Two Dogs and an Awning

Tag: Hackpen White Horse

  • Reaching 2,020 Miles in 2020

    Reaching 2,020 Miles in 2020

    2020 is the third year I have taken on the challenge of “Walking the Year”, it started back in 2018 when I decided to walk 2,018 miles in the year and raise funds for the Trussell Trust.  I enjoyed the challenge so much that I took it on again in 2019 and again this year.  Alongside this challenge I have been trying to visit each of the Wiltshire White Horses in 2020, this was the idea of my walking buddy Mandy and so far we have visited six of the eight.

    I am out walking with Mandy today and we have planned our walk so I will pass the 2,020 mile target and we will also be bagging the Broad Town white horse.  Despite living in the same village the current pandemic restrictions mean we travel separately to the car park at Barbury Castle Country Park (Grid Ref: SU156761).

    From the car park we head west towards the Iron Age Hillfort of Barbury Castle.  We visited this spot on a walk earlier in the year and it is surprisingly quiet today.  

    Our route goes through the ramparts of the castle and then descends to a minor road where we cross and join the Ridgeway path and within a few hundred yards reach a junction of tracks where we turn right.  The  map shows we should reach a bridleway on the left after 500 metres, but there is no obvious sign of it on the ground.  So we continue along the track heading towards some hangers near Uffcott Farm.  There are fine views of Uffcott Down behind us.

    We stay with this track as it goes around fields to reach the hangers and driveway to Uffcott Farm.  The hangers are part of Wroughton Airfield.  The airfield opened in 1940 and was used for the assembly and storage of aircraft during World War II.  

    On reaching a minor road we continue straight on and then after approximately 100 metres take a footpath on the right through a field of sheep.  The path turns to the left close to a security fence and then goes north for a short distance along the edge of a field before going through a gate into an area of shrub land.  We follow the path to a minor road where we continue north to pass more hangers and the entrance to the National Collections Centre.

    In 1979 the Science Museum took ownership of 545 acres of the former airfield and use the hangers to store large objects.  Apparently this includes the world’s first Hovercraft, a Boeing 247 aircraft, a TV Detector Van and a wide range of other historical artefacts.

    Staying with the minor road we reach the A4361 which we cross and continue on a minor road opposite.  Soon we arrive at an Ordnance Survey trig point sitting beside the road.  This is the 225th trig I have bagged.

    We stay with the road ignoring two footpaths on the right.  Then as we reach Salthrop Farm we take a footpath heading north across a field towards Salthrop Wood.  On reaching the edge of the woodland we turn left and follow the edge of the field.

    We cross a minor road and continue heading west along the edge of Basset Down Wood.  At a fork in the path we go right and descend through the trees to a junction of paths where we go left over a footbridge.

    The path now goes through the bottom of Quidhampton Wood to reach a junction of paths ,here we head south on a path through the trees to reach another footbridge which we cross to enter a field.  We follow the path to a crossing of paths below Bincknoll Castle.  Our route is to stay below the escarpment now on the route of the White Horse Trail.

    We stay with the White Horse Trail until we reach the chalk carving on the side of the hill.  This is the Broad Town White Horse, the seventh White Horse we have visited this year.  The origins of this horse are unclear, there are reports that it was first carved in 1863, but others suggest it was done in the early 1800’s.  Restoration work was done in 1991, being so close it is difficult to a appreciate the carving.  So we make plans to view it from Broad Town a bit further along on our walk.

    From the carving we take a path which is a steady ascent of Snow Hill.  

    On entering a field at the top of the hill we turn right and follow the fence line to a gate and then enter open access land and follow a path along the top of the escarpment.

    Nearing a ‘B’ road we turn to the right to follow a path descending steeply to reach a minor road.  We follow this road in a northerly direction towards Broadtown.  From here we get a better view of the White Horse.

    In the village we turn left and then right to follow a road to reach Christ Church.  This church was built in 1844 and we make use of a convenient bench to stop for our lunch.

    Refreshed from lunch we resume our walk by retracing our steps back into the village and rejoining the White Horse Trail by turning right along Pye Lane.  We continue on the Trail passing Springfield House to join a track that soon enters a field.

    Our route stays with the White Horse Trail as we head towards the church tower of St Peter’s Church in Clyffe Pypard.

    The path runs besides the church and we pop in to have a quick look.  There are a few Commonwealth War Graves here, including A.G Williams a Pilot with the Royal New Zealand Airforce who died aged 20 and Flying Officer A.G Moss a Flying Instructor who died aged 26 both lost their lives the on 2nd March 1943.  Presumably these two were stationed at RAF Clyffe Pypard which operated as an Elementary Flying Training School from 13 September 1941 until disbanded on 5th November 1947.  The grass runways have since returned to farmland. 

    Resuming our walk we pass the Goddard Arms. According to the Parish website this pub was once at the centre of village life but it is now closed and there are concerns it might be lost to a private dwelling.  There are plans to try and purchase the property and run it as a community pub.  Let’s hope they are successful, sadly too many pubs are being closed and communities are not getting the opportunity to safeguard local assets.

    Just after the pub we take a footpath on the left up a driveway and follow the way markers around a garden to enter woodland.  The path now ascends steeply through trees to reach a minor road where we turn left and continue uphill to reach a junction .  Here we turn right on a lane heading towards Nebo Farm.  Soon we pop through a gap in the hedge to visit the Nebo Farm Ordnance Survey Trig Pillar located close to an aerial mast, this is my 226th bagged.

    Back on the road we continue past the entrance to Nebo Farm and then meeting a junction with a minor road we take a footpath on the left going through the hedge line and across a field towards barns.

    As we near a cottage a chap helpfully gives us directions and we take a track passing to the right of the cottages and then follow a footpath straight across a field towards Stanmore Copse.  In the far distance we can see the Landsdowne Monument on Cherhill Hill.

    We stay with the path heading in a southerly direction to reach a tarmac lane near to cottages.  Here we turn left and follow this lane to a minor road where we turn right and head into Winterbourne Bassett.  We continue through the village to pass the Winterbourne pub, which was previously known as the White Horse.

    Just after passing the pub we take a slight detour from our route to visit the church of St Katherine and St Peter.  Parts of this church date from the 14th and 15th centuries and it underwent a restoration in 1857-8. It is a fine looking church, but unfortunately we are not able to go inside.

    After walking around the church we head back to the road and turn right and go steadily uphill to reach the A4361.  We turn right and then within a few yards cross the road and take a footpath on the left which heads uphill on a track.  We get a good view of the Hackpen White Horse from here.

    This track takes us on a steady ascent before reaching the base of the escarpment and then it is a short ferocious climb.  

    At a junction of paths on Berwick Bassett Down we continue along the track now heading east to reach a junction with the Ridgeway.  Here we turn left.

    Our route is now very straight forward following the Ridgeway path along the top of Hackpen Hill.  It is here that I finally notch up my 2,020 miles for the year.

    I now make a light diversion from the Ridgeway to visit the Ordnance Survey trig point on Hackpen Hill.  I tried to bag this trig earlier in the year, but there were crops in the field so decided to wait until I could access it without doing any damage.  It is my third trig of the day and the 227th I have bagged.

    Returning to the Ridgeway I rejoin Mandy and we continue along the track to cross a road and then staying with the Ridgeway head back towards Barbury Castle.

    As we near the Hillfort we cross the road and head up to the ramparts.  It is a cracking evening and there is an absolutely stunning sunset.

    Now it is just a short walk back to the car park.  We have timed it just right because the light is failing fast.  It has been a cracking walk covering just over eighteen and a half miles.  We now just have the Alton Barnes White Horse to bag to complete the full set of Wiltshire horses in 2020.

    To follow my walk you will need Ordnance Survey Outdoor Explorer OS ExplorerMaps 169 Cirencester & Swindon and 157 Marlborough & Savernake Forest

    You can view this 18.5 mile walk on OS Maps and download the GPX File Here

    15th October 2020

    © Two Dogs and an Awning (2020)

    All information on this site is provided free of charge and in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of damage, loss or injury which might result from it.  To the best of my knowledge the routes are entirely on public rights of way or within areas that are open for public access.
    Walking can be hazardous and is done entirely at your own risk.  It is your responsibility to check your route and navigate using a map and compass.

  • Hackpen and Marlborough White Horses

    Hackpen and Marlborough White Horses

    Earlier in the year my friend Mandy suggested we “bag” all eight of the Wiltshire White Horses during 2020.  Our plans have been a bit hampered by the Covid-19 lockdown.  So far we have visited the chalk carvings at Cherhill, Devizes and Pewsey so we have some catching up to do.  

    The starting point for our walk is the long stay pay and display car park in George Lane, Marlborough (SN8 4BX).  From the car park we cross the River Kennet and walk into the town along Hilliers Yard and then turn left along the High Street.  After passing St Peter’s Church we turn right and follow the pavement besides the A4, Bath Road, to walk besides Marlborough College.  After passing the main entrance to the college we take a footpath on the left which crosses the River Kennet to reach St George’s Church.

    From the church we continue on the footpath heading south to reach Preshute Lane where we turn right and follow the lane for half a mile to reach Manton where we turn right into Bridge Street.  After crossing the River Kennet we take a footpath on the right leading through trees to the A4 which we cross at traffic lights and the take a footpath opposite which heads north along the White Horse Trail. 

    After passing some houses we are soon heading north through open countryside.

    At a junction of paths we turn right leaving the White Horse Trail.  There are trees to our right and we soon pass Barton Copse, nearing farm buildings we join a driveway to Manton House Farm and follow this to a road which we cross.

    Now we turn left and follow a path running inside the hedge line towards the Old Eagle.

    We briefly join the road to pass Old Eagle Cottages, these cottages stood near the Eagle pub, which according to the local history group was originally called the St John’s Arms.  In 1795 this pub stood on the Marlborough to Broad Hinton turnpike and was owned by Henry St. John of Rockley House.  His coat of arms included an eagle with wings spread so the thatched inn became known as the Old Eagle.  It closed as a pub in the mid 19th century and became a dwelling, but in January 1948 fire destroyed the property and it was never rebuilt.

    By the cottages we take a track that heads north onto the downs where there are a network of gallops for racehorses. 

    As we reach the top of the downs we leave the track to take a footpath on the right which heads to the site of a cemetery.  This seems an odd place to locate a cemetery so we look to see if we can find why it is located here. It is a small private cemetery where members of the Hartigan, Laye and Louden families are buried, apparently they were all associated with the nearby Bonita Racing Stables.

    From the cemetery we head north to cross gallops and join a track where we turn left and at a junction of tracks we follow a track, still heading north besides the gallops.

    This is the first time I have been on these downs and there are some stunning views.

    Our route is now very straightforward we stay on this track for two miles heading towards Upper Herdwick Farm.  Along the way we pass a milestone at Four Mile Clump. Sadly the inscription on the stone has eroded.  The Historic England website dates the stone as circa 1762 when this track was the route of the Swindon – Marlborough turnpike.

    After passing Upper Herdswick Farm we follow a footpath on the left, we are now on the route of the Ridgeway long distance path, we head towards the car park for Barbury Castle.  Close to the car park area there are benches enjoying wide ranging views they provide an ideal spot to stop for lunch.

    Resuming our walk we follow the Ridgeway path heading west to reach the Iron Age Hillfort of Barbury Castle.

    The Ridgeway runs through the castle and then descends to a minor road which we cross and follow the Ridgeway along the track for two and a quarter miles to reach a minor road. 

    We cross to go through a gate on the right that leads to the Hackpen White Horse.

    It is difficult to get a good view of the horse from the hillside so we descend to cross a stile and walk along the road for a few hundred yards to get a better picture.  The origins of this chalk carving is unclear, it is thought to have been cut in 1838 to mark the coronation of Queen Victoria.

    From the road we make the stiff ascent back up the hill and re-join the Ridgeway.  Soon in a field on our left we pass the Shoulder of Mutton Ordnance Survey Trig point.  It was my intention to bag this trig, but there are crops in the field, so I will have to return later in the year after harvest.  The top of the trig is just visible from the side of the track, but I don’t count that as a “bag”. Our route continues along the Ridgeway, with fine views.

    after a mile we reach the Berwick Bassett Down Dewpond.  At one time when sheep farming was the main industry on the downs there would have been numerous dewponds dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Due to the nature of the chalk downland, ponds were dug and lined with clay so they could capture and retain rainwater.  The average rainfall here is between 30 and 40 inches, thereby providing a good water source for livestock.  Over the years the ponds have fallen into disrepair with a consequent impact on other wildlife dependant upon them, so since 2012 a local group have been restoring the ponds.

    A mile further along the Ridgeway we reach a gate on our left leading to open access land which is littered with Sarsen Stones, known as Grey Wethers.  Apparently they get the name due to their likeness to sheep when viewed at a distance, a wether being an old term for a neutered ram.

    We cross the access land in a south easterly direction towards the edge of Delling Copse and then cross another access area known as Dellling.  By a farmhouse we turn right and pick up a footpath across farm land to a junction of paths where we turn left and head east towards Wroughton Copse. As we near gallops we turn right and head south across Fyfield Down. 

    The path is unclear but we head towards a copse and then onto access land.  Here we reach a track and turn left heading south east.

    On leaving the access land we follow a path which soon leads us by Devil’s Den, apparently the remaining stones of a Neolithic passage burial chamber that was 230 feet long.  It is believed the stones were repositioned in 1920 and they make an impressive sight.

    Our route is now along a track through Clatford Bottom towards the A4.

    After crossing the A4 we continue south to pass Clatford Hall which sits behind a high hedge giving only a brief glimpse through high gates.  Parts of the Hall date from the 16th century with further work in the mid 19th century.  The Historic England website suggests the site was probably erected on the site of the priory of St Victoire en Caux.

    At a junction of paths we turn left and head east to soon join minor a road and then go straight over at a crossroads to join Manton Road, we follow this into the village passing the village school with it’s elaborate guttering system.

    Soon after we pass the Oddfellows Arms and then turn right into Preshute Lane.

    We now retrace our steps along Preshute Lane to reach the junction to the path to St George’s church we turn right following a footpath past the sports ground of Marlborough College.  On reaching a junction with the Wansdyke Path we turn left and walk along the top of Granham Hill.  There are fine views across Marlborough from here.

    As we near the A345 we follow a path downhill to reach a gate where we turn left and walk besides the River Kennet and soon get a view of the Marlborough White Horse on the hill we have just walked across.  This horse was first cut in 1804 by pupils of a school known as Mr Greasley’s Academy.  After Greasley died in 1830 the school closed and the horse was neglected.  But in 1860 it was restored.  Apparently the last restoration was undertaken in 2001 and the horse is no longer clear as a chalk figure, but can just about be identified. 

    After getting a view of the White Horse we turn around and follow the path besides the river back to the A345 which we cross and then walk along George Lane and then turn into Figgins Lane to return to our starting point in the car park.

    Our walk has clocked up almost 19 miles and has covered some wonderful sections of Wiltshire I have not previously visited. 

    You can view this 19 mile walk on OS Maps and download the GPX File Here

    To follow this walk you will need Ordnance Survey Explorer Map OL157 Marlborough & Savernake

    Additional Information

    For more information on this walk including car parking, amenities, refreshments and detailed walking directions visit my associated Walking Moonraker website.

    10th July 2020

    © Two Dogs and an Awning (2020)

    All information on this site is provided free of charge and in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of damage, loss or injury which might result from it.  To the best of my knowledge the routes are entirely on public rights of way or within areas that are open for public access.
    Walking can be hazardous and is done entirely at your own risk.  It is your responsibility to check your route and navigate using a map and compass.