West Wiltshire Downs

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.

 

Gate surrounded by cow parsley, leading into a path through fields of cops

 

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.

 

Deciduous woodland with a carpet of bluebells

 

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.

Accommodation
Your holiday in the West Wiltshire Downs will be based at a comfortable family-run guest house in the attractive village of Stourton on the National Trust' Stourhead Estate. Your room will have ensuite bathroom facilities  and you will have a choice of continental or full English breakfast served in the adjacent inn. Stourton has an excellent inn serving meals in the evening, whilst surrounding towns and villages, also have a number of quality restaurants and inns.

 

What's included in the price of this holiday?

WWD map

Bed & Breakfast
Holiday Options

Easy Easy
Code:WWDSB3
Grade:Easy - Moderate
Nights:3
Price:£455.00
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Easy Easy
Code:WWDSB5
Grade:Easy - Moderate
Nights:5
Price:£695.00
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Easy Easy
Code:WWDSB7
Grade:Easy - Moderate
Nights:7
Price:£845.00
Booking now closed
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Travel information
Rail: Warminster
Onward travel: Public bus or taxi

more travel information

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footpath holidays logo With effect from 1st March 2025

We will no longer be accepting new bookings for our:

Rest assured, any bookings already in place will go ahead as planned. The website general information pages, and any pages relating to the individual destinations, will remain ‘live’ as a reference point for guests with active bookings.

This is part of a restructuring exercise as we hand the reins over to the next generation. Our work as ‘ground handlers’ for specialist agents and tour operators, and with pre-formed groups, continues, as does our ‘private driver guiding’ (www.bbhtours.co.uk).

Our office is still fully functional, and we are happy to continue to answer queries and provide advice, so please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

We are also happy to recommend Contours Holidays (www.contours.co.uk), who have been offering a wide range of self-guided holidays since 1996. Mention Footpath Holidays to receive their ‘Friends Referral Offer’.

After thirty-three years at the helm, and twenty-two years of arranging self-guided holidays, this does feel like a big step. Thank you to our numerous past guests and ‘regulars’; it has been a pleasure to look after you.

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