Ordnance Survey map ref: ST/901516
BRATTON CAMP
Bratton Camp, an Iron-Age hill fort, (also called Bratton Castle), is the main structure defining the hills we fly over. It is built on the north-western edge of the Salibury Plain, now a military training area. It is an almost rectangular shape with two defensive banks/ditches running around its boundary except on its eastern edge. The access road up the hill from Bratton village goes through the eastern corner of the fort. The fort is thought to be in the area of 1000 years old.
In the centre of the fort is a large long-barrow from the Neolithic times of about 4000 B.C. It is thought that two people were buried in this large mound. The top of the barrow is sunken in the centre due to old excavations.
Bratton Camp - Click image to enlarge
WESTBURY WHITE HORSE
On the fort's west edge is the 300 year-old white horse hill carving which, before about 1780, was of a different design to the to today's horse shape. By 1960 the chalk horse was covered in concrete to keep maintenance costs down. In recent years the white paint on th horse turned dirty grey. It was repainted after a year of testing new paints and now looks bright and white.
White Horse - Click image to enlarge
SALISBURY PLAIN
The Salisbury Plain has been used for military training since the first world war. It is now a no-go area for civilians and for aircraft but the main road structure is opened several times a year when the danger area is not in use and civilian traffic can explore the area from the roads. It has an old village near its centre on the main east-west road that is used for special forces training but has the original buildings - church, houses and pub, that existed at the time the village was forceably abandoned.
The plain is rich in wildlife due to its lack of access by civilians. The military use it most week days for aerial attack, parachute dropping and helicopter ground support. The Army use it with troops and battle tanks, and tracked gun vehicles use it for gunnery practice.
Salisbury Plain - Click image to enlarge