Enjoy your own familiarisation trip of Wiltshire on the Great West Way
2021-05-07T08:10:00+01:00
Find out more about an opportunity to explore Wiltshire on the Great West Way, an exciting new touring route, as part of this Reader Club familiarisation trip.
There have been a number of improvements at Stonehenge.
Applications for this Reader Club trip have now closed.
This is a familiarisation visit with a difference – instead of the more traditional trip, you have the chance to apply for a date to visit under your own steam between 6th and 30th September (excluding weekends) this year.
It’s a self-drive trip for you and a guest to enjoy with the idea of bringing back your group for a future visit. You’ll receive free entry to a number of attractions across the historic county of Wiltshire, part of the Great West Way.
At one end is London, with its royal sights and rich cultural heritage; at the other, elegant Bath and Bristol. Wiltshire makes up around a quarter of the route with lush landscapes, characterful villages and relaxing riverside towns.
You will stay at the Holiday Inn Salisbury-Stonehenge Hotel which has a range of rooms, a 24-hour lounge with an outdoor terrace area and an on-site restaurant.
Accommodation is provided at the Holiday Inn Salisbury-Stonehenge Hotel. Tickets to Stonehenge are part of the fam visit and the heritage attraction offers visitors a free audio guide app to download with extra content so you can delve deeper into the history of this ancient site.You will also receive complimentary entry to nearby Old Sarum where you can unearth more than 2,000 years of history and find out how the Romans, Normans and Saxons all left their mark on the impressive landscape.
Source: Ash Mills
Explore The Cloisters Garden at the heart of Salisbury Cathedral.
In the nearby city of Salisbury, admission is included to the magnificent Salisbury Cathedral which marked its 800th anniversary last year. There is plenty to see, from Britain’s tallest spire weighing an impressive 6,500 tonnes to what is thought to be the world’s oldest working mechanical clock. You can opt to explore the nearby Salisbury Museum which houses one of Europe’s most extensive collections of Stonehenge and prehistoric artefacts, as well as an important costume and textile display.
Elsewhere is Iford Manor Gardens in Bradford-on-Avon. Created by Edwardian designer Harold Peto, the Grade I listed gardens also starred in the fantasy drama film The Secret Garden, featuring Colin Firth.
There are usually group tours available at Iford Manor Gardens in Bradford-on-Avon.
You can visit the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes which is home to what is thought to be the largest collection of Early Bronze Age gold on display in England, as well as 500 Stonehenge period objects.
Other attractions offering free entry are; the REME Museum in Lyneham (closed Mondays) which shares the story of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers; Bowood House & Gardens in Calne, home to the Marquis and Marchioness of Landsdowne; Merchant’s House in Marlborough, a fascinating High Street building with an incredible history; and the STEAM Museum of the Great Western Way in Swindon, which tells the story of the people who built, operated and travelled on the railway.
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