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Walking the White Horses: Wiltshire’s White Horse Trail on Foot is out now – available from Amazon, Kindle, Kindle Unlimited a range of independent bookshops and local Wiltshire attractions.

Earlier this year, my 10-year-old son Charlie and I decided to set off on a walk around each of Wiltshire’s eight White Horse hill figures. Some 93 miles later, we got back to our starting point at Westbury White Horse, with lots of tales to tell. 

Walking the White Horses, a work of narrative non-fiction, follows our progress as we make our way from horse to horse. The book takes the reader on an entertaining meander through the natural wonders of southern England’s chalk downland environment, its people, heritage and wildlife. Along the way, we explore the story of these striking equine hill figures and the role they have played in the cultures, belief systems and lived
experiences of Wiltshire folk across the centuries.

The white horses are iconic features of Wiltshire’s chalk downlands – symbolic of humanity’s shaping of the natural landscape to reflect our passions for wildlife throughout history. The book celebrates both the natural
world we experienced on the walk and the heritage treasures carved into our landscape.

There are eight White Horses still visible in the Wiltshire landscape today – Westbury, Devizes,
Cherhill, Broad Town, Hackpen, Marlborough, Pewsey and Alton Barnes. The 93-mile White Horse Trail takes in
them all. The book culminates in a visit to the most famous – and the oldest by many centuries – the
Uffington White Horse, over the county border in present day Oxfordshire (formerly Berkshire).

Charlie’s place alongside me as we take on the journey, opens up the narrative to also become
a portrait of a father and son relationship. The 10-year-old’s wide-eyed enthusiasm for
exploring the nature on his own doorstep and his fascination for the white horse hill figures helps to
create a unique piece of work, reigniting the youthful wonder for our natural environment deep
within us all.

Walking the White Horses: Wiltshire’s White Horse Trail on Foot, is available
now, priced £8.99, from Amazon, £1.99 from Kindle. It is also available on Kindle Unlimited and at a range of independent retailers, including Mr B’s Emporium (Bath), Winstone’s Hunting Raven Books (Frome), Bert’s Books (Swindon), Devizes Books, The White Horse Bookshop (Marlborough), The Corsham Bookshop, Trowbridge Museum and Wiltshire Museum in Devizes.