Experience some adventures for free outside of the county boundary (scroll down for more details)
Somerset (including Bath and North East)
Glastonbury
Ninesprings
Ham Hill
Clatworthy
Cadbury Castle
Monkton Combe
Old Sarum
Swallowcliffe
Avebury
Stonehenge
Wardour Castle
Win Green
Stourhead
Zennor
Siblyback Lake
Somerset
Circle the mystical town of Glastonbury and the island that houses the Tor, once surrounded by sea but still dominating the town. Follow the footsteps of legends including Goddess Bridie, King Arthur, his knights and even Jesus himself, his blood still staining the soil. Pass Abbey remains, spiritual shops and the Holy Thorn as it grows in the churchyard. Search for the Holy Grail around Chalice Hill, where two springs create red and white water. Skim the edge of the Somerset Levels to Gog and Magog, the two remaining oak trees of the 1000 year old Isle of Avalon. Finally climb the Tor, with views for miles, then discover the secret wishing tree, haunted by fairies, and refresh in the cavernous cave of the White Spring, protected by Bridie’s flames.
From the busy town of Yeovil, weave through the waterfalls, pools, grottos and stone arches to climb up to the Roman road once linking the ancient towns of Durnovaria and Lindinis. Discover the follies of Barwick estate, dotted on the hilltops to mark the four points of the compass. Dip down to the fine country manor and into the village of Barwick to follow the footsteps of a legend as he used the holloway at Treacle Farm to quench his thirst for treacle. Pass the folly honouring his name, his little room sitting above the arch, ready to be summoned by his master. Climb over the hill, marked by a summerhouse used to beckon the local gentry to an evening of entertainment, with views to the Bristol Channel and back to Dorset. Return via the old dismantled railway following the stream of the River Yeo.
Circle the mighty hillfort of Ham Hill and climb to the peak of Montacute Castle, through deep holloways and thick woodland. Follow ramparts on the tips of the slopes with views across river valleys and the Somerset Levels. Cross ancient Roman roads and medieval village remains to discover the Roman crossroads haunted by a highwayman. Skim a monastic deer park, to the ruins of the priory and climb up to the tower on St Michael’s Hill, the hump possibly riddled with tunnels. Return to the hillfort passing a Roman Amphitheatre, a millennium stone circle and a war memorial to weave back through the towering earthworks.
Circle Clatworthy Reservoir, on the edge of Exmoor National Park. Created in 1959 and opened in 1961, it is a popular fishing spot and is home to a diverse range of wildlife. The dam has trapped the River Tone, flooding a number of long gone villages and settlements. On the peaks are remnants and ruins of mining, spanning generations, from the Roman period to the 19th century, while Clatworthy Castle, an Iron Age Hillfort, towers from above and Neolithic stones mark parish boundaries.
Climb to the summit of what many believe to be King Arthur’s Camelot. From Cadbury Castle’s peak, gaze across the Somerset Levels to Glastonbury Tor and King Alfred’s Tower, a landscape once transformed by the sea or cloaked in wild woodland, where medieval royalty hunted between the trees. Wander among the mighty ramparts to uncover two natural springs that sustained the hillfort’s ancient inhabitants. Circle its base, tracing the remnants of age-old farming systems, before descending to the quiet hamlet of Sutton Montis, nestled at the foot of this former seat of both mythical and historical power.
Wiltshire
From the site of the medieval castle of Old Sarum, towering above the valley of the River Avon, circle its surrounding Iron Age ramparts past the cathedral ruins. Drop down into the valley, crossing ghostly lines of Roman roads and medieval trackways to the river. Trace its course downstream as it flows to Salisbury, its cathedral spire rising in the distance. Wander the wooded paths through Stratford-sub-Castle, passing sites of vanished mills that once turned the water. Join the Roman road of the Portway, its ancient crossing and the subsequent King’s Bridge, now gone and superseded by the medieval Harnham Bridge in the growing town of Salisbury. Return to the ramparts of Old Sarum on the Portway, past the Parliament Tree and the buried remains of the Roman town of Sorviodunum.
Hidden high the valley of the River Nadder, discover the little village of Swallowcliffe, compete with its local pub saved by the residents then bought by a Top Gear presenter. Wander past the site of the lost chapel, up onto the high hills sheltered in Swallowcliffe Wood, to views of White Sheet Hill topped with a long barrow, an Iron Age farmstead and the burial of a Saxon Princess. Circle the hillfort ramparts of Castle Ditches, weaving between trees and bluebells to meet the gushing streams that scatter the slopes. Drop back down into the valley to mill remains, including its mill race, grindstone and filled pond, to return to Swallowcliffe. Pass the new 19th century church, packed with its own treasure, to the surviving pub. The Old London Elm having crumbled on the edge of the old Turnpike, now the A30.
After the famous site of Stonehenge, the secondary stone circle of Avebury falls. Just like its counterpart it is set in a much larger landscape of ancient monuments. Covering a period of over 1000 years, these gigantic tributes, to entities we are yet to understand, rose up from the ground in feats of engineering unimaginable today. Attributed to ceremonies and celebrations of life, death and the circle of the sun, they connected people to the landscape, the underworld and the heavens. Their purpose has been lost but their spiritual legacy remains.
Venture into one of the most mysterious landscapes of the world, retracing the footsteps of our ancestors as they paid homage to both the sun and the moon. Beginning at Amesbury, discover the Iron Age hillfort which stood guard over the River Avon and the end of Stonehenge’s ancient Avenue. Pass the remains of a medieval abbey, its gardens and the resting place of Lady Guinevere, King Arthur’s wife and Lancelot’s lover. Cross the mighty A303 to join a dismantled railway connecting the military to the main line. Enter into the iconic landscape of Stonehenge to approach the stones just as the ancient people did. Join the old Drove to meet the older and more elusive Cursus. Skim long barrows and modern houses to arrive at Woodhenge, believed to celebrate life, and the neighbouring, once densely populated, Neolithic settlement of Durrington Walls. Return via the dismantled railway back to the A303 and the old drive to Amesbury Abbey.
Circle the crumbling castle of Wardour. Climb up the hill, though the neighbouring woodland, hiding ruins of an 18th century landscape garden. Dive under the haunted tunnel and follow the medieval park pale through the trees, passing a mini Silbury Hill on the way. Drop down to the River Nadder, after crossing the railway, to cut through the fields of East Hatch. Enter back into the ancient estate, past the old school and forgotten convent, to reach the largest Georgian House in Wiltshire. Walk past its impressive façade, with a rare chapel in its western wing, and down to the lakes of Wardour. Skim the woodland, which has lost both a summerhouse and ice house and hides an entrance arch that welcomes no one, to return to the castle ruins.
From the peak of Cranborne Chase in the heart of an ancient landscape, scattered with pockets of woodland and split by winding lanes, soak up the views across the south of England. Wander down into the wooded valley of Ashcombe Bottom where a Georgian Manor House sits. The estate’s tranquil beauty has won the hearts of both artists and celebrities. Residents over the years have included Cecil Beaton, Madonna and Guy Ritchie, entertaining guests such as Salvador Dali and Brad Pitt. Follow the old tracks to the Royal village of Tollard, the Manor House once fit for a king who hunted the wild Chase. Climb back out the valley, skimming Rushmore estate, the home of the Larmer Tree, to join ancient droveways. Encounter hillforts and prehistoric earthworks sat on ridges, surrounded by legends and looking out to Salisbury Cathedral and Glastonbury Tor. Pass the extravagant gardens of Viscount Rothermere’s Ferne House to then return to Win Green marked by a clump of Beech trees, hiding their own spiritual treasure.
From the steep slopes and waterways that split Somerset and Wiltshire explore the forests of Stourhead. Find Jack’s Castle, used as a beacon site to call troops, and discover King Alfred’s Tower, its peak visible for miles around. Venture deep into the ancient Selwood Forest, haunted by forces that could steer you off your path. Weave between the trees and dip into the valleys of small tributaries of the Stour to climb up to one of two hidden Iron Age hillforts. Skim the mighty earthworks to descend to Six Wells Bottom, the springs included in the Stourton Family Crest. Climb up to Peter’s Pump, an installation that was once critical to Bristol’s water supply, to return to Tower Road and the path of the Harrow Way, one of the oldest routes in the country.
Monkton Combe (coming soon)
Venture through the historic village of Monkton Combe, uncovering layers of its industrial past. From the school, mill, lock-up and church, follow the route of the lost canal towards Tucking Mill. Climb up to the top of the viaduct, once part of the Somerset and Dorset railway, and step into one of the longest tunnelled footpaths in the country. Emerge back into the light to skim the edge of the Georgian city of Bath. Explore churchyards and a crumbling chapel to discover the landscaped garden of Prior Park. Here, the iconic Palladian Bridge, familiar to fans of Bridgerton, sits quietly in its own combe. The path then rises up Claverton Down, where quarries once scattered the ground, to views over Bath and the viaduct at Limpley Stoke. Drop steeply down the hill to return to Monkton Combe, with its old mill chimney still rising from the vale.
Cornwall
Wander through a landscape steeped in mystery and legend. From ancient stones to witches, scramble boulders and skim ruins along the old Coffin Way. Pass a sanctuary that inspired artists to cut through the woodland to the coast. Follow the coastal path along the ragged and rough shoreline as seals bask on the beaches below. Circle the stoney outcrop of Zennor Head to pass Pendour Cove, the home of a mermaid and her family, to then return to the little hamlet of Zennor and the refreshing Tinners Arms.
Trace the peaceful shores of Siblyback Lake, set high among the tors of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. Close to the springs of the River Fowey, it is surrounded by the remnants of ancient settlements, standing stones and Viking battles. The valley—once dry—has been transformed into a shimmering lake, its waters flowing onward to the cascades of Golitha Falls. Set out from the café and circle the water’s edge, through quiet stretches of woodland and past the impressive Siblyback Dam. Return along the southern shore offering wide open views and a variety of wildlife paddling in the water.
