Wiltshire is a large and mostly rural county in the eastern part of the West Country of southern England. Wiltshire features large areas of rolling chalk downland and grazing farmland, including Salisbury Plain, a large expanse of downland of which part is famously used as a training area by the British Army. For the visitor to the area, Wiltshire is probably most significant because it contains several important Neolithic period monuments, including the world famous stone circles at Stonehenge and Avebury, and the former settlement of Old Sarum. The county also offers an selection of fascinating towns and villages, as well as embracing the southern parts of the picturesque Cotswolds region.
The following Wiltshire cities, towns and villages may be of interest to visitors:
- Salisbury — this small city has a splendid cathedral, currently the second largest town in Wiltshire.
- Bradford on Avon
- Chippenham — a fast growing community, currently the third largest town in Wiltshire
- Devizes - a bustling market town with a heady brew of heritage and shopping
- Melksham - currently the fifth largest town in Wiltshire
- Swindon - currently the largest town in Wiltshire
- Trowbridge — Wiltshire's County town and administrative centre, currently the fourth largest town in Wiltshire
- Westbury — home to one of England's most famous hillside white horses
- Box — Site of the famous Box Railway tunnel and home to musicians Peter Gabriel and Midge Ure
- Bratton— Site of Bratton Castle (or Camp) an Iron Age hill fort.
- Castle Combe (pronounced coom) — a small pretty village north west of Chippenham
- Lacock — a village dating back to the 13th century owned almost in its entirety by the National Trust, site of Lacock Abbey and the William Fox-Talbot museum
- Pewsey — a large village with a main line rail station
- Wilton — a medium sized village to the west of Salisbury.
- Wroughton — a large village on the road between Swindon and Avebury.
- The White Horses of Wiltshire - white horses created by removing the grass on hills to reveal the white chalk underneath. Most are a few hundred years old.
- Visit Savernake Forest near Marlborough.
- Visit the nationally important museums in Devizes and Salisbury to find out more about the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site.