VisitWiltshire Visitor Guide 2024

Salisbury Cathedral
Stonehenge Tour
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VIDEO
Westbury White Horse
Avebury
materials. Understandably it’s a popular place, so entry is by
timed ticket and pre-booking is strongly recommended.
Arrive at Avebury on a misty autumnal morning, or in the depths
of winter when a sprinkling of snow dusts the ground, and you’ll
understand the appeal this sacred place held for our ancestors.
Here, no less than three stone circles and part of the village
shelter within the massive outer bank and ditch. Stroll among
the stones. Touch them, if you will. Try your hand at dowsing for
ley lines. Then complete your Avebury experience with visits to
the Alexander Keiller Museum and Avebury Manor and Garden.
Dotted across the wider landscape of the World Heritage Site
are other monuments, some of them older than the stone
circles themselves. Near Avebury you’ll find Silbury Hill, the
largest artificial mound in Europe; West Kennet Long Barrow,
one of Britain’s largest Stone Age burial sites; and the ‘dolmen’
burial chamber of The Devil’s Den. Not far from Stonehenge are
the Bronze Age burial mounds at King Barrow Ridge; the site
of a Neolithic settlement and henge at Durrington Walls;
and earthworks including The Cursus and The Avenue.
The Stonehenge Tour makes a convenient way
to explore several of Wiltshire’s ancient wonders.
Picking up from Salisbury railway station and the
city centre, it runs via Old Sarum to Stonehenge,
before returning via Salisbury Cathedral.
Salisbury Cathedral is a magnificent
example of Early English Gothic
architecture. Its glorious Chapter House
is home to the finest of only four original
Magna Carta manuscripts, dating from
1215. Other incomparable features include
the tallest spire in Britain, Britain’s largest
cathedral close and cloisters, and the
world’s oldest working clock. For stunning
panoramic views, take a Tower Tour up narrow spiral stairs to
the foot of the spire, 225 feet (over 68 metres) above ground.
Among Wiltshire’s other iconic views are its White Horses,
carved into the rolling chalk downs. Westbury, the oldest, dates
from 1778 (although local records suggest it may have replaced
an even earlier one carved in the late 1600s). Devizes, the most
recent, was cut into Roundway Hill in 1999, to mark the new
millennium. For further inspiration, view our white horse film
here: visitwiltshire.co.uk/videos
Wiltshire’s World Heritage Site and other timeless wonders
are within easy reach of all accommodation in this guide. To
experience the magic for yourself, an overnight visit is highly
recommended.
Go to visitwiltshire.co.uk/accommodation for a wide range of
places to stay.
visitwiltshire.co.uk
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