White Sheet Hill and White Sheet Downs

Ryder Cowan

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The walk starts on National Trust property at White Sheet Hill within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There is a neolithic causeway camp and an Iron Age hill-fort on the hill, as well as some twelve ancient burial mounds (barrows) dating from 1800BC.

After an initial ascent, with one rather steep but very short section, most of the walk is on fairly level downland and includes a section of the Mid-Wiltshire Way. There are superb views in all directions. Paths are generally good. With much of the walk being over open downland there are sometimes few immediately visible and identifiable features to assist direction finding, and help avoid straying off the right of way. Minor deviations from the paths should not present any problem, but a GPS or map and compass might be helpful, although by no means essential, for some stretches of the walk.

England - South England - Wiltshire - West Wiltshire Downs

Features

Ancient Monument, Birds, Butterflies, Cafe, Food Shop, Gift Shop, Good for Kids, Great Views, Hills or Fells, National Trust, Pub, Restaurant, Stately Home, Tea Shop, Toilets, Wildlife

7/17/2017 - Ryder Cowan

Route now updated to include additional waypoints and avoid uneven surfaces.

4/3/2017 - Wendy Jenkins

This is a really lovely walk, which on a beautiful clear day you can see for miles. I would say, you need to be careful and look for certain waypoint's, especially if you have no compass or GPS to confirm the bearings. Way-point 4 no longer has a sign for Mid Wiltshire Way, and going through a gate with no indication of pathway may be a bit concerning for some. My other tip would be when heading back to the car park from way-point 10, is to go over the top of the hill, and not go round the base of the hill, as this is very rough ground, and as stated it is uneven, but you spend your whole time with your ankles turned over, and have to say, this was not enjoyable at all, and certainly not a great idea for anyone with weak joints in my view.

6/12/2012 - Walkingworld Admin

Our thanks to Ryder Cowan for his updates for this walk. June 2011. Adrian (Admin)

6/3/2012 - steve edwards

Nice walk. The last mile is a little awkward. Took dogs; three quarters of walk ok off lead.

2/10/2011 - Nicolas Sanderson

This location is very beautiful, but we found the directions very thin and quickly lost the route. We did not have a compass or GPS, and bearings do not substitute for fuller description. For example, you would not be aware that between way-points 1 and 2 you climb some steep steps and pass close by a massive hill fort!

10/23/2008 - Walkingworld Administrator

Apologies to writer of this very useful feedback - unfortunately your idnetity has failed to come through. Please get in touch! Chris, Walkingworld

Lovely walk. One error at instruction #6. The grid reference given is correct, but it is shown incorrectly on the map. Instructions at #5 are correct and make sense when looking at an OS Explorer map, which shows the field boundaries. Thanks for putting in bearings, v helpful.