Watlington Hill

Watlington Hill rises from the Chiltern escarpment above the Oxfordshire town of Watlington: 45 hectares of chalk grassland, scrub and unusual yew woodland. Its best-known feature is the White Mark, a 270ft steeple-shaped figure cut into the chalk in 1764 by local squire Edward Horne, who felt the parish church of St Leonard would look grander from his house if it had a spire. Rock rose, eyebright and twayblade flower in the short turf, silver-spotted skippers fly in late summer, and red kites and ravens wheel in the thermals off the edge of the hill. Reviewers single out the far-reaching views, watching the red kites and spotting deer in the fields below. One tip: the slopes are steep in places and paths turn muddy and slippery after rain, so wear stout shoes. Dogs are welcome under close control. A waymarked short walk from the car park reaches the White Mark and its bench in about an hour.