By Emma Kirkup
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…
We were met by James, who runs Salisbury Plain Safaris and hopped in to his Land Rover. James then briefed us on where we would be going and the kind of things we might get to see along the way.
As we travelled along some of the byways, James was pointing out sites of interest that you may not know are there unless they are pointed out to you including former settlements and other archaeological features. He told us stories of some of the military connections in the area both past and present and also explained to us the rules behind where you can and can’t go on the Plain and particularly about the red flags that indicate ‘no go areas’ due to military training.
As we travelled along, we were surprised by the height of the land above the nearby valleys. From one point, near Urchfont, we could see across the Vale of Pewsey.
Unfortunately though the sky was a bit cloudy at this point and we couldn’t quite see the Pewsey White Horse!
We spotted some partridges and pheasants along the way and James was telling us about the types of wildlife that you can see at different times of the day including dusk when the barn owls can often be seen flying around. I’d love to return to do a tour to see them.
Due to the fact that Salisbury Plain is still very much used as a military training ground it means that the landscape has not been hugely impacted by farming or man. This has resulted in the landscape being very much preserved and some unique flora and fauna thrives here.
Salisbury Plain Safaris run different types of tours depending on your interests. They can combine a tour with Stonehenge and put the monument into perspective of the wider archaeological interest. Or, if nature’s your thing, James is more than happy to take groups out for nature spotting.
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Salisbury Plain Safaris provides exciting activities for visitors to Wiltshire, Salisbury & Stonehenge. Using a Luxury Land Rover for up to 6 individuals. Each of our tours is unique and based around themes including nature, history and off-roading.
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