Showing posts with label White Horse Hill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label White Horse Hill. Show all posts

6.4.12

Up Uffington



Up on Uffington White Horse Hill, skylarks sing their hearts out as they bounce and soar over the dramatic curves of the landscape. The views across the county of Wiltshire and beyond are vast and wide.


Light constantly flickers and changes, like rippling water and fresh, clean winds whip away any fragile spring warmth, leaving you almost breathless once you reach the top. Looking down, there is Dragon Hill - look closer, at the tiny figures sitting on it and the snaking road creeping up the slope.



White Horse Hill is rich with wildlife and we kept company with three types of birds of prey; buzzards, a red kite and a kestrel. A pair of ravens were croaking away below in the valley. Andy stalked the kestrel, hiding in a ditch upwind to sneak closer and got some nice zoom shots - this one was super, just a bit blurred, but I admit to being a little envious of him catching it taking off in flight, something I've never managed.






Below the horse, to the left, is a stunning natural valley formation known as 'the Manger', where the white horse is supposed to feed on moonlit nights.




Naturally, one does not actually walk on (or even near) the horse. It's survived since the Iron Age and deserves some respect.




It's one of my favourite monuments. Although I have yet to work out how to get a full picture of it - the usual view is from the ground.




But from above, it looks like this (taken from an old postcard). Makes you wonder how the Ancient Britons created such a perfect design, best seen from the sky.




I've been quiet recently, due to various *things*. One of those things - which I'm thrilled to be able to share at last - can be seen in a sneak preview here. Busy spring and looks like being a busy summer!