If you’re standing here then you will yourself looking out at the Westbury White Horse.
This famous landmark and the oldest horse hill figure in Wiltshire was probably first cut into the hillside back in the 17th century. Sadly no one knows for sure. The first mention of the White Horse was in a local records for 1742 and suggested that the figure was cut to commemorate the Battle of Ethandun which was supposed to have taken place at Braton Camp.
This white horse however, did not look much like the majestic beast that now graces the hillside, instead it was thought to be of a much cruder design with a much longer tail and more dog like aspect. In fact the current figure, which seems to have been influenced by the painter George Stubbs, was created in around 1778 by order of a Mr Gee.
The horse was been tweaked over the years, first in 1872 when it was slightly tided up and stone edging was added and then once more in 1957 when, in a short sighted attempt to save money, the local council has it covered in concrete. The idea was that this would save on long term maintenance costs and help prevent erosion of the chalk. Since then, the concrete has tended to turn grey and deteriorate over time, requiring regular cleaning, as well as periodic repairs and repainting.
These days people come up here all the time, often you will find kite fliers, dog walkers, people just enjoying the views and the occasional paraglider. There is a biggish car park and whilst it is lovely in summer, it can be very wet and a bit muddy in winter so be warned.
How to Claim:
To claim this Virtual cache you must phyically visit the posted co-ordinates, a rather lovely metal plaque which explains what features are in the surrounding landcape, and email /message me your answers to the following questions.
Question 1: What is the date in the top left hand corner of the plaque?
Question 2: Which school of building was responsible for the placing the plaque?
Question 3: How many feet about sea level are you, according to the plaque?
Question 4: What tall landmark, listed on the plaque no longer exists (removed 16/09/2016) ?
Finally: Take a photograph of yourself or your GPS with the white horse in the background.
Please email or message me via the message centre your answers and picture for verification.
DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR ANSWERS IN YOUR LOG
PLEASE DO INCLUDE THE PICTURE IN YOUR LOG
LOGS THAT DO NOT MEET THE ABOVE CRITERIA WILL BE DELETED
Congratulations to dannyboy489 for the FTF
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.