01. Start
From the car park you will notice a tall beacon and, nearby, a field of metal figures known as the Westbury Giants. These sculptures are part of the Respect the Range safety campaign and depict soldiers and civilians in silhouette. They are striking to walk around and create unusual optical effects as you move past them. They are well worth a look before you continue.
02.
Head towards the beacon, a seven metre tall structure used for community events and national commemorations. From the beacon turn right and follow the road back towards the car park for a short distance. Look for a wooden gate and a public footpath on your left. Follow this path until you reach a viewpoint where the Westbury White Horse appears on the slope below you. From here you can see for miles: church towers, manor houses, factories, railway lines, open farmland, and the towns of Westbury, Trowbridge and Melksham.
03.
Continue along the footpath to the horse, pass through the small gate, and walk beside the figure for a clear sense of its scale. The horse is over one hundred feet long, almost two hundred feet high, and was recut in seventeen seventy eight with further maintenance over the years including a concrete coating in the mid nineteen fifties. If you are confident on steep ground, steps beside the horse’s head lead down for a dramatic upward view, though this detour is very steep and not essential.
04.
Return to the main path and follow it as it curves around the hillside to the right. The views to your left remain wide and open, while to your right you can see the ridges and banks that form the outer edge of Bratton Camp. These earthworks once defended a settlement that included round houses, granaries and workshops more than two thousand years ago.
Continue along the path until you reach a wooden gate. Do not pass through it. Instead turn right and follow the footpath beside the fencing until you reach the road.
05.
Cross to the next footpath which leads into a large field. Here the landscape changes again. A long barrow rises gently from the ground to your right, a reminder that this hill was used long before the Iron Age. Excavations in the nineteenth century uncovered human remains and cremations here.
The path climbs gradually with the road to your left. Follow it towards the top of the hill where the banks of the main ditch become visible again.
06.
At the top of the rise you can turn right and explore one of the most impressive features of Bratton Camp. A long ditch with raised banks that run like a shallow valley along the hillfort. The footpath follows the edge of this feature with clear views across the interior of the camp and back towards the horse.
Near by
A good place to stop after your walk is the Three Daggers Farm Shop and Brewery in the village of Edington. It is housed in a large oak framed building that overlooks the brewery. The shop is stocked with local produce and deli items and the cafe serves hot drinks, pastries and light lunches. There is indoor and outdoor seating and dogs are welcome.
