Wiltshire

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Bridge at Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England

©joe daniel price/Getty Images

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Overview

Wiltshire is rich in the reminders of ritual and packed with not-to-be-missed sights. Its verdant landscape is littered with more mysterious stone circles, processional avenues and ancient barrows than anywhere else in Britain. It's a place that teases and tantalises the imagination – here you'll experience the prehistoric majesty of Stonehenge and the atmospheric stone ring at Avebury. Add the serene 800-year-old cathedral at Salisbury, the supremely stately homes at Stourhead and Longleat and the impossibly pretty village of Lacock, and you have a county crammed full of English charm waiting to be explored.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Stonehenge

An ultramodern makeover at ancient Stonehenge has brought an impressive visitor centre and the closure of an intrusive road (now restored to grassland)…

Avebury Stone Circle

Wiltshire

With a diameter of 348m, Avebury is the largest stone circle in the world. It's also one of the oldest, dating from 2500 to 2200 BC. Today, more than 30…

Longleat

Wiltshire

Half ancestral mansion, half wildlife park, Longleat was transformed into Britain's first safari park in 1966, turning Capability Brown's landscaped…

Visitor Centre

Stonehenge

The highlight here is a 360-degree projection of Stonehenge through the ages and seasons – complete with midsummer sunrise and swirling star-scape…

Stourhead

Wiltshire

Overflowing with vistas, temples and follies, Stourhead is landscape gardening at its finest. The Palladian house has some fine Chippendale furniture and…

Avebury Manor

Wiltshire

The mother of all makeovers at this 16th-century manor house used original techniques and materials to recreate interiors spanning five periods. Being…

Malmesbury Abbey

Wiltshire

Malmesbury Abbey is a blend of ruin and living church, with a somewhat turbulent history. Notable features include the Norman doorway decorated with…

Lacock Abbey

Wiltshire

Lacock Abbey is a window into a medieval world. Founded as an Augustinian nunnery in the 13th century, its deeply atmospheric rooms and stunning Gothic…

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