Visitor Guide 2019

Cranborne Chase
> Historic milestone
> Pewsey Vale
> Savernake Forest
What view did you wake up to this morning?
Chances are it wasn’t as stunning as those that abound in
Wiltshire’s glorious countryside. Newborn lambs taking their first
unsteady steps. Shadows of hay bales lengthening in the setting
sun. Blankets of mist floating low over meadows. Frost glistening on
mighty standing stones. Wiltshire is a county for all seasons. The
perfect antidote to overcrowded cities.
Easy to explore, yet off the beaten track, Wiltshire is an enchanted
place where you feel close to the earth and the ever-changing
big skies. As the landscape’s mood alters with the seasons and
light changes the texture of the hills, you feel connected not just
to nature, but to time itself. Almost half the landscape lies within
an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In the Cotswolds, where
dry stone walls, narrow winding lanes and honey-coloured villages
meld seamlessly into rolling hills. In Cranborne Chase and the West
Wiltshire Downs, which stretch in a giant undulating swathe across
the south of the county. In the North Wessex Downs and Vale of
Pewsey where the lush meadows and more austere expanses of
upland are a nationally protected landscape.
Crop circles are a much-debated feature of the landscape too.
Head for the Crop Circle Exhibition and Information Centre in
Honeystreet – now open all year round – to ponder the meaning of
these mysterious formations.
Whether you are walking, cycling or travelling by car, miles of
ancient drove roads and quiet country lanes make exploring a
pleasure. Look out for charming hamlets, nestling amid rolling,
unspoiled countryside. Among them Castle Combe, arguably one
of the prettiest villages in England, and the stunning National
Trust village of Lacock. There are acres of ancient woodland to
be found, too, on the edge of the New Forest National Park and
in the Savernake Forest. And always, at the heart of it all, the
vast, untouched expanse of Salisbury Plain. An untamed plateau.
Sometimes gentle, sometimes wild. Home to rare and endangered
species which thrive in the sparsely populated landscape.
The 37 nature reserves managed by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust cover
a variety of natural habitats. From chalk grassland and woodland
to wetland and bog, they are havens for flora and fauna. Lower
Moor Farm near Cricklade is a mosaic of lakes, brooks and ponds
linked by boardwalks, ancient hedges, woodland and meadows.
Langford Lakes between Salisbury and Warminster is the perfect
spot for birdwatching enthusiasts. The National Nature Reserve
at North Meadow on the outskirts of Cricklade is renowned for its
spectacular display of rare Snakeshead Fritillaries during April.
While West Woods near Marlborough and Grovely Wood near
Wilton are awash with bluebells in May.
Wiltshire is also blessed with outstanding chalk streams and
rivers. Flowing south from Pewsey, the River Avon supports an
abundant variety of wildlife, including the endangered water vole.
The gin-clear waters of the Wylye, Nadder, Bourne and Ebble
offer excellent trout fishing and delightful riverside walks. The
River Kennet winds through the North Wessex Downs, skirting the
prehistoric sites of Avebury and Silbury Hill. Even the young River
Thames gets a look in, as it meanders through the north of the
county, close to the Saxon town of Cricklade.
Wiltshire is calming, comforting, refreshing. If you’re tired of the
everyday, it’s time for Wiltshire.
To find out more and to book your rural break, go to
visitwiltshire.co.uk/accommodation
visitwiltshire.co.uk
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