Forty Eight - Wiltshire - Milk Hill (295m)

Due to W busting his Achilles tendon in October 2019 while hiking in Madeira, followed by various surgical boots, an operation to insert artificial tendon, and lots of physio, this is the first county top for nearly two and a half years. It's good to be back - but shame about the weather!

Lonely, windswept tree. Awful visibility

We drive through misty rain to get to Pewsey Downs carpark, and although the drizzle peters out, the mist persists, making this walk quite disappointing due to a distinct lack of views.

Part of the White Horse Trail in the
Vale of Pewsey

It's interesting to walk along part of the 35 mile Wansdyke, ancient battle  defences and the onwards towards the hill. Presumably it was named Milk Hill due to the colour of its chalk rock, but it can't be seen particularly well today and we embark on a foggy and slightly muddy yomp to the highest point, which, as we suspected, is about 50 metres within a barb-wire fenced off field and has to be " bagged" from a distance. 

Somewhere in this misty, relatively
flat field is the "summit".

A little further on we walk along the backbone of the Alton Barnes white horse. It's one of eight in Wiltshire, and although it looks primitive and ancient, it was actually carved in 1812 for the farmer who owned the land. The only view of it today through the gloom is of two ears and a tail!

Pointy ears of a rather sad looking white horse

Back down to the carpark and a pot of hot coffee and a picnic lunch in "Barti Ddu" (Black Bart), our new campervan.

Picnic scotch egg and chilli-jam sausage roll.
Probably the highlight of the day!