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Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Wiltshire is a region that is uniquely special because of the variety and diversity of the landscape, together with its ancient history. Natural beauty and ancient history combine to create one of the most attractive and best kept secrets in England.
Wiltshire is unique in that it is home to three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Designating somewhere an AONB means we have to look after, enhance and protect it. Along with National Parks, AONBs are the most special landscapes in the country belonging to an international family of protected areas. There are 41 in England and Wales and the Cranborne Chase West Wiltshire Downs AONB is the 6th largest however, with under 15,000 homes in the area, it has one of the lowest population densities in the South West.
An Ancient Landscape
Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs is covered with ancient Iron Age hill forts, burial mounds, boundary dykes and field systems all indicating evidence of past times. Ackling Dyke, one of the most spectacular Roman 
roads in Britain crosses the region. What’s more the use of Cranborne Chase as an ancient hunting ground for royalty and nobility until 1828 means that the positions of many historic estates have had a substantial effect on the landscape we see around us. It is also here in the heart of the area that the science of archaeology was born, with the excavations by General Pitt Rivers at the end of the 19th century. Today substantial areas of woodland still require traditional management, such as coppicing, in order to sustain their diverse wildlife and productivity.
Why don’t you…
• Organise a farm trip to Bush Farm Bison Centre, Farmer Giles Farmstead or Honeybrook Farm
• Uncover Roman history at Rockbourne Roman Villa
• Take a visit to the castle ruins at Old Wardour Castle
• See the monkeys at Longleat Safari Park
• Take a picnic to the ruins at Knowlton Church
• Arrange some golf at the Rushmore Golf Club
• Nature Reserves are at Martin Down, Coombe Bisset, Garston Wood, White Sheet Hill and Langford Lakes
• Discover the pleasure gardens at the Larmer Tree
• Investigate the work of the Royal Signals at the Royal Signals Museum
• National Trust properties to visit are Stourhead, Kingston Lacy or Dinton Park
• Gain an insight in to country life at the Countryside Museum at Breamore House
Did you know?
• Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs AONB is 983 square kilometres or 380 square miles large
• It has over 1,500 km (927 miles) of public rights of way, equivalent to the distance from Southampton to Edinburgh and back again
• Farming is by far the biggest land use with more than 89% of the CCWWD AONB classed
as farmland
• There are at least 550 Scheduled Ancient Monuments and more than 50 Sites of Special
Scientific Interest within the AONB
• The long distance footpaths of the Wessex Ridgeway, Jubilee Trail and the Monarch’s Way
all criss-cross the region
• Almost 14% of the UK’s important chalk grassland is found here
• The AONB abounds with many ancient woodlands
• There are over 350kms (220 miles) of chalk rivers
• Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty are equal in landscape status to National Parks
The AONB website details an events guide as well as details on local producers and places to visit. Be sure to check this out before travel. We also regularly update our walking and cycling route library which are available for download online. We wish you a pleasant visit.
Designating somewhere an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a national landscape designation. An AONB Partnership works to conserve and enhance this unique landscape, made up of Local Authorities and other interested organisations. The AONB team is responsible for implementing the Management Plan and monitoring progress overtime so that these fine landscapes remain here for our children’s children to enjoy.
For further information contact:
Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs AONB
Castle Street, Cranborne, Dorset, BH21 5PZ
T: 01725 517417
E: info@cranbornechase.org.uk
www.ccwwdaonb.org.uk
