As one of the top three largest Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the UK at over 1,000 square feet, North Wessex Downs is the perfect place to explore by foot, bicycle, horseback or any other mode of transport you can think of.
Holiday cottages in the North Wessex Downs
Looking for a long-distance hike among the rolling hills and picture-perfect villages? The Wayfarer’s Way at 70 miles long starts at Inkpen Beacon, taking you over the highest chalk hill in England, Walbury Hill and past Watership Down, the setting for Richard Adam’s famous novel, before dropping down to Emsworth Harbour for a relaxing seafood meal. The Deck is one of these aforementioned marina restaurants and can offer you a delicacy of seafood sensations such as a heart-warming homemade fish pie for a main meal or a dressed crab with watercress salad as a light bite. If you’re after a more casual walk with a pinch of history, why not take a short stroll down The Ridgeway, Britain’s and possibly Europe’s oldest road to explore some of the finest countryside in the UK and follow in the footsteps of herdsmen, travellers and soldiers from more than 5,000 years ago?
Being such a horse friendly area because of its excellent quality turf underfoot, walkers are entranced with the White Horse Trail, a route visiting seven iconic chalk white horse hill figures. The most famous being the 360-foot-tall Uffington White Horse on the Lambourn Downs near quaint market town Wantage, which was carved around 1000 BC and therefore making it the oldest surviving hill figure in the whole of Britain. If you’re too much of a horse fanatic, why not explore the lavish landscapes with gallops and other training areas such as Delamere Racing Stables in Lambourn or Pewsey Vale Riding Centre in Marlborough, one of the largest of its kind in Wiltshire?
Marlborough isn’t just known for its expertise in riding centres but is also known for the mysterious Merlin’s Mound within the grounds of Marlborough College, the reputed burial place of the legendary wizard Merlin. The magic certainly continues with plenty of cycling routes in the area, including at Savernake Forest, a Special Site of Scientific Interest where bluebells and butterflies like the silver spotted skipper and Adonis blue are rife in the spring time. The lush grasslands here are also a fine breeding ground for birds like skylarks and stone-curlews.
If you love the variety of butterflies at Savernake Forest, then you’ll love the dragonflies and damselflies at Blackwater Valley on the eastern edge of Hampshire. Can you believe there are more than 30 types of winged wonders at this very spot? This spectacular area also ranks as one of the best regions for coarse fishing in the country. In the River Blackwater, you can enjoy fish as varied as roach, perch and pike. Look closely on these shores and you may be able to see the occasional otter and grasshopper too! Wanting something a bit more thrill-seeking than fishing? Blackwater Valley Canoe Club is a friendly club that welcomes individuals of any ability, offers equipment for hire and runs regular local sessions. With professional help on hand at the club, you certainly won’t be up a creek without a paddle!
North Wessex Downs is also home to some important archaeological sites, such as the largest stone circle in Britain within the quaint village of Avebury. As one of the greatest marvels that you will ever see and a valuable part of a World Heritage Site, this is essential to your visit…as is a roam around the Alexander Keiller Museum, where you will find the excavator’s many archaeological collections. As you roam around, why not check out Silbury Hill, the largest manmade mound in Europe at 30 metres high and another key part of the World Heritage Site? Built between 2470 and 2350 BC, its purpose has remained a mystery for many centuries and leaves it as one of the most intriguing monuments in this part of the country. Why not invent your own rumour and see if the kids believe you?
Looking for another slice of history? Wilton Windmill set high above the village of Wilton, is the only working windmill in the North Wessex Downs and still produces high quality wholemeal, stone ground flour even to this day. In what could be Holland with its tranquil and stunning landscape, the windmill can be viewed in all its glory from the outside and is in walking distance from the 87-mile-long Kennett & Avon Canal, linking London with the Bristol Channel, as well as Crofton Beam Engines which incredibly boast the oldest working steam engines in the world. Wilton Windmill is also run entirely by volunteers from the Wilton Windmill Society; another added factor into the case that this superb family based attraction is one of North Wessex Down’s finest.
The North Wessex Downs is easily accessible from powerhouse cities like London, Swindon and Bristol, so there is really no excuse people of England! A relaxing trip to the countryside for even just a short break from the big smoke and a time to recharge your batteries beckons.