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North Wessex Downs
It includes the bright, bare uplands of the Marlborough, Berkshire
and North Hampshire Downs and sweeps on its western edge to a crest
above the White Horse Vale.
In the east, the AONB's chalk ridge meets the Thames and the
Chilterns AONB along the wooded reaches of Goring Gap. It loops
south round the Kennet Valley, with superb views north from the
steep scarp edge, to fall gently away to the Test Valley. The
AONB's richly farmed valley landscapes are a pleasing foil to the
chalk uplands. They include the Vale of Pewsey's meadows and the
handsome beech avenues and oak-fringed glades of Savernake
Forest.
The importance of the surviving downland habitat and ancient
woodland is matched in this AONB by its huge archaeological
significance. Settled since 3000 BC, the downs are dotted with
barrows and other prehistoric features. The Wansdyke earthwork,
Roman roads and ancient tracks such as the Ridgeway add to a
striking sense of antiquity. In places, distinctive white horses
have been cut into the chalk, the most famous being the White Horse
of Uffington. The neolithic stone circle at Avebury and surrounding
monuments are included in a World Heritage Site.
Agriculture is the major land use in the AONB. Most of the downland
sheep runs have been ploughed up for cereals and the valleys are
among some of Britain's most fertile farmland. Bordered by the
growing towns of Swindon, Reading, Basingstoke and Andover, the
AONB's scattering of small towns and villages is inevitably
becoming expensive commuter country.
Tourism in the AONB has to date been focused on localised sites
such as Avebury. However, the AONB is of growing recreational
importance both to visitors and to an expanding regional
population. A number of initiatives, including the Ridgeway
National Trail, and Kennet and Avon Canal Projects have developed
to meet this need.
