Wiltshire

Between London and Bristol & Bath, and venturing up into the Cotswolds, you’ll find the county of Wiltshire. Patchwork fields, chalk plateauxs and irresistibly pretty villages. It’s not all rural heartland, of course, there’s market towns and a city to explore too... 

You can see the sights of Wiltshire however you choose: by train, bus, coach or boat. But it’s a landscape ideal for independent off-road adventures. Whether you want to make a road trip of it, go on a long hike or take to the trails on a bike or on horseback.

Thanks to its mysterious white horses, crop circles and megalithic stone circles, there’s something unknowable about Wiltshire that’s ever alluring. You never know when you might come across an otherworldly woodland that looks like the ideal home for fairies or happen upon a prehistoric long barrow in some far-off field. It’s a magical place that gives the curious traveller reason to wonder. 

There are also some major must-visits that must be seen to be believed: the ancient standing stones at Stonehenge, the North Wessex Downs, Lacock Abbey and Castle Combe are all wonderful places to start. 

Make time to experience contemporary Wiltshire too, with its buzzing cafés and abundance of artisan producers. Some of the more sizeable stops, to sample some of this include Marlborough, Devizes and Chippenham. And of course there’s Salisbury, just south of the Great West Way - a cathedral city with much more to offer besides, from board game cafés to indie arts centres. 

See below for our suggestions on restaurants, hotels and things to do in Wiltshire as well as on our See & Do and Explore pages. You can also take a look at visitwiltshire.co.uk.