The Vale of White Horse, 365 



THE VALE OE WHITE HORSE.* 



Beyond tlie bounds of a day^s outing, yet well within 

 visiting reacli from London, tlie Vale of White Horse 

 offers excellent ground and plentiful sport to the 

 travelling foxhunter. He may select Cirencester, 

 Swindon, or Malmesbury for his base ; and the Great 

 Western Railway will see him there in less than three 

 hours from Paddington. The respective advantages 

 of the places named are that Cirencester is close to the 

 kennels, and lies at the point of junction with the 

 Cotswold and the Duke of Beaufort ; Malmesbury 

 commands all the Duke^s country; while Swindon 

 gives further opportunity of taking the Old Berkshire 

 and the Craven in turn. Or again, on the upper side 

 of the country, he may fix upon Fairford or Lechlade ; 

 and vary his programme by the help of the Heythrop 

 and the Old Berkshire. 



A very sporting country is the Vale of White Horse 

 throughout — honest and practicable to ride over ; fair, 

 and generally favourable, for hounds; liberally and 

 thoroughly managed ; and, as a rule, well preserved. 

 The latter point proves itself by the fact that, on an 



* Vide Stanford's "Hunting Map," Sheet 15, and Hobson's 

 Foxhunting Atlas. 



