I have been house sitting in Wiltshire and spent a week in a village which is more reminiscent of the Cotswolds. The villages along the Avon river are stunning. The quiet high streets are lined with thatched and half-timbered cottages which you could imagine have been here since the beginning of time.
All around these villages from Upavon to Amesbury are neolithic sites of worldwide importance, the most spectacular being Stonehenge.
When you’re driving along the A303 you can always tell when you’re about to pass Stonehenge as the usually fast flowing traffic grinds to a crawl as drivers and passengers marvel at this monumental structure so close to the road.
I had been before but a long time ago and anyway now I have my National Trust membership I might as well get my money’s worth. Pre-booking a (free) ticket is the way to go if you don’t like queuing.
In any case it wasn’t very busy being a Thursday morning during term time. However there were still two school groups – inevitable I guess with Stonehenge such an important site.
Next I drove north to Avebury where I revisited the Silbury Hill, a huge mound constructed in a field over the period of 100 years.
Driving through the village of Avebury you can almost reach out of the window and touch the standing stones in the Avebury stone circle.
My last stop was Marlborough which has a prestigious college and a high street which smells of money. I didn’t stay long – only enough for coffee and a croissant – I was afraid of buying something in one of the expensive shops and I didn’t want to be tempted.
So I walked the High Street and marvelled at how the other half live.
Salisbury Plain is so close that daily there are many military vehicles on the roads, soldiers in fatigues in supermarkets and cafes and in the air parachutists landing at the base next to this village.
What a fantastic place in this part of Wiltshire – as good if not better than the Cotswolds in my opinion. I would love to live down here but I fear I will not ever be able to afford even a cardboard box here. It’s a very white part of the country – not a black, brown or yellow face in sight.