England Guide
Oxfordshire, the Chilterns and the Cotswolds
The Vale of White Horse
The Vale of White Horse, running east– west between Wantage, a modest market town about twenty-five miles northwest of Reading, and Faringdon, seventeen miles southwest of Oxford, is a shallow valley, whose fertile farmland is studded with tiny villages. It takes its name from the prehistoric figure cut into the chalk downs above two of its smaller hamlets – Uffington and Woolstone. Carved in the first century BC, the horse is the most conspicuous of the prehistoric remains – such as burial mounds and Iron Age forts – punctuating these open downs. The Ridgeway National Trail, running along – or near – the top of the downs, links several of these sites, offering wonderful, breezy views over the vale and skirting the White Horse itself. The Vale most readily lends itself to day-trips, but you might opt to stay locally in the attractive hostel on the ridge above Wantage, or in one of the Vale's quaint villages – tiny Woolstone is perhaps the most appealing.
There's an intermittent local bus service between the towns and villages of the Vale, but you'll need to plan ahead by contacting Traveline ( 
0871/200 2233, 
www.traveline.org.uk ).