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TheTheWiltshireWiltshire Downs Downs Useful Addresses All Year Round Guide to the Marlborough Downs & Vale of Pewsey Tourist Information British Waterways Ramblers Association Centres The Locks, Bath Road 2nd Floor, Camelford House Devizes, Wilts, SN10 1HB 87-90 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TW Avebury Tel: 01380 722859 Tel: 01672 539425 Countryside Agency Ridgeway Officer South West Region Countryside Service Dept of Leisure and Arts Chippenham Bridge House, Sion Place Holton The Citadel, Bath Road Clifton Oxford, OX33 1QQ Tel: 01249 706333 Bristol, BS8 4AS Tel: 0117 9739966 Tel: 01865 810224 Wiltshire County Council Devizes English Nature Department of Planning & Prince Maurice Court Cromwell House, Market Place Highways Hambleton Avenue Tel: 01380 729408 County Hall, Trowbridge Devizes, Wilts SN10 2RT Wilts, BA14 8JD Tel: 01380 726344 Marlborough Tel: 01225 713345 Forestry Commission George Lane Car Park Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Postern Hill Lodge Tel: 01672 513989 Elmtree Court Marlborough, Wilts, SN8 4ND 19 High Street Tel: 01672 512520 Swindon Devizes, Wilts. SN10 1AT 37 Regent Street The National Trust Tel: 01380 725670 Tel: 01793 530328 Wessex Regional Office British Horse Society Eastleigh Court B.E.C. Bishopstrow, Warminster Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth Wilts. BA12 9HW Warks. CV8 2LR Tel: 01985 843600 Tel: 01203 696697 for further information contact:- The Tourism Officer Kennet District Council Browfort, Bath Road Devizes, Wiltshire. SN10 2AT Tel: 01380 724911 Copyright Wiltshire Downs Project, ©2001. All Rights Reserved. Photographs © Jim Lowe & Jonathan Gaunt. Whilst every effort has been made to verify information collected for this leaflet, the Wiltshire Downs Project cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of any information. Design & Illustration by Monocle Designs. WDP/1/01/30K GatewaysGateways to to the the Downs Downs here are many ways of exploring the beautiful and ancient landscape of the Wiltshire Downs. The places listed below are useful arrival T points for your visit to the Downs and can provide for most of your holiday needs. Consider leaving your car in one of these ‘gateways’ and continue into the Downs by cycling, horse riding, walking, bus or even traditional narrow boat! Whether you’re looking for accommodation, things to do, or details of alternative means of transport, contact one of the Tourist Information Centres listed on the back cover. been a popular stopping point Calne A town made famous by the former Harris for travellers since the days of Marlborough Bacon Factory which was the first to use the the stage coach, being principle of bacon curing, taking out a patent for the process in situated on the Bath to London road. Today the town still boasts 1864. Before the bacon industry Calne was an important weaving excellent pubs, wine bars and tea shops. Markets are held in the High town with twenty mills. Situated on the Bath road it was an Street on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It is also the perfect base for important rest place for coaches, travellers and traders with their riding, cycling and walking to explore the surrounding ancient sites, and flocks and herds. Today Calne is an ideal base for exploring the attractive villages. Visit the Marlborough Tourist Information Centre for Downs with many footpaths and bridleways leading from the town. further details. Buses: To Avebury (Service 43/X43), with connections to Buses: To Avebury (Service 49), Pewsey (Services 5,6), Marlborough (Service 49). Swindon (Services 5/6, 15,70), Bedwyn Station (Services 20,21,x20) An attractive busy market town with a large number of listed buildings of various architectural styles. This is a large village situated in the Devizes General markets are held in the market Vale of Pewsey. A statue of King place on Thursdays and Saturdays, with an Pewsey Alfred once owner of the village antiques market in The Shambles on Tuesdays. Places to visit include the stands at the crossroads. Kennet and Avon Canal Centre at the Wharf, Caen Hill lock flight and the Surrounded by meadows and Norman churches of St John’s and St Mary’s. Devizes has a farmers' market, pastures, the landscape here provides a contrasting scenery to that of the chalk downs. Pewsey has an excellent choice of pubs, restaurants, many attractions for the visitor including the Heritage Centre, canal wharf, Village Craft and Tea hotels, bed and breakfasts. Rooms; Pewsey White Horse; Jones’s Mill Nature Reserve and Scotchel Nature Reserve. The For information contact Devizes village has produced a booklet of 8 circular walks in the area available from Tourist Information Tourist Information Centre. Centres and the Village Craft and Tea Rooms. Buses: From Devizes to Swindon, via Trains: Pewsey is situated on the London Paddington to West Country Avebury (Service 49). main line. Buses: To Marlborough To Salisbury (Service 2) (Services 5, 6, 70, x19) and to Swindon Canal: See boat hire/trips for canal trips into the Downs. via Marlborough (Services 5, 6, x19). Famous for its wide high street and public school, Marlborough has Canal: See boat hire/trips for canal trips into the Downs. Wroughton lies on the northern edge of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Wroughton Natural Beauty and within the Great Western Community Forest area and has a number of pubs, bed and breakfasts and a hotel. A local walking, cycling and horse riding leaflet is available from Wroughton library. Wroughton Science Museum (limited opening times) and Barbury Castle Country Park are two local attractions. Buses: To Avebury (Services 5/6, 49), Devizes (Services 49), Swindon (Services 71, W). COUNTRY PARKS & PICNIC AREAS Eight Circular Walks in and around Walking in the Wiltshire Downs Explore the Countryside Wiltshire County Council Pewsey (Pewsey Parish Council & T. I.C) The Wansdyke Path Barbury Castle Country Park Kennet & Avon Canal Discovery Trails White Horse Trail NATIONAL NATURE RESERVES Scotchel Reserve & Nature Trail, Pewsey OS173: 157761 Dramatic downland scenery, includes Crofton, Pewsey, Devizes Locks English Nature OS173: 164603 Mixed woodland glade on hillfort burial mounds and field systems. Trail (British Waterways) FURTHER READING Fyfield Down National Nature Reserve disused water meadow owned by Pewsey Picnic area, toilets, car park and light Parish Council. Leaflet available from refreshments. Sarsen stone memorial to Marlborough, a Guided Walk ‘The Marlborough Downs’ by Kenneth OS173: 136709 Best assemblage of sarsen (Kennet District Council) Watts (Ex Libris Press 1993) stones in Britain supporting nationally Marlborough Tourist Information Centre. the Swindon writers Richard Jefferies & important lichens. NATIONAL TRUST Alfred Williams. Access to the Ridgeway. Nine Downland Walks ‘The Vale of Pewsey’ by John Chandler (Wiltshire Ramblers Association) (Ex Libris Press 1991) Pewsey Downs National Nature Reserve COUNTRYSIDE SITES Smallgrain Picnic Area OS173: 104637 Chalk downland, noted for Cherhill Down OS173: 046694 and OS173: 019672 Situated at the western end of Ridgeway National Trail Guide ‘Marlborough & the Kennet - A its many different kinds of wild flowers and Calstone Downs OS173: 045685 the Wansdyke, Smallgrain offers splendid (O.S. / Aurum Press) View of the Downs and Villages’, butterflies. One of the largest areas of unrestricted public views over the Downs. Walks to Cherhill, Ridgeway Link Path photographs by Jonathan Gaunt Calstone Downs (N.T.), along the Wansdyke (White Horse Books Ltd, WILTSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST access in Wiltshire. Important for its rich chalk (Wiltshire County Council) grassland. The area surrounds the Cherhill & Morgans Hill Nature Reserve. Nearest 1994) RESERVES toilet facilities at Calne, Devizes or Avebury. Roundway Hill Covert Leaflets are available for these sites: White Horse and includes the Lansdowne Monument and Oldbury Castle. Footpaths WALKS 12 Walks around Marlborough Clouts Wood, Nr Wroughton from A4, Avebury and Smallgrain Picnic Site. There are many walks leaflets available for the (North-East Wiltshire Ramblers) OS173: 136795 Mixed woodland on steep Wiltshire Downs area. Most of them are slope, a short walk from Wroughton. Lockeridge Dene OS173: 142672 10 Walks around Devizes Two small sites of sarsen stones. Footpaths available from Tourist Information Centres. Jones’s Mill, Nr Pewsey Individual Walks leaflets: from West Woods and Lockeridge. The list below provides a selection of walks that OS173: 105636 A diverse fen grassland and cover different areas and are of varying lengths. Rowde; Bromham; Urchfont; wet willow woodland on disused water Piggledene, Nr Fyfield OS173: 142686 Etchilhampton meadows. Walk from tow-path or village. Site of sarsens stone workings. Access is on foot Circular Walks in the Wiltshire Downs only from the Ridgeway and Fyfield Down. (Wiltshire County Council) Morgans Hill, Nr Calne OS173: 028673 Chalk downland with WOODS Circular Walks from various orchids. The Wansdyke and a Savernake Forest, Nr Marlborough Smallgrain Picnic Site (Wiltshire County Roman road border the site. Park at OS173: 199682 Ancient hunting forest Council & T. I. C). Smallgrain Picnic Site. mentioned in the Doomsday Book. Drews Pond Wood OTHER NATURE RESERVES Magnificent Grand Avenue mainly flanked by beech trees. Roundway Hill Covert, Nr Devizes OS173: 003648 Originally scrub and grass West Woods OS173:150660 downland the wood was planted in 1950’s Noted for the bluebells in May. as a covert - a thicket or small wood Car park, picnic site, easy providing shelter for game. Leaflet available access