White Horse at Uffington on the Ridgeway, Hill fort

Uffington Castle is a prehistoric fort at the highest point on the Berkshire Downs, 856 feet up on White Horse Hill. The White Horse itself is cut into the hill below the fort, and can be seen from miles around.

The horse is large, 374 feet long and is cut into the turf of the hillside. Nobody really knows why it is there. You can take your pick from

• cut by Saxons to mark a victory by King Alfred over the Danes
• the dragon that St George slew. There is a Dragon Hill nearby
• cut by Iron Age Celts as early as 350 BC to represent the goddess Epona, protectress of horses

The balance of "educated" opinion today seems to opt for the Iron Age people.

Uffington Castle stands on the line of the ancient Ridgeway, and was a large place in those far off days, measuring 250 yards by 200 yards, and protected by an oval rampart

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