Bratton White Horse & Bratton camp

The chalk horse carved into Bratton Down is best visited on a clear morning, when the white scars catch the light properly and the views across the Wiltshire plains stretch for miles. You're looking at over 300 years of history here - locals cut the first version in the 1770s, though they've had to touch it up repeatedly as chalk weathers and grass creeps back in. The figure itself is huge, maybe 150 feet long, and you can't really see it properly unless you're standing well back from the slope or viewing it from a distance.

What makes the spot genuinely worth the trip is the Iron Age hill fort that sits above the white horse - Bratton Castle. The earthwork ramparts are still distinct enough to read, and on a quiet day you'll have the ridge almost to yourself. It's a proper walk, mind you, not a gentle stroll. Allow an hour and a half to scramble up from Westbury and take in both the fort and the views across to the Mendips.

This appeals most to hill walkers and history types rather than families with small children - the slopes are steep and there's no cafe or facilities at the top. But if you're camped locally at Country View Camping or one of the parks within a few miles of Westbury, it's absolutely the kind of walk that justifies a caravan holiday in this part of Wiltshire. Go midweek if possible. Weekends bring enough visitors that the car park gets tatty, and you lose some of the sense of standing on something genuinely ancient.