The Vale of White Horse district lies between the River Thames and the ancient Ridgeway, and between Oxford and the Cotswolds and its name comes from the figure of a horse carved into the hillside above the village of Uffington. This is the oldest chalk figure in Britain and dates back to around 1000 BC.

The most obvious feature of much of The Vale of White Horse district is that much of it is very flat! Not so in the south however, for the Ridgeway closely follows the ridge of the Berkshire Downs and the towns and villages here have often grown up along the spring line at the foot of the hills. The Berkshire Downs are part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Natural Beauty. To the north of these spring-line villages the flat plain stretches to the Midvale Ridge, a low limestone ridge which separates the low-lying clay areas of the Oxfordshire Vale to the north and the Vale of the White Horse to the south and forms a distinct escarpment. North of the Ridge is the River Thames, which forms the boundary between the Vale of White Horse district and West Oxfordshire.

The Vale of White Horse district is peaceful and tranquil but near to motorways and only 60 miles from London. The countryside is ideal for walking, cycling and horseriding, and the River Thames is perfect for boating and fishing. The Vale's second river is the diminutive River Ock, which rises near Little Coxwell and flows into the River Thames at Abingdon collecting tributaries from spring-line villages along the base of the Downs.

The attractive Thames-side town of Abingdon is the main town of the Vale of White Horse. Other towns are the historic market towns of Faringdon in the west and Wantage in the south, both of which are equally attractive. All are full of interesting buildings and have excellent shops. The dormitory village of Grove, just to the north of Wantage, has been developed from a hamlet in the last 60 years.

The villages in The Vale of White Horse are listed alphabetically below:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y

A
Appleford-on-Thames, Ardington, Ashbury

B
Blewbury

C
Charney Bassett, Childrey, Chilton, Compton Beauchamp