From Adder's Copse to Gallows Down

A quiet part of the North Wessex Downs is redolent with history and wildlife

- Fiona Reynolds

THE highest point in south-eastern England is Walbury Hill in West Berk- shire, in the North Wessex Downs AONB. As we reach its summit and its glorious 360-degree views, my friend and I agree that we have rarely done a circular walk as perfect as this one. In a few hours, we’ve walked on orchid- and butterfly-strewn down- land, through wooded lanes and a peaceful nature reserve and wound our way through the fascinating, scattered community of Inkpen. We’ve been intrigued, all day, by the evocative names of the farms and lanes and delighted by a series of wildlife surprises.

Our walk starts and ends at Walbury Hill, site of an iron-age hill fort where ramparts run alongside a path that descends to Inkpen village. As we walk, we count butterflies, glad to see our first marbled whites. At the bottom of the hill, we pass the definitively named Adder’s Copse, then pick up the first of many tiny lanes that wind through this landscape.