The Alton Barnes White Horse is a chalk hill figure of a white horse located on Milk Hill some 1,000 metres north of the village of Alton, Wiltshire. The horse is approximately 180 feet high and 160 feet long and was cut in 1812 under the commission of local farmer Robert Pile. Pile instructed inn sign painter John Thorne to design and cut the horse, although Thorne conned Pile by leaving with his advance sum while employing local resident John Harvey to cut the horse instead. It is based on another white horse hill figure in Wiltshire, the Cherhill White Horse and is the second-biggest of nine white horses in Wiltshire.
Recently re-chalked, see

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Nature ReserveVisit

Pewsey Downs National Nature Reserve

📷 Photo by Amanda Slater from Coventry, West Midlands, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

This expansive area of rolling chalk downland offers genuine solitude and space, far from the typical tourist routes.

The landscape has been designated a National Nature Reserve because of its exceptional biodiversity, particularly the rare chalk grassland that defines the downs. You're surrounded by big skies and sweeping views across the Vale of Pewsey and beyond.

Walking here is genuinely rewarding, with numerous paths following the contours of the hills. Spring and summer bring a brilliant display of wildflowers that attract chalkhill blue butterflies and other species. Birdwatchers regularly spot skylarks soaring overhead and lapwings working the lower slopes. The landscape also tells a clear story of human settlement. Adam's Grave, an impressive Neolithic long barrow, is easy to reach from the main paths, and you can pick up the route of the ancient Wansdyke earthwork nearby. The Alton Barnes White Horse, carved into the hillside in 1812, stands out as a prominent landmark and is very close by.

It's an excellent place to spend a few hours walking and absorbing the distinctive character of Wiltshire's downlands. Though technically outside the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it has that same appeal and is straightforward to reach from most Cotswold bases. The village of Alton Priors sits right beside the reserve, and the market towns of Pewsey and Marlborough are just a short drive away for food and accommodation.