Blog (Nature) - Visit Wiltshire

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 Lakes. 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.