Dragon Hill
Dragon Hill is the small, round, flat-topped hill that stands out from the scarp just below the White Horse. It is a natural chalk knoll, but its top appears to have been levelled by people, and archaeologists have suggested it may have been a ritual place linked with the horse. Roman coins have been found on it. Historic England scheduled it as a monument of national importance long ago, from an old county record that has not yet been fully described.
Local tradition says that this is where St George killed the dragon, and that the bare patch of chalk on the summit, where grass will not grow, marks where the dragon’s blood was spilt. Thomas Hughes recorded the story in the 1850s, saying country people had told it to him, and a version was already in print in 1757. Some writers have linked the horse itself with the dragon.
The Manger and the Giant’s Stairs
The Manger is the deep, steep-sided dry valley immediately below the White Horse, between the hill and Dragon Hill. Legend says the horse comes down at night to graze in it. Its western side is ribbed with a series of broad, curving steps known as the Giant’s Stairs or Giant’s Steps. Geologists explain the Manger and its terraces as the work of the last Ice Age, when meltwater and freeze-thaw on frozen ground cut and shaped the chalk; some writers have also suggested the steps were used or modified for early farming. The hill’s Pleistocene deposits are one reason White Horse Hill is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest; its unploughed chalk grassland is the other.
Visiting
Both are on National Trust land and are open to walk at any time, free. Dragon Hill can be climbed by a short, steep path from the lane that runs below the White Horse. The Manger is best seen from above, from the rim near the horse, or from Dragon Hill; its slopes are very steep. Charges apply at the main National Trust car park for non-members.
Nearby
The White Horse lies directly above, with Uffington Castle on the summit. The village of Woolstone, at the foot of the hill, is the start of one of our walks to Wayland’s Smithy.