Top Things to do in Wiltshire
Top Hotels in Wiltshire
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The 10 Best Budget-friendly Things to do in Wiltshire, England
Discover the best top things to do in Wiltshire, United Kingdom including Wadworth, Boscombe Down Aviation Collection, West Woods, Rainbow Walk, The Ridgeway National Trail, Salisbury Cathedral and Magna Carta, Avebury Stone Circle, Iford Manor: The Peto Garden, Stourhead House and Garden, Savernake Forest.
Restaurants in Wiltshire
1. Wadworth
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 566 reviews
Established in 1875, this independent family owned brewery is steeped in history, heritage & traditional skills, as well as a wide collection of carefully hand crafted ales. Our Visitor Centre & Brewery Shop is open Monday to Saturday from 9am-5pm (except bank holidays), and is well stocked with your favourite Wadworth ales and gifts. The Harness Room Bar is open from 12noon - 4.30pm Monday to Saturday (closed on bank holidays). **Please note that guided tours are currently unavailable**
Reviewed By secondrow
Well if you are there is plenty of it and mighty fine examples of the Traditional Ale brewers craft are there for you to sample.However there is a lot more to this tour than Beer.An interesting visitors centre ,a couple of stunning shire horses (Sam and Jac), gleaming harnesses and vintage industrial architecture. Becky our guide was friendly and knowledgable and led us up and down the brew house allowing inspection of the coppers, mash tun's and fermenting vessels. Great Value for money and a must do if you are visiting wiltshire or on your way to the west country.
2. Boscombe Down Aviation Collection
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 582 reviews
Whether you're a serious aviation enthusiast or a kid who wants to sit in fast jet cockpits, this is for you! Please note - We are at Old Sarum Airfield - NOT at the Boscombe Down airfield.
Reviewed By thorpoticus - Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
What a fantastic place to get up close to a large part of Britain’s military aviation history Most of the cockpits are open and you are allowed to climb inside and use the controls The staff are very friendly and informative with anything you may want to know Recommended for kids of all ages(I’m 59) If you’re near Salisbury this is a must!
3. West Woods
4. Rainbow Walk
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 49 reviews
Reviewed By 506kayleighj
It is such a lovely bright set of steps to cheer up swindon in tnese hard times and show unity for the lgbt community and all there hard work for swindon and wiltshire pride I for one love them you must visit ot them they will cheer you up x
5. The Ridgeway National Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 43 reviews
One of thirteen National Trails in England, this 85-mile recreation route takes visitors through some of the most scenic landscape in the country which passes or crosses many important archaeological and wildlife sites along the way.
Reviewed By Enkanear - Seattle, United States
A delightful autumn walk on the Ridgeway National Trail I walked the entire Ridgeway National Trail in England from Overton Hill near Avebury to Ivinghoe Beacon near Tring (87 miles, 140 km) over 7 ½ days in the autumn of 2019. I carried a 20 lb pack, wore MerrelI low-cut hiking boots, used one walking stick (mostly to fend off dogs), and carried the map pages from the Trailblazer guide. I was lucky, the weather was especially nice with only a couple of hours of rain. Overall, the Ridgeway is a great walk, especially the sections along the River Thames and Grim’s Ditch. The only negative is that motorcycles and automobiles are allowed on some sections of the western half of the Ridgeway, making for clouds of dust. The most helpful thing I can do for readers planning this long-distance walk is to recommend places to stay. The night before I started the walk, I stayed at Dorwyn B&B just outside Avebury. One of the best B&Bs I have experienced. Very well-run and the nice family gave me a ride to Overton Hill in the morning. After 16 km, I stayed at the Inn with a Well (really does have an ancient well under glass in the lobby) in Osbourne St. George. Good food, nice hosts, but right next to the busy A346. Another 14 km and I arrived at an exemplary B&B/hotel, the Royal Oak in Bishopston. The room in a new building was very comfortable, and the food (especially the pork) from their own farm was great. A nice walk of 16 km and I’m at the Greyhound Inn at Letcombe Regis. A bit of a long steep trek down off the ridge from Segsbury Camp into LR, but the reward is another friendly B&B/hotel. Great service, real ale and food, with offers of rides to and from the property by Christina. I met friends there and, thankfully, the next morning we drove up to the Ridgeway and walked together for a couple of hours. This was a full day of walking 24 km to the Streatley YHA property. Horizontal rain during the last hour got me soaked, so I took refuge at a golf course club house, where a gentleman bought me a beer. The hostel is basic, inexpensive, clean and close to the shops of Goring-on-Thames. A wonderful, level, scenic walk of another 24 km brought me to Watlington. My choice of an Airbnb unit here was not satisfactory, so you are on your own. This disappointment was more than made up for after an 18 km walk to the Ridgeway Lodge right on the trail and just shy of Princes Risborough. This is a fabulous property with great rooms (ask for the upstairs room), views, and a comfortable, separate high-tech common space for guests which includes cooking facilities. The incredibly hospitable hosts that provided tea and cake upon arrival and a full English breakfast are also willing to drive you to the M&S shop in PR for dinner supplies. I can’t praise the Ridgeway Lodge enough. I want to stay there again as soon as I can. Now, here is how you set up the final and steepest day without a pack using a two-night stay. From PR I walked 20 km to Wiggington, was picked up by my nice Airbnb hosts (‘Aldbury room with a view’), driven to the local M&S for supplies, enjoyed a clean quiet room and nice breakfast, was driven back to Wiggington in the morning without pack, and finished the last somewhat challenging 10 km atop Ivinghoe Beacon. I walked back to Tring station and was picked up again by my helpful hosts. I then enjoyed a jovial dinner with them, another fine breakfast, and was driven back to Tring station for a mid-morning train to London. This walk was done in style, thanks to the gracious English people! What a great adventure. Highly recommended. This is my 8th long-distance walk in Europe. I’m 71 years old. If I can do it, you can do it.
6. Salisbury Cathedral and Magna Carta
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6,642 reviews
Prepare to be amazed by one of the finest cathedrals in the UK, home to Britain’s tallest spire and largest cathedral close and cloisters. Our original 1215 Magna Carta is the best-preserved copy in existence and our 14th century clock is the oldest working mechanical clock in the world. We suggest 1.5 – 3 hours for your visit, but you can see most highlights in 45 minutes if you are pressed for time. You can enjoy delicious snacks and meals prepared freshly on-site in our Refectory Restaurant and browse our unique range of souvenirs in our Gift Shop. 10-minute walk from Salisbury Train Station | 20-minute drive from Stonehenge| 1.5 hours from London. Tickets must be booked online. There is no charge, but please support our work by giving a donation.
Reviewed By TroutQ - London, United Kingdom
What a great day out! I went mainly to see the Magna Carta but was surprised to discover a fantastic art and sculpture collection. The highlights for me being a sculpture by Anthony Gormley, the amazing font and a magnificent tapestry by Grayson Perry, the worlds oldest working clock and of course the Magna Carta. All the staff inside the Cathedral were helpful and friendly but Rob stood out as a fantastic curator. Thanks Rob for taking us back into the Cathedral to view the rear of the tapestry which we hadn't spotted. Oh and of course its a beautiful cathedral.....
7. Avebury Stone Circle
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,291 reviews
This mysterious stone circle is thought to have been constructed in Neolithic times between 2500 to 2000 BC by The Beaker people, who might have played a major role in the formation of another eerie ancient site at Stonehenge.
Reviewed By F5904TEianm - Ashbourne, United Kingdom
In many ways more impressive than Stonehenge, and such a lot to see. It's great to get up close and walk amongst and indeed touch the stones, also a beautiful picturesque village with pub, church, manor house and museum barn. Easily enough for a half day, or perhaps a full day. If you enjoy walking and exploring our history, a 5 mile circuit also taking in Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow makes a full and fine day!
8. Iford Manor: The Peto Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 205 reviews
Internationally renowned, Grade 1 listed, Italianate gardens designed by Harold Peto, who made Iford his home from 1899-1933. Characterised by terraces, pools, statuary cloisters and remarkable rural views, the garden is an archetype of its period and a historic design gem. The present owners have restored and today maintain the historic gardens and the ethos of their original designer through modern borders blended with historic plantings, and today welcome visitors to their home five days a week, with coach visits available outside normal hours. A housekeeper's tearoom serves homemade cakes and light refreshments at weekends and there is a cake-of-the-day during weekdays at the entrance desk. The gardens are steeply terraced, partially accessible to disabled visitors, who are recommended to call ahead for assistance. The gardens are not well suited to children because of unfenced ponds and other hazards. The owners are keen to protect a tranquil environment for visitors.
Reviewed By 954gemm - Bath, United Kingdom
It's not by chance we chose to move to Bradford-on-Avon - it's surrounded by beautiful places such as this! Albeit it's not a massive space, the grounds are stunning. We had one of the best experiences ever meeting one of their cats and him showing us around on my birthday. We really enjoyed the variety of the gardens, with an Asian themed area for example, and some quintessentially British parts etc. Visit at different times to enjoy different aspects for sure, and stop for a nice slice of cake and loose leaf teas if you get time.
9. Stourhead House and Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,507 reviews
Stourhead includes a Palladian house and world-famous landscape garden. The garden is perhaps the most beautiful and magical of all the great landscape gardens, Stourhead is an 18th-century view of an Arcadian paradise. On a plateau of high ground Stourhead house was built and became home to generations of the Hoare family.
Reviewed By Jeff1903 - King's Lynn, United Kingdom
There is a mansion in the Palladian style, gardens and extensive grounds. Admission is a touch expensive, but the chances are that you are already a National Trust member, but if you are not, it's worth considering especially as it will also save you £4 parking charges. I thought the house was fascinating, but excessively adorned and it gives the impression that quantity was more important than quality when bringing back stuff from the Grand Tour. However there are some gems like a John Piper painting and a Fredrick Leighton portrait. The grounds are magnificent and you are forever coming across temples or follies among the specimen trees and other plants as you walk round the lake. Picnics seem popular and the ice house is the best preserved I can remember seeing. Add in the gardens, shop, café and gallery and there is enough to do here for a whole day. Bear in mind that there is a good deal of walking, much of it up and down steep paths, so it could be a challenge for some and either wait for good weather or bring your waterproofs.
10. Savernake Forest
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 153 reviews
Reviewed By 5cruffy - Swindon, United Kingdom
Ignore the Postern Hill car park (busy) and head for Grand Avenue (signposted off A4 leaving Marlborough to the East at the top of the hill just past the hospital). There are so many footpaths from well surfaced through well trodden to rarely used. Try to visit the Saddle Oaks and Spider Oak at least (nearly 1,000 years old). The monument to George III is worth a short stop. There is a lovely Arboretum half way down the avenue on the right with small clumps of mainly pine varieties including Redwoods. If you visit in September/October, watch out for numerous pheasants and deer. Green woodpeckers can be seen if you're lucky. You can always find space away from other walkers. We use maps.me to find the paths and it hasn't let us down.
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