Blog (Nature) - Visit Wiltshire

You might not be aware but there are three designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wiltshire. These will be celebrated as part of a national ‘Outstanding’ Week taking place from 16-24 September so we thought we’d share with you twelve reasons why you should make a visit to one or more of our AONBs (The Cotswolds, North Wessex Downs and Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs).

As the leaves begin to change and the longer nights draw in it makes a great time to explore some of our timeless nature before the seasons change again. Here we show you 9 reasons why you should pack up your bags and book your autumn break to Wiltshire…

A popular wedding venue, and famous for the Larmer Tree Festival, the venue for our second instameet of the year was the Larmer Tree Gardens.

On a clear evening, there’s nothing better than a spot of stargazing. Wiltshire being a predominantly rural county lends itself to stargazing with the advantage of less light pollution than more urban areas.

Clattinger Farm forms part of the Lower Moor Farm complex of nature reserves owned and managed by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. 

I joined the Trust for one of their guided walks, highlighting the Snakeshead Fritillaries which dominate some of the meadows here in April. Many people flock to nearby Cricklade to see these delicate flowers but Clattinger Farm is another fine example of wildflower meadows.

I always love visiting Iford Manor’s Peto Garden, it’s a great place to enjoy some tranquillity and every time I make the descent into the village down the narrow country lane I am in awe of the views.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Bowood I joined Bowood House & Gardens in 1986, as a 16 year old boy I remember my first job was to brush the office yard! Today, I am responsible fo..

We arrived at the Pewsey Vale Riding Centre on Sunday morning just before 10am, as the three of us Justine, Angela and I, had been booked in for a two hour hack across the beautiful Pewsey Vale in Wiltshire as a birthday treat for me! All of us can ride but we had not been out for a hack for a while so we were a little out of practice.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust I am the Reserve Manager at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and oversee the management of our 37 Nature reserves dotted throughou..

Oh how we love spring, it’s so beautiful to see the blossoms appearing on the trees, the daffodils popping out along the verges and the bluebells begin to emerge in our woodlands.
We’ve put together a selection of some of our favourite spring photos that we have here at VisitWiltshire, we hope you enjoy them!

Towards the end of January I made a trip to the tranquil setting of Lydiard Park. The morning had been cold and blustery but luckily by the time I pulled up at the car park the weather was beginning to turn for the better. I’d heard that some of the snowdrops were already making an appearance here so I went for a bit of an investigation.

If, like me, the start of the year has left you feeling all a bit ‘January-ish’, it helps to have something to look forward to. So here are 17 great ideas for things to see and do around Wiltshire that are sure to brighten up the first few months of 2017.

We all know of the winter blues. Those grey and gloomy days can get even the happiest of us down from time to time however it’s easy to forget just how beautiful winter can be. To help remind you of this we’ve found ten photos taken in Wiltshire that will help show you just how magical this season can be.

Last Saturday was exactly the kind of winter’s day I like best – cold and crisp but with plenty of sunshine. Perfect walking weather. This route is one of my favourites as it starts and finishes in the city centre and includes some of Salisbury’s best-loved views.

1. Learn about rural life Step back from the rat race and rest up at one of our farm stay properties. Find out more about the rural Wiltshire ways of life, switch off your phone and reconnect wit..

As the leaves begin to change and the autumn sets in, make a visit to Wiltshire this October. We’ve put together a handy list of ten reasons why you should come to Wiltshire…

Wiltshire’s county town of Trowbridge has a rich textile history from its days when the woollen cloth industry thrived. I went for an explore of some of the town and the surrounding areas to capture some photos and to visit areas that I hadn’t visited before.

As you approach Great Chalfield Manor down the windy country lanes, it’s easy to forget about the hustles and bustles of modern day life, yet it’s only a short drive from Melksham, Bradford on Avon and Trowbridge.

During the recent heatwave that we’ve been experiencing I made a visit to the Wiltshire town of Melksham for an explore around with Terri Welch, Melksham’s Mayor.

As I parked up in the town I immediately noticed the colourful bunting decorating the streets and planters adorned with flowers. The bunting is up for this Saturday’s annual carnival, a popular event in the town centre.

The nature of my role means I’ve lucky enough to have gone up the tower of Salisbury Cathedral several times whether escorting press or even taking up VIPs in the sense of Paddington Bear and Shaun the Sheep! This time however, I was going to do a tower tour with a difference.

On the Saturday just gone, I, alongside 27 other Instagramers ventured to the National Trust Gardens of Stourhead for an Instameet.

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!

Having recently participated in a photographic course I have been keen to find the time to try out my new skills, and move the dial on my camera from the “auto” setting! My daughter is slightly more advanced than me so was the perfect companion for an afternoon playing with cameras.

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…

Straddling the border of Wiltshire and Gloucestershire lies the Cotswold Water Park. This unique area was formed by gravel excavation which has resulted in over 150 lakes.

On a cold January day, I made a short hop across the Wiltshire border to the Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens. Unlike many attractions, the Wildlife Park and Gardens are open all year round with the exception of Christmas Day.

So for the start of this week the weather would have been perfect for a spot a star gazing, with clear skies and crisp evenings I had my fingers crossed that my night of star gazing in the Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) would be like this too! Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans… I headed to the Larmer Tree gardens in the pouring rain, dressed up in my waterproofs hoping that the weather would make a turn for the better.

Salisbury Plain sits in the heart of our county and is a little known area despite it being around the same size as the Isle of Wight. On a Monday in December, we joined Salisbury Plain Safaris for a trip to this mystery land…

Cricklade North Meadow (a National Nature Reserve protected by Natural England) is an ancient flood plain on the banks of the upper Thames, which is renowned as one of the best examples of a lowland hay meadow in Europe. Before the days of intensive farming, many British meadows used to be covered in wild flowers. Today Cricklade is a living example of how the meadow used to look with its lush carpet of meadow flowers.

It’s not long until bluebell season will be upon us once again in Wiltshire. Usually flowering in late April and into May, seeing the carpets of blue flowers is one of my favourite times of year. I have so far seen a couple of lone bluebells bravely conquering the still very fresh mornings however I’m looking forward to the bigger displays which will be here before we know it!

During a lovely weekend across the county, I decided to make the most of it and take my Mum out for the day to the National Trust’s Stourhead gardens, in the south west of Wiltshire.

We’ve been to Stourhead many times throughout the years and it never fails to disappoint. For me, it doesn’t matter what time of the year you visit as there’s always something different to see and a different vista that you might not have seen before.

During February and March you can often find parts of the Wiltshire landscape dotted in snowdrops – always a sign to me that spring is on its way shortly!

We’ve put together some top places that you can usually spot these pretty flowers.

Whether in the depths of winter or the early days of spring, Stourhead is a gem of a garden and each time I visit there’s a completely different feel to the garden. This time, my trip was part of a VisitWiltshire partners’ familiarisation visit during the autumn with added bonus of a guided tour by Stourhead’s Head Gardener, Alan Power.

In the heart of the Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty half way between Salisbury and Blandford Forum lies the Larmer Tree Gardens.

One of the National Trust’s most iconic gardens, Stourhead truly comes to life during autumn with a rich array of colours from its vibrant reds through to rusty oranges. Pick a day with bright blue skies and you’ll find many a photographer or artist here capturing their perfect moment.