Woolstone to Knighton
Woolstone is a small village of thatch and chalk-block cottages below White Horse Hill. From the White Horse pub we turn left to the bend by Upper Farm and follow the footpath signed ahead through a metal gate. The path keeps close to the hedge through a series of pastures, over a stile and a footbridge with a kissing gate, and on to the hamlet of Knighton. We turn left along the lane past thatched cottages. Where it meets the next junction, by a fine pair of weatherboarded barns, we turn left again to reach the B4507.
The long lane up to the Ridgeway
Before crossing, notice the stone war memorial by the junction. Opposite, a dead-end lane climbs steadily towards the downs for about a mile. It carries very little traffic, and the views widen with every step: back over the Vale to the Cotswolds on a clear day, and ahead to the smooth line of the scarp. Where the tarmac ends we meet the Ridgeway.
Wayland’s Smithy
We turn right, west, for a short detour along the Ridgeway to Wayland’s Smithy, set in a clump of trees just off the track. It is a Neolithic long barrow built in two phases. First came a timber-chambered mound around 3590–3550 BC, then the stone-chambered barrow we see now, around 3460–3400 BC. Large sarsen stones flank the entrance. The name comes from Wayland, the smith of Germanic legend. Local lore held that a traveller whose horse had lost a shoe could leave it here overnight with a coin and find it re-shod in the morning. The site is looked after by English Heritage and is open at any reasonable time.
East to White Horse Hill
We retrace our steps and follow the Ridgeway east on a wide, firm chalk track that climbs gently towards Uffington Castle, the Iron Age hillfort on the summit of White Horse Hill. We go through the gate to walk the rampart and look down over the White Horse, the Manger and Dragon Hill. The horse was cut between about 1380 and 550 BC, according to luminescence dating, and is looked after by the National Trust.
Down past Dragon Hill
Beyond the fort we leave the Ridgeway on the footpath to the left and descend the scarp with a fence on our right. The path steepens and follows a chalky gully, crosses the lane to the upper car park and skirts round Dragon Hill, the flat-topped mound where St George is supposed to have killed the dragon. Through a kissing gate and over a stile, the path slants down across the fields to the B4507. We turn left along the road verge with care for a short distance, then take the lane on the right back into Woolstone.
What to look out for
The hedges around Knighton and Woolstone are good for yellowhammers, whitethroats in summer and, in autumn, fieldfares and redwings stripping the hawthorn berries. On the Ridgeway, corn buntings and skylarks sing from spring into July, and red kites and buzzards are a near-constant presence. Brown hares feed in the big fields south of the track. The slopes of White Horse Hill carry chalk grassland flowers in June and July.
Before you go
Wear boots: the pasture paths are muddy in winter and the descent from the hill is steep. OS Explorer 170 (west sheet) covers the route. Carry water, as there is nothing between Woolstone and the hill. If you plan to eat at the White Horse, the pub recommends booking.
Make it longer or shorter
To shorten the walk, skip the detour to Wayland’s Smithy and turn left along the Ridgeway where the lane meets it, saving about ¾ mile. To lengthen it, follow the Ridgeway west from Wayland’s Smithy to the B4000 and join our Ashbury walk, or add the loop round Uffington Castle and the Manger from our White Horse Hill walk.
