Press Release 17 July 2018
Make the Most of Summertime in Wiltshire
Celebrate summer in style with a visit to Wiltshire over the summer school holidays.
VisitWiltshire has compiled a must-do list of great events, activities, places to visit, eat and drink in this timeless county.
From exotic new animal arrivals at Longleat near Warminster to mysterious summer phenomena at the Crop Circle Exhibition and Information Centre in Pewsey, there’s a magical mix on offer.
The REME Museum Gnome Hunt returns this summer 17 July-8 September. Each gnome tells a different part of the REME story and will be hiding throughout the Museum. Everyone who enters the hunt gets a treat at the end plus one lucky gnome hunter will win a REME Museum goodie bag.
Car enthusiasts will be driven wild with the amazing collection of classic vehicles at the Atwell Wilson Motor Museum which recently featured in the Classic & Sportscar magazine’s list of the UK’s 50 best motor museums.
For the ultimate nature experience Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is hosting a multi-day Family Nature Camping Packages at Oaksey, near Cricklade. Lasting up to five days from 15–19 August, the activities include bird ringing demonstrations, otter spotting, orienteering, bat hunts, pond dipping and bushcraft workshops.
The county is also staging a fabulous fiesta of festivals throughout the summer including the Edington Music Festival (19-26 August), the Devizes International Street Festival & Carnival (19 August-1 September) and the Malmesbury Carnival and Festival (24 July-2 September) with activities taking place at various venues in Malmesbury and culminating with the famous carnival procession on 1 September.
The medieval city of Salisbury is the venue for dozens of activities for visitors of all ages to enjoy. The city’s High Street will become a temporary giant outdoor art installation with more than 90 multi-coloured umbrellas suspended in mid-air (18 July-autumn).
Join Wiltshire Creative over the August Bank Holiday weekend (24-27 August) for Lift Off! A four-day celebration of the arts across the city including music, fireworks, street theatre, storytelling, a Family Fiesta, visual arts trail and more.
The Rifles Museum is celebrating the end of WWI on 26 July. Find out what happened to soldiers and civilians as their wartime service ended. Fun hands-on challenges, dressing up and period photographs to take home.
Wiltshire is renowned for producing great food and drink products and Salisbury Guildhall Square will be staging its Foodie Friday event on 5 August providing the perfect excuse to ditch the boring lunch box and enjoy fabulous street food from across the South West.
The Cosy Club, Salisbury is hosting 'Bountiful Brunch’ a ‘one-off’ Bottomless Brunch event on Sunday 26 August. For £25, you’ll receive any brunch dish and endless prosecco, Bucks Fizz and Bloody Marys between 10am-1pm.
There’s a Young Chefs Academy in Devizes on 9 August with the chance for junior cooks to spend the day sharpening their culinary skills under the watchful eye of professional chefs.
Bowood House is hosting the Great British Food Festival on 25-27 August. Guest demonstrations will run alongside kids’ cookery lessons while over 80 top local producers, real ale, wine bars and live music will also be featured among the great range of foodie delights across this three-day event.
There are also a huge range of special offer summer breaks available across the county.
The Grade 2 listed, 19-bedroom Widbrook Grange boutique hotel in Bradford-on-Avon is offering a gin tasting overnight package on 17 August with more than 120 world-class gins to choose from. £195 per room per night based on two sharing.
Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa in Colerne has a selection of summer breaks to choose from including a Saddle and Spa Package, Midweek Brasserie Treat and a special offer running from 30 July-9 August celebrating their 30th anniversary which includes half a bottle of champagne on arrival. From £390 per room per night based on two sharing.
There are special three-night stays for couples available at The Old Post Office Cottage in Corsham (£200 for three nights), a coarse fishing package at The Bath Arms at Longleat (£95 per room per night) and 15% off a camping trip until the end of August at Postern Hill Caravan and Camping Site near Marlborough (£12.40-£21.50 per unit per night).
- For a further information on places to stay and things to do this summer across Wiltshire go to www.visitwiltshire.co.uk.
For further information or to arrange a press visit please contact Florence Wallace, Travel Trade & PR Manager, flowallace@visitwiltshire.co.uk Tel: 01722 341309 or 07436 588860
Note to editors: VisitWiltshire is the official Destination Management & Marketing Organisation for Wiltshire representing 600 partners. It is a public/private sector membership organisation. 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 £1.5billion and supports over 29,000 jobs.
Images can be downloaded from our Flickr gallery via our Summer album links - https://www.flickr.com/gp/129320754@N03/4cUt71. Photos may be used in print and/or online for the promotion of tourism to Wiltshire and any photos used must be credited to www.visitwiltshire.co.uk, unless otherwise stated in the title of the photo. Full terms and conditions can be found here.