Blog (Malmesbury) - Visit Wiltshire

Whatley Manor Hotel and Spa is a secluded countryside escape in the heart of Wiltshire. The picture-perfect country house has surprises around every corner, from the warm welcome of the wooden gates opening for, to the bittersweet goodbye. Whatley Manor Hotel & Spa is a place to experience, if only once in your lifetime. 

At the start of July, I met with Jules Mittra from Around and About Bath for a guided tour with a difference around some of Wiltshire’s lesser-known areas.

Wanting to make the most of the Great British summer, I decided to head off and discover the historic market town of Malmesbury and explore the beautiful Abbey House Gardens.
From the very moment I walked towards St John’s Bridge on the entrance to the town, I sensed this place had many of tales to tell. The architecture of the Avon Mills building, former cloth and silk mills built in 1793 by a clothier named Francis Hill and the surrounding Cotswold stone townhouses lining the High Street, clearly reflecting Malmesbury’s trade and industrial heritage.

Back in July I was delighted to open a birthday present to discover a beautiful folder containing a voucher for the cinema at Whatley Manor Hotel and Spa, near Malmesbury.

The April sun decided to come out in force when I arrived at Lower Moor Farm, between Cricklade and Malmesbury.

A strange title for this blog perhaps? Of course anyone who’s visited Malmesbury before will know there are lots of reasons to visit this pretty hilltop town. So what’s with the 300,000? Well, I took a guided tour around Abbey House Gardens yesterday with the owner, Barbara who informed me that there are around 100,000 tulips within the gardens here!

Isn’t it lovely to see the buds appearing on the shrubs and trees after the winter? It’s got us thinking about some of the wonderful places across Wiltshire where you can enjoy spring colours over the following months. Here are some of the top places we think you’ll love…

The hilltop town of Malmesbury sits within the Wiltshire Cotswolds. I made an afternoon visit to explore some of the town’s treasures.