Walbury Hill

Rising as the highest point in South East England, this impressive chalk peak overlooks the Kennet Valley. The summit is capped by an expansive Iron Age hillfort, offering a sense of deep history. A Marilyn and Berkshire’s county top, it provides a straightforward ascent from Inkpen with wide-reaching views across the North Wessex Downs.

• •The name derives from the Old English 'weala-burh', meaning 'fort of the Britons'. This suggests that when the Anglo-Saxons arrived in the area, the massive Iron Age hillfort on the summit was still a notable stronghold associated with the indigenous population.
• •The summit is home to Walbury Camp, a massive Iron Age hillfort covering approximately 33 hectares. Its double ramparts and ditches remain clearly visible, marking it as one of the largest defensive structures of its era in southern England.
• •Most walkers pair a visit here with the neighbouring Combe Gibbet on Gallows Down. The gibbet was originally erected in 1676 to display the bodies of George Broomham and Dorothy Newman; the current structure is a well-maintained replica.
• •From the summit, the northward views are particularly far-reaching, extending across the River Kennet to the Lambourn Downs and the distant chalk ridges of the Chiltern Hills.
• •While its Marilyn status suggests a significant ascent, the presence of a high-level car park nearby means the highest point in the South East is frequently conquered by visitors wearing flip-flops rather than fell boots.