Crop circle hunting is a great way to learn all about the history of the English countryside, according to Bonus Finder who have published records of finds since 2005, along with their location, crop type, and survey details to establish the county with the highest number of crop circles.
Bonus Finder also collaborated with Monique Klinkenbergh, researcher and founder of the Crop Circle Visitor Centre & Exhibition, to help unveil some of the mystery surrounding crop circles. Their results –
- Wiltshire is Britain’s crop circle hotspot! With its idyllic villages and the iconic Salisbury Cathedral, it surpasses all other counties with a staggering 380 crop circles since 2005.
- Neighbouring Hampshire follows in second place with 51 crop circles.
Wiltshire’s rolling hills and farming land provide the ideal viewing spots for day trippers, trekkers and hill walkers who can easily plan a walking tour of the countryside and explore the iconic Uffington White Horse which is a chalk figure over 3,000 years old. It is well known that crop circles are often found in the fields surrounding the white horse so keep your eyes peeled! Likewise, around a forty minute drive away is the historical village and World Heritage Site of Avebury where you will often find crop circles in the surrounding fields. The most recent formation in the county was observed on the 28th of May 2023 in Broad Hinton.
Nearby Hampshire comes second with 51 crop circles. Known for the historical Winchester Cathedral and expansive countryside, Hampshire is a great place to go on a crop circle hunt. The county is home to many beautiful and mysterious crop circles. Chilcomb in Hampshire saw the most recent formation on the 12th of July 2022 with a series of laid circles and rings contained within a narrow outer ring. If you are wanting to observe these formations, seek out permission from the farmer prior to visit.
Oxfordshire with 35 crop circles is third place, and again, its scenic countryside offers a perfect landscape for these formations with complex geometric designs. Crop circles in the area are often found in remote locations so you must be prepared to walk and when you do find one, do not touch as it could damage the pattern and make it harder for scientists to study.
The most recent formation was discovered on the 9th of August 2020 in Uffington Castle and is described as a wheat formation with concentric, rotating, triangular elements around the central circle and standing ring. As well as this, why not take a walk along The Cherwell Valley River as crop circles are known to be found in the fields along this stretch on a few occasions!
Monique Klinkenbergh, researcher and founder of the Crop Circle Visitor Centre & Exhibition, gives insight into why Wiltshire is the UK’s crop circle capital: “Crop circles seem to be attracted by ancient sites such as stone circles, long barrows, hill forts and other archaeological sites, for which Wiltshire is famous. One of the earliest theories for this attraction is the idea that what has been built by our far ancestors on ancient sites, marked by what has always been part of the landscape: Earth Energies. Those energies – the so called ley-lines – are said to run invisibly through the landscape concentrating at crossing points where they also emerge to the surface. Experienced dowsers report detectable energetic changes within crop circles.“
