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Westbury White Horse

3.11 miles (5 km)

Ordnance Survey Map Open Streetmap Climb to Westbury Hill and visit the Westbury White Horse on this circular walk near Bratton in Wiltshire. The striking hill figure is 180 feet (55 m) tall and 170 feet (52 m) wide and has been adopted as a symbol for the town of Westbury, appearing on welcome signs and the logo of its tourist information centre. It is also considered a symbol for Wiltshire as a whole. From the viewpoint on Westbury Hill there are wonderful views over the Salisbury Plain and the surrounding Wiltshire countryside.
You can start the walk from the car park just to the south of the site near Bratton. Then follow the footpaths north to the lovely viewpoint. You can then pick up other paths along the ridge to the Iron Age hillfort of Bratton Camp. Habitats include extensive chalk grassland where you can look out for the Adonis Blue Butterfly.
The White Horse Trail,Wessex Ridgeway Trail and the Imber Range Perimeter Path all pass the hill so you could easily pick up these long distance footpaths to extend your walk. The White Horse Trail is of particular interest. The waymarked circular trail starts at the Westbury White Horse and runs through Pewsey, Marlborough, Broad Town, Cherhill, Devizes, Steeple Ashton and Bratton. It also visits the Cherhill White Horse.
Heading south along the Imber Range Perimeter Path will take you over Upton Cow Down to Warminster.
You could start the walk from Warminster and follow the trail to the White Horse as an alternative route.

Postcode

BA13 4TA - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations

Westbury White Horse OS Map Ordnance survey map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Westbury White Horse Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Pubs/Cafes

Head west from the viewpoint and you can enjoy refreshments at the Horse & Groom in Westbury. They do good food and a have a decent garden area to sit outside in on warmer days. You can find it at 18 Alfred St with a postcode of BA13 3DY for your sat navs.
You could also had into nearby Bratton village where there's The Duke of Bratton. You can find it on Melbourne Street at postcode BA13 4RW.

Dog Walking

The hills and surrounding countryside are a popular place for dog walkers so you'll probably see other owners on your visit. The Horse and Groom mentioned above is also dog friendly.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

In 2023 work was started to turn Wiltshire's iconic White Horse monument back from grey to white. The work involves jet-washing the horse to remove algae from the surface. Maintaining the whiteness of the landmark is an ongoing and costly process.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Wiltshire Walks page.

Photos

Westbury White Horse - geograph.org.uk - 1638342

Westbury White Horse. Viewed from public car park on B3098

Bratton, hillfort and paragliders - geograph.org.uk - 539753

Bratton, hillfort and paragliders. The hilltop fort at Bratton Hill is a popular spot for paragliders – and more sedentary visitors alike, for the views across Wiltshire are very fine indeed.

White Horse Hill Signpost - geograph.org.uk - 1638403

White Horse Hill Signpost. This shows the location of various points of interest you can see from the hill.

View from Westbury White Horse - geograph.org.uk - 511026

View across the countryside from the Westbury White Horse. Long view showing Kelston Roundhill prominent on the skyline about 1/3rd from the left, beyond it, at the top of the next hill right is Prospect Stile and beyond that lies Lansdown with its racecourse. Bath is located roughly between the wooded ridge and Lansdown. There is a popular walk to the ancient barrow of Kelston Roundhill starting from Kelston village. From the summit there are wonderful views to the Wiltshire Downs, the Mendip Hills and the Black Mountains of Wales. There's also a fine 17th century pub to visit in the village afterwards.

White Horse Farm, Bratton - geograph.org.uk - 2397061

White Horse Farm, Bratton

Fore Street, Westbury - geograph.org.uk - 3089951

A view of Fore Street in the town of Westbury which lies just to the west of the horse.

Video

GPS Files

GPX File

Westbury White Horse.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)

Memory Map Route

Westbury White Horse.mmo (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold >Download Linked File)