Unique Places in Wiltshire

Sometimes called something else, & you can probably imagine what that is. The Bustard is in a remote location on Salisbury Plain, The Bustard Inn gives guests the best of numerous worlds - great walking & wide-open spaces, access to some of the most historic sights in the country, & a lovely escape from the bustle of city life. charmingly & modest, it is in the outstanding care of Roy Harris, who earlier ran it for seven years. When he left, the spirit of the place seemed to leave with him, but when he returned with Sharon Maton in September 2003 the old spark came alive again & it’s very special appeal was restored. Sharon, a skilled chef, is queen of the kitchen, making splendid dishes every session except Sunday evening.

The inn takes its name from the bird which has just been reintroduced on the Plain after a long absence of about 175 years.

An adult bird can weigh up to 44 pounds (20 kilometres) & on standard stands as tall as a Roe deer, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

I have dedicated another chapter to this wonderful bird, who will now be seen by future generations of people to come.

The inn is on Salisbury Plain in the Bustard Hamlet 2 miles north of Shrewton off the A360.

It's fun to view the landscape while driving around. We spotted this unusual sight - at least for us. A lot of cows were all lined up in a row going to their barn for milking. They really looked funny that way instead of their usual lying in the field or standing up eating.

The market town of Wilton is a small Saxon settlement nr Salisbury. It’s famed for its carpet making factory which has been around for years, making carpets for grand houses & The Royal family. You can have tours round the factory & its part of Wilton shopping village. There are many shops in Wilton including: Reeve The Bakers, Antiques place, Burnbake Trust which has arts & Crafts by prisoners, a butchers, Post Office, Greyhound Pub, 3 bells pub & many more. There is a library in South St Wilton, although it’s not very big. Wilton House where the Queen’s Cousin the Marques of Pembroke lives, is part of Wilton. There is a high wall surrounding the house & a garden centre nearby with café & gift shop. There is an interesting Italianate church to visit but it is in runs, some of the stones & graves still exist. Wilton is horsy country with Grovely Stables just up the road nr Grovely Woods, & The RDA (Riding for The Disabled).

The River Wyle & Nadder forms part of Wilton. Here you can feed the ducks in the summer, & watch people playing bowls on the green. The hotel here is called The Pembroke Arms & sometimes holds physic fairs & other conventions.

This small village is about 2 miles from Wilton, & is situated in a quiet location on the junction of the A30 and the B3089. The River Nadder runs through farmland here, & there is also the Barford Inn. Also here is the Countryside Unit at Dairy Lane, which is owned by Alabre Christian Care centre's. It was once part of a farm, but was turned into a place of training for homeless & disadvantaged people.

Here they can teach you woodwork, arts & Crafts, argiculture & many other skills. Barford has some pretty countryside, there is a farm shop here which is called Black & white, there is only one garage here which is Texaco which has a small shop. There is a small church here & a war memorial. barford is the ideal place to explore a Wiltshire Village.

What can I say about this small Wiltshire village. It's about five miles from Salisbury, has many farms including our farm at Chillhampton which has been in the family since the 1850's. Two other villages Stoford & Wishford are connected to South Newton, & the River Nadder runs through the centre.

The Black Swan pub is near South Newton, it's faced upon the main road. It has a car park & gardens out the back, there is one bar & has many fuctions taking place including skittles nights. Over the road across the bridge is a lane leading towards Grovely & Wilton

The last time I came here was in July, the whole place was packed with tourists. There is stories that Stonehenge was built by the druids for sacrificial ceremonies. It was in medival times that Stonehenge started to have an appeal on the people, & not just another pile of rocks. It's £5 for adults & £2 for children to get in. Then you go down a small subway like tunnal, the authorities are thinking of making a bigger tunnal; but the fire service people aren't very happy about this idea.

Facilities available are:

Parking (1hr)
Tearooms or Restaurant
Suitable for people with disabilties
Male/Female Toilets ( made for wheelchairs in big toilet block at far end of carpark.
Guidebooks (in all langauges)
Audio tours

This is a small village which has Saxon roots, the village is on the site of a Roman settlement. Variouse flints & tools have been discovered there, which can be seen in Salisbury Museum. There is a pub at Alderbury called The Green Dragon & has featured in Charles Dickens book " Martin Chuzzlewit" under the name "The Blue dragon". The author stayed there while collecting information for his book.

The Green Dragon has a beer garden & bar, its very popular in the summer. Nearbye are local tennis courts, a lot of new houses have been built in the area: Whaddon Village is now forming part of Alderbury but once used to be a seperate village.

In Alderbury there is a post office, garage, Hospital for horses & many other things. There is also cycle routes in the area, althrough the hill to Alderbury is tiring.

Silbury Hill is very close to Avebury and Stonehenge.. another reminder of how long man has inhabited this part of England. Originally, begun in 2400 B.C. - yes, it's that old - Silbury Hill sits quietly near a car park one can pull into. I advise reading the website below for interesting archeological and historical facts about this mound.

http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMSilbury.html