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map showing location of tourWest Wiltshire Downs self guided walking holidays

Set in and around an area of outstanding natural beauty on the edge of Salisbury Plain the rolling chalk hills of the West Wiltshire Downs and Cranborne Chase are a very special place to walk.

Your walks will take you across high downland ridges with far reaching views, through verdant broadleaf woodland and along the beautiful Wylye Valley, visiting attractive villages such as Heytesbury, Corton, Sherrington, Knook, Ashmore, Tollard Royal and Bratton with their thatched cottages, historic churches and fine manor houses.

Wiltshire downland

Picture: Wiltshire downland

There is a tremendous amount of visible prehistory on the Wiltshire Downs, and you will see numerous burial mounds, ancient field systems and flint workings. You will walk around the battlements of two of Britain's finest iron-age hillforts and visit the Westbury White Horse below Bratton Camp, close to the site where King Alfred defeated the Danes in AD878.

The airy downland ridges provide a hunting ground for numerous birds of prey and the chalk soil supports a stunning quantity and variety of wild flowers - many comparatively rare - which in their turn attract a great variety of butterflies. There are flowers throughout the spring and summer, but for the best chance of seeing a mass of orchids visit in early June.

Bed & Breakfast option

Your holiday in the West Wiltshire Downs will be based at a comfortable family-run guest house in the attractive village of Heytesbury set in the Upper Wylye Valley. Your room will have ensuite facilities (private bathroom) and you will have a choice of continental or full English breakfast. Heytesbury has two inns serving meals in the evening, whilst the nearby market town of Warminster, and surrounding villages, also have a number of quality restaurants and inns.

Dinner, Bed & Breakfast option

Your holiday in the West Wiltshire Downs will be based at the Angel at Heytesbury, a country inn of great charm, character and considerable age, which stands in the centre of the picturesque village of Heytesbury. The Angel offers comfortable, well-appointed rooms and excellent cuisine. All bedrooms have ensuite facilities.