Press release 15 January 2015
10 Great Reasons to Make Time for Wiltshire in 2015
Issued 15 January 2015
1. Salisbury – Top city to visit in 2015 and 800th anniversary of Magna Carta
Salisbury will undoubtedly be Britain’s hottest city to visit in 2015 with travel guide publisher Lonely Planet listing it among the Top 10 cities in the World. It’s also celebrating the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, with the finest preserved of four original 1215 Magna Carta documents displayed in a spectacular medieval setting in a new exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral (opening early March 2015). A Barons’ trail of statues, sponsored by local businesses, created and painted by local artists and community groups, is going on display in the streets of Salisbury and there’s a Magna Carta trail leaflet to guide visitors to the famous World Heritage Site of Stonehenge, with its new visitor centre, before travelling to the Baron Town of Trowbridge. There will also be exciting Magna Carta-related events and activities taking place throughout the year. Described as the ‘City in the Countryside’, Salisbury retains much of its historic past and makes an excellent destination to visit in 2015.
2. Experience the Unusual
Warminster is a market town with independent shops, great places to eat and drink and is surrounded by historic attractions, nature trails and cycling routes. It’s renowned for being the country’s UFO capital with Cradle Hill to the north and Cley Hill, an Iron Age hillfort situated to the west of the town, being unofficial UFO ‘observatories’. For almost 50 years it has been a meeting place for UFO spotters, drawn by talk of lights in the sky, flying objects and other unidentifiable oddities. Treasure Trails, the hugely popular self-guiding activity, takes visitors around villages, towns and cities to solve clues which can be found on buildings, statues and monuments, and they are launching a new UFO-themed trail ‘Warminster Alien Portal Destruction’ in 2015 to tie in with the 50th anniversary of the Warminster Thing.
Sci Fi Events in Wiltshire
Sci-Fi Southwest Sat 21 & Sun 22 March Trowbridge
Sci-Fi Family Fun Day Sat 25 April Corsham
Warminster 2015 UFO conference Sat 29 August Warminster
If it’s real-life escape you’re after, a new craze is sweeping the world, real-life escape and detection rooms! Escape Rooms are physical adventure games in which visitors are locked in a room and have to use elements within this space to solve a series of puzzles, find clues, and escape within an hour. Immensely enjoyable and addictive, Salisbury Escape; Magna Carta Challenge is the first of its kind in Wiltshire and will be launched in 2015.
3. New Accommodation in Wiltshire
New for 2015 - The Stones Hotel, High Post just outside the historic city of Salisbury with countryside on your doorstop, will open later this year and promises excellent service and great value accommodation. Four new comfortably furnished high quality self-catering apartments, created from an old farmyard barn are being built at Buckerfields Barn near Marlborough and will be open around Easter. Milford Hall Hotel, Salisbury is opening a brand new, purpose built spa facility for guests. The 15th Century Old Mill Hotel, at Harnham, has undergone an extensive refurbishment.
4. New Attractions
2015 is the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain and Wiltshire’s contribution to Spitfire production will be a week of commemoration, education and events, billed as Salisbury Wings Week from 14 to 20 September.
The REME Museum of Technology is on the move and will be relocating to Lyneham.
Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire has been selected as the preferred location for construction of a new military visitor attraction, museum and exhibition centre by the Royal Artillery Museum. Planned to open in Spring 2019, the attraction will allow visitors to immerse themselves in the 300 year story of the Royal Artillery through one of the UK’s largest military collections. This will not simply be a military museum, but a purpose-built interactive visitor attraction, with diverse appeal for domestic and international visitors, independent and group visitors of all ages.
5. Food Lover Breaks
Taste award-winning cuisine in Wiltshire, with an array of Michelin starred dining experiences to choose from! Whatley Manor Hotel & Spa chef Martin Burge holds two Michelin stars. He oversees two restaurants and delivers a classical French style with a modern interpretation using the very best ingredients. The Red Lion Freehouse, in East Chisenbury, is a Michelin-starred country pub with a national reputation for serving outstanding food in a quintessential pub setting. The Harrow at Little Bedwyn, near Marlborough is a well-established restaurant that has been recognised for its award winning Michelin starred food for over nine years. Chef Hywel Jones has held a Michelin star at The Park Restaurant at Lucknam Park Hotel, in Colerne since 2006 and was also voted Hotel Chef of the Year in November 2007.
Wiltshire is also home to a number of excellent cookery schools. Vaughan's Kitchen Cookery School in Devizes gives you hands-on tips with weekend cookery courses including Mexican Street Food, Great British Food Masterclass and even Student Survival courses! Lucknam Park Hotel Cookery School in Colerne, opened in 2012, boasts state of the art facilities and is run by award winning chef Hrishikesh Desai who offers daily courses throughout the year.
Food breaks incorporating a luxury spa hotel make an exotic Wiltshire getaway.
6. Shoppers Paradise
Salisbury Christmas Market, having just completed their third and busiest ever season have had their best trading year yet! Previously rated by the Daily Telegraph as one of the ‘Top 5 Christmas Markets in the UK’, it is a must visit shopping experience (26 Nov -19 Dec 2015).
As part of the £40 million regeneration project McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, Swindon has recently launched the UK’s first Wall Holla a new state of the art play area and is the first of many new additions to the outlet giving visitors an enjoyable and exhilarating day out. Along with this, the centre’s first land train (The Hooter Express) was launched in December to reinforce its reputation as a family friendly destination.
There are a great many independent shops across several market towns in Wiltshire. Fairfax Antiques near Chippenham is set within the grounds of working farm. Salisbury favourite, Casa Fina, a family run high street independent business, is having an extensive makeover this year and Fisherton Mill is celebrating its 21st anniversary with special exhibitions and events.
7. Arts and Culture
There will be a vast array of arts, culture and music events in Wiltshire this year to celebrate the 800th Magna Carta anniversary. Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival has announced six events for 2015 so far, including a production of Shakespeare’s King John and Salisbury Playhouse’s youth theatre ‘Stage 65’ will be performing a new play at Salisbury Cathedral in June.
The internationally renowned Iford Arts Festival takes place in the exquisite Peto Garden of Iford Manor with twelve weeks of opera, jazz proms and cloister concerts taking place from June.
After having launched the new Wessex Gallery last year, Salisbury Museum will open a new art exhibition, Turner's Wessex: Architecture and Ambition, which will run from May-September. Wiltshire Museum, Devizes have a Prehistoric Wiltshire gallery which tells the story of the people who built and used Stonehenge and Avebury. Trowbridge Museum is delighted to have Magna Carta Baron Henry De Bohun return to his home town as his bronze statue will form an integral part of the new exhibition ‘Magna Carta- Game of Barons,’ which opens at the end of February.
Swindon’s Museum & Art Gallery, has a reputation as one of the best of British 20th Century Art outside London is and a project to relocate the Museum and Art Gallery to a brand new building in the town centre is underway.
8. Exhilarating Outdoor Activities
For the more adventurous, Wiltshire is home to an array of exhilarating outdoor activities. Go Skydive, situated at Old Sarum Airfield, is the UKs premier ‘first-time’ tandem Skydiving Centre and has jumped with over 14,000 first-timers! Aerosaurus Balloons have offered over 75,000 passengers champagne hot air balloon flights with stunning Wiltshire views of winding river valleys, ancient woodland, numerous hamlets and Roman roads. For land-based outdoor activities, hire a bike and go on a Heritage Cycle Tour or spend the day on the water cruising along the Kennet & Avon Canal from Devizes Marina Village.
9. Beautiful Countryside with New Walking Tours
The dramatic Wiltshire countryside alters with the changing seasons and that’s what makes you feel so connected not just to nature but to time itself. Just under half (approximately 44%) of Wiltshire is designated as AONB and is testament to the county's scenic beauty and outstanding landscapes. With over 8,200 paths for walkers and cyclists West Country walking holiday specialist, Foot Trails, have launched a new six-night luxurious walking break. “Ancient Gods, Temples & Myths” travels through Wiltshire via Stonehenge and includes a picnic at Stourhead with overnight accommodation at The Bath Arms, Longleat. Walking holidays in Wiltshire also offer a range of guided walks into the heart of our ancient landscape.
10. And into 2016… 300th Anniversary of Capability Brown
2016 marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of one of England's greatest landscape gardeners, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. He is renowned for the creation of breathtaking pastoral settings, and Wiltshire is home to a number of his greatest horticultural masterpieces. These include, Lacock Abbey where he re-designed the 13th century parkland and in 1760 he created the ‘ha ha’ at Corsham Court. Other glimpses into the work of this amazing man can be seen at Bowood House where, in the 18th century, he created a flowing mix of woodlands and lawns sloping down to a winding lake, and at Longleat House, within the 900 acres of parkland, he planted the Pleasure Walk (or arboretum) to the south west of the House.
Wiltshire is timeless wonders, timeless pleasures and timeless places. www.visitwiltshire.co.uk #timeforwiltshire
For further information, images or to book a press visit please contact Florence Wallace, PR Manager, flowallace@visitwiltshire.co.uk Tel: 01722 341309 or 07436 588860
Note to editors: VisitWiltshire was established in August 2011 and is the official Tourist Board for Wiltshire. It is a private sector membership organisation representing over 550 partners. VisitWiltshire's priority is to grow the county's Visitor Economy by raising awareness of the destination and generating additional tourism visits and spend. Wiltshire's Visitor Economy currently generates an estimated £1.4billion and supports over 27,000 jobs.