figure has been a prominent sight in the area since records began. Periodically the horse is "Scoured" to maintain it and remove any vegetation. This has become somewhat of a local fesitval for the local villages. The only time the horse has been covered in it's long history is during WW2 when it was hidden so it couldn't aid German bombers with navigation.
It is hard to see from ground level but here is a shot of the horse from the air - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uffingt...
As well as the horse there are also a couple of other landmarks nearby. Including the flat topped "Dragon hill" (which you can see below the horse at about 12:47) which is associated with St George. Also "Waylands forge" which I didn't visit but is a good long barrow nearby.
Above the horse is the ancient Iron age hill fort. Which is mostly just the old earthworks and ditches now but offers some great views around the surrounding countryside. The second half of the video is me walking along what would have been the old fortifications.
The easiest access to the site is from the nearby National Trust Car park, which is free for NT members. There is some closer car parking for those with mobility issues. The paths to the horse are mostly grass paths and while mostly smooth, may represent a bit of tough going for those in wheelchairs. There are no toilets or other facilities on site.
National Trust website - www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visi...
#history #walks #countryside #prehistoric #ironage #solotravel #traveluk #4kwalk