Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Small statues of Buddha line the path to the top of the mountain.
Mitaki-dera
A view of the Sandiaoling bike tunnel.
Sandiaoling Bike Tunnel
The old ticket house at League Park now houses the Baseball Heritage Museum.
League Park
The local catch is delicious fried as well.
Terry's of Charlevoix
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England North Yorkshire Kilburn White Horse
AO Edited

Kilburn White Horse

England's largest white horse isn't even white.

North Yorkshire, England

Added By
Alan Newman
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Close-up of the horse, obviously in need of some maintenance.   Colin Grice
  Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
  mtk84 / Atlas Obscura User
The eye of the horse.   Gordon Hatton
Aerial view taken from a glider from nearby gliding club.   Chris
Information board.   Christine Matthews
Volunteers spray painting the White Horse in 2010.   Paul Buckingham
Seen from a distance.   Colin Grice
Seen from a distance.   Howard Morland
  Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

It may seem no different from the many other enormous equines carved into England's chalk downs, but this particular geoglyph is truly a hill horse of a different color.

The Kilburn White Horse is on Sutton Bank near Kilburn in North Yorkshire, just on the edge of the magnificent North York Moors National Park. At 318 feet long and 220 feet tall, it’s the largest and most northerly white horse hill figure in the United Kingdom. It was created in 1857 and constructed by a local schoolteacher and his students.

To some hill figure purists, this colossal white horse is a fake. Unlike the other geoglyphs in England, this elephantine equine was carved into a steep gray limestone hill instead of a traditional chalk hill. Once its shape was dug out of the earth, white chalk chips were carted in to give the horse the signature ivory color.

As such, the hill horse—dubbed the “Old Gray Mare” because of its true hue—needs quite a bit of careful grooming to maintain its snowy sheen. In the past, new chalk chips were dumped onto the figure to freshen it up. But it was soon feared that if any more chips were added, all the weight would cause the horse to start slipping down the hillside. Now, the geoglyph gets sprayed with a coat of white masonry paint every few years.

Traditionally, these touch-ups were done by a dedicated stable of local volunteers. But in 2018, the Forestry Commission, citing health and safety concerns, decided to take the reins on any future conservation work.

Related Tags

Geoglyphs Horses Giant Animals

Know Before You Go

The horse is visible from parts of Leeds some 28 miles away, and in good conditions can be seen from 45 miles away in Lincolnshire. You can get a particularly good (and convenient) view looking east from the train on the East Coast Main Line between London and Edinburgh, just south of the town of Thirsk (about 10 minutes after leaving the York station when traveling north).

It's easy to visit the horse, which is directly on the long-distance Cleveland Way trail. If visiting the Sutton Bank National Park Centre, it's about a two-mile walk. Follow the path which crosses the A170, continue to the left, skirt round the gliding club, and you'll see the horse down the hill on your right.

Alternatively, you can get directly to the base of the horse by following the narrow Low Town Bank Road past the gliding club entrance to the car park, where there are steps up to explore further.

If driving, be careful of the 25% gradient of Sutton Bank, where encounters with lorries on the narrow bends are a common hazard. Check your brakes! The easier direction is east to west from the delightful town of Helmsley.

Community Contributors

Added By

Dr Alan P Newman

Edited By

jooniur, Collector of Experiences, Gavin, mtk84

  • jooniur
  • Collector of Experiences
  • Gavin
  • mtk84

Published

April 27, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2665320/Kilburn-White-Horse-restored-former-glory-ten-volunteers-using-220-gallons-paint.html
  • https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/volunteers-made-to-put-kilburn-s-horse-on-the-hill-out-to-grass-1-9085353
  • https://twitter.com/kilburnhorse
Kilburn White Horse
Low Town Bank Rd
North Yorkshire, England
United Kingdom
54.224773, -1.212725
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Rievaulx Abbey

Rievaulx, England

miles away

Devil's Arrows

Boroughbridge, England

miles away

Ingleby Arncliffe Water Tower

Ingleby Arncliffe, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire

England

Places 20
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Rievaulx Abbey

Rievaulx, England

miles away

Devil's Arrows

Boroughbridge, England

miles away

Ingleby Arncliffe Water Tower

Ingleby Arncliffe, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire

England

Places 20
Stories 2

Related Places

  • The Hackpen White Horse, sporting a cartoonish eye.

    Wiltshire, England

    Hackpen White Horse

    England's only square-dimension hill horse was built to celebrate Queen Victoria's coronation.

  • Folkestone White Horse.

    Folkestone, England

    Folkestone White Horse

    One English town's celebratory landmark spurred more trouble than anticipated.

  • The Alton Barnes White Horse.

    Alton Barnes, England

    Alton Barnes White Horse

    This massive chalk hill carving is one of England's most beloved giant horse geoglyphs.

  • Cherhill White Horse, Wiltshire.

    Cherhill, England

    Cherhill White Horse

    The geoglyph once sported a glass bottle eye.

  • Sultan the Pit Pony.

    Caerphilly, Wales

    Sultan the Pit Pony

    The enormous earthwork sculpture honors the ponies that lived and worked in the old colliery.

  • The lion seen from Gallows Hill.

    Whipsnade, England

    Whipsnade White Lion

    This unusual geoglyph was built as a warning so low-flying aircraft wouldn't scare the zoo animals.

  • Uffington White Horse.

    Oxfordshire, England

    Uffington White Horse

    The granddaddy of English geoglyphs dates back to the late Bronze Age.

  • Osmington White Horse.

    Osmington, England

    Osmington White Horse

    Want to properly offend a king? Sculpt a giant hill figure in chalk of him riding out of town.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.