Whitehorse Hill

This article is about the hill in Oxfordshire. For the hill on Dartmoor in Devon, see Hangingstone Hill.

Whitehorse Hill
Site of Special Scientific Interest
LocationOxfordshire
Grid referenceSU 300 867[1]
InterestBiological
Geological
Area98.9 hectares (244 acres)[1]
Notification1986[1]
Location mapMagic Map

Whitehorse Hill is a hill in the Berkshire Downs in Oxfordshire, England, west of Wantage. At 261 metres (856 ft), it is the highest point in Oxfordshire. Uffington Castle lies on the summit of the hill, and the Uffington White Horse is on the hill's northern slope.[2][3] The hill and an adjacent area below, including Dragon Hill and The Manger, make up a 98.9-hectare (244-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest.[1][4]

The Manger, a dry valley below the hill, is a Geological Conservation Review site.[5] It provides evidence of solifluction (slow slipping of soil downhill due to repeated freezing and thawing) during at least one cold stage of the Pleistocene.

The site has unimproved chalk grassland with a rich variety of flora, particularly in former chalk quarries. Grasses include upright brome and sheep’s fescue.[6]

The Ridgeway National Trail crosses the hill south of Uffington Castle.

  1. ^ a b c d "Designated Sites View: Whitehorse Hill". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  2. ^ Historic England. "Uffington Castle: a univallate hillfort immediately north of the Ridgeway on Whitehorse Hill (1008412)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  3. ^ Historic England. "The White Horse hill figure 170m NNE of Uffington Castle on Whitehorse Hill (1008413)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Map of Whitehorse Hill". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  5. ^ "The Manger (Karst)". Geological Conservation Review. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 26 February 2020.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "Whitehorse Hill citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 30 March 2020.