Alderbury Hill
COTTAGES · WILTSHIRE
Ancient stone circles, honey-stone cities, great houses and wild coastline — all within a comfortable drive of the estate. We have gathered our favourites, arranged by the kind of day you are after. For where to eat, see Food & Drink.
Some of the most significant historic sites in England lie within easy reach — many quite literally on the doorstep.
Britain’s tallest spire at 404 feet, and one of only four surviving 1215 copies of the Magna Carta.
The former home of Sir Edward Heath in Salisbury’s Cathedral Close — fine art and antiques, and gardens running down to the river.
The dramatic Iron Age hillfort and original site of Salisbury, with ramparts and long plain views.
The world’s most famous prehistoric monument, standing on Salisbury Plain for some 4,500 years.
A lesser-known timber-circle monument and vast Neolithic henge close to Stonehenge.
A romantic ruined 14th-century castle beside a lake — an idyllic spot for a picnic.
The largest stone circle in the world — walk right up and touch the stones, free at any time.
A magnificent medieval cathedral and the Great Hall, home to King Arthur’s legendary Round Table.
A glorious medieval abbey with fan-vaulted ceilings, and the ruins of Sir Walter Raleigh’s castle.
One of Europe’s largest and most complex Iron Age hillforts, with huge grassy ramparts to roam.
Remarkably preserved Roman bathing rooms around the natural hot spring, in the heart of Georgian Bath.
A dramatic thousand-year-old ruin commanding a gap in the Purbeck Hills, above a storybook village.
Atmospheric abbey ruins steeped in Arthurian legend, beneath the landmark hill of Glastonbury Tor.
The counties around us are unusually rich in stately homes — National Trust treasures and privately-owned houses alike.
A perfect Queen Anne townhouse in the Cathedral Close, seen in Sense and Sensibility.
The Earl of Pembroke’s Palladian seat, famed for its Double Cube Room — a favourite film location for The Crown and Bridgerton.
An Elizabethan manor near Fordingbridge with fine paintings, a countryside museum and a mizmaze walk.
A romantic riverside abbey-turned-house, celebrated for its walled rose gardens in June.
One of the world’s finest 18th-century landscape gardens, with a lake, temples and King Alfred’s Tower.
A lavish 17th-century Dorset mansion with an exceptional art collection and wide parkland.
A magnificent Elizabethan “treasure house” wrapped in Capability Brown parkland — and the UK’s original safari park.
A monastic country house and the birthplace of photography, in a village seen in Harry Potter and Pride and Prejudice.
A romantic 15th-century Dorset manor with a great hall and celebrated topiary gardens.
A Robert Adam house with fine collections, Capability Brown grounds and a much-loved adventure playground.
An Elizabethan mansion of 1582 with state rooms by Capability Brown and a renowned collection of Old Masters.
The Jacobean-style castle known to millions as Downton Abbey, with sweeping Capability Brown grounds.
A glittering Elizabethan mansion of golden Ham stone, with a renowned Long Gallery of Tudor portraits.
A moated medieval palace beside Wells Cathedral, with beautiful gardens and the springs that name the city.
Chalk downland, dark skies, gorges and gardens — for long days out in some of southern England’s finest scenery.
Eight acres along the Avon, with an authentic Japanese water garden and its red bridges.
A National Landscape of rolling chalk downland with some of the darkest, starriest skies in England.
Victorian pleasure gardens at Tollard Royal, with roaming peacocks, follies and open lawns.
Georgian parkland and Edwardian gardens with lakes and an animal park, near Dorchester.
Spectacular river caves and family attractions carved into the Mendip Hills.
Clifftop downland above Swanage rich in wildlife, with the curious Victorian Great Globe.
England’s largest gorge, with dramatic cliffs, show caves and a clifftop walk.
Twenty acres of exotic, sheltered planting near the Dorset coast and the famous Swannery.
Some of England’s loveliest walking begins right at the gate — chalk downland, water meadows and dramatic coast, with a good pub rarely far away. For step-by-step routes, we love the walking apps komoot, Footpath and OS Maps — download your route before you set off and you’ll never lose the trail.
A woodland path to the ivy-clad ruins of a medieval royal palace, on the old route to Winchester.
The classic walk across the meadows to the timeless Constable view of the cathedral spire.
A National Trust chalk hilltop crowned by a 17th-century folly, with views toward the New Forest.
A breezy circular walk around an Iron Age hillfort over skylark-filled downland.
An ancient Roman road through beech and bluebell woodland above the Wylye Valley.
A downland walk above the regimental badges cut into the chalk hillside during the First World War.
The highest point on the chalk downs — on a clear day you can see to the Isle of Wight.
A gentle clifftop walk to the chalk stacks marking the start of the Jurassic Coast.
A rewarding climb to the highest point on the south coast, with vast sea and cliff views.
Beyond the sights, the area is made for doing — from chalk-stream fishing and wakeboarding to a day at the races, a vineyard tour or a country spa.
Flat racing through the summer on the downs above the city, with popular family and music race days.
Hands-on experiences flying hawks, owls and falcons across the Wiltshire countryside.
Wakeboarding and kneeboarding on cable systems, plus inflatable aqua parks and paddleboard hire on a freshwater lake.
Award-winning English sparkling wine on a rare-breeds farm — tours and tastings, with animals and play areas for children.
Day tickets and guided fly fishing on the world-famous chalk streams of the Test and Avon valleys.
Paddleboarding and kayaking lessons, hire and guided trips along the New Forest’s beautiful coastline.
Treetop high ropes, zip wires and forest trails in a country park — a big hit with older children.
Unwind with a treatment or a full day at one of the New Forest’s celebrated spas — ideal for a couples’ retreat.
One of England’s loveliest national parks is barely half an hour away — wild ponies, oak woodland and pretty sailing towns.
A quintessential forest village where wild ponies wander the streets — a fine base for walking and cycling.
The Montagu estate’s National Motor Museum, Palace House and 13th-century abbey beside the river.
The forest’s “capital”, with independent shops, the New Forest museum and open heath walks.
A majestic avenue of giant redwoods and Douglas firs, with gentle waymarked woodland walks.
A handsome Georgian sailing town with a cobbled quay, busy marinas, a Saturday market and Isle of Wight ferries.
A beautifully preserved 18th-century shipbuilding village on the tranquil Beaulieu River.
A 200-acre Rothschild woodland garden with a steam railway, spectacular for spring rhododendrons.
A quiet shingle-and-sand beach with Isle of Wight views and a Second World War D-Day heritage trail.
Handsome market towns, honey-stone villages and two great cathedral cities — each an easy day out for a wander, a browse and a good lunch.
A charming Test Valley town famed for chalk-stream fly-fishing, a broad high street of antique shops and boutiques, and the Thyme & Tides deli.
A hilltop Dorset town crowned by the famously steep, cobbled Gold Hill and its sweeping views.
England’s ancient capital, with a magnificent cathedral and a lively independent high street.
One of England’s widest high streets, lined with colonnaded shops, cafés and independent boutiques.
A honey-stone Dorset town with a magnificent abbey, two castles and a lovely antiques and food scene.
A creative Somerset town of steep cobbled streets, independent makers and a celebrated monthly market.
A tiny, stylish Somerset town — home to the Hauser & Wirth gallery and some of Britain’s best restaurants.
A honey-stone Georgian city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to the remarkable Roman Baths.
Often called England’s prettiest village — a cluster of honey-stone cottages straight from a film set.
England’s smallest city, with a breathtaking cathedral, moated bishop’s palace and cobbled Vicars’ Close.
Safari parks, hands-on farms, zoos and cockpit adventures — plenty to tire out every age before bedtime.
Award-winning galleries with Stonehenge finds and family trails through the school holidays.
A hands-on family farm with animal feeding, play areas and picnic spots, near Amesbury.
Climb aboard the cockpits and try on a flight suit — a genuine hit with all ages.
Eagles, owls, hawks and vultures with daily flying displays near Ringwood, plus a reptile house of snakes and lizards. Free kennels if you bring the dog.
Ten acres of woodland gardens at Minstead with a wildflower meadow, lake and children's fairy doors to hunt down, plus a thatched tea room. Assistance dogs only.
Rides and gentle attractions made for younger families, near Romsey.
Woodland trails, adventure play and a treetop high-ropes course, near Ringwood.
Otters, owls, wolves and wallabies at Longdown near Ashurst, with a hands-on deer encounter and a big adventure playground for the children.
Book ahead to walk a gentle Suri alpaca through the fields at Marchwood, then settle in for afternoon tea with the herd.
A hands-on family farm at Ashurst — bottle-feed the baby goats, meet the pigs, ponies and alpacas, with tractor rides and indoor play barns for wet days.
Ride a restored steam railway ten miles through the Hampshire countryside between Alresford and Alton, with dining trains and special events through the year.
Over 250 vehicles in the heart of the New Forest, with Palace House, the monorail and the World of Top Gear — a full family day out.
A drive-through safari, a grand stately home and a giant hedge maze, near Warminster.
A much-loved conservation zoo near Winchester, home to giraffes, big cats and rhinos.
A seafront aquarium taking you from the Amazon to the Great Barrier Reef — sharks, turtles, rays and penguins, with daily feeds. A good wet-weather day out.
A farm park designed for under-8s, with tractor rides, animal handling and indoor play, near Poole.
The world's best collection of tanks in Dorset — nearly 300 vehicles including the only running Tiger I, with live displays and a big adventure playground.
An ape rescue centre in Dorset, home to chimps, orangutans and gibbons across wooded enclosures.
The south coast is close enough for a day by the sea — sweeping bays, dramatic Jurassic cliffs, sandy beaches and harbour towns.
Miles of golden sand and some of the finest, calmest beaches on the south coast.
Four miles of soft sand backed by heathland, with a clifftop walk to the chalk stacks.
A ruined castle above a pretty village, linked to seaside Swanage by a heritage steam railway.
The Jurassic Coast’s iconic limestone arch and horseshoe bay, sculpted over millions of years.
A classic Georgian seaside resort beside the vast 18-mile shingle sweep of Chesil Beach.
A Roman cathedral city near the South Downs, famed for its racecourse and motoring festivals.
A charming fossil-hunting town on the Jurassic Coast, with the historic Cobb harbour.
Hop the short Lymington–Yarmouth ferry for a day on the island — beaches, the Needles, coastal walks and pretty harbour towns.
The south coast — from the New Forest shore to the Solent and the Jurassic Coast — has some of England’s loveliest beaches within an hour or so. Many welcome dogs year-round; others restrict dogs on the main sands over summer (generally 1 May–30 September), so we’ve noted the rules for each.
Shingle-and-sand beach with Solent views across to the Isle of Wight. Dogs welcome year-round on the eastern beach; seasonal restrictions on the central section (1 May–30 Sep).
Shingle beach with sweeping views to the Needles and Hurst Castle, backed by cafes. Dogs welcome year-round — one of Hampshire’s reliably dog-friendly beaches.
A long Solent spit beside the historic Calshot Castle, popular with walkers and watersports. Dogs welcome all year.
A quiet, undeveloped stretch of shingle between Milford and Barton, reached across open clifftop. Dogs welcome year-round.
A friendly, family beach near Christchurch with cafes and calm water. Dogs allowed year-round at either end; main beach restricted 1 May–30 Sep.
Miles of golden sand and a lively promenade. Designated dog-friendly zones open year-round; central beaches ban dogs 1 May–30 Sep.
Blue-Flag sand on the exclusive Sandbanks peninsula. Dogs are not permitted on the main beach 1 May–30 Sep, but welcome the rest of the year and on nearby Shore Road.
Four miles of National Trust sand backed by heath and dunes. Dog-friendly year-round, with a designated dog area over summer — one of the best all-year dog beaches nearby.
A wild, natural shingle beach near Lee-on-Solent with big Solent views and few crowds. Dogs welcome all year.
A peaceful beach beside the Titchfield Haven nature reserve with Isle of Wight views. Dog-friendly year-round with a seasonal restriction on the central stretch.
A broad shingle bay with lawns and safe swimming. Dogs welcome year-round at the western end; central section restricted 1 May–30 Sep.
A lively promenade beach beside the historic seafront. Dogs welcome year-round on much of the beach, with summer restrictions on the central family section (1 May–30 Sep).
Miles of Blue-Flag shingle and sand on the Solent. Designated dog-friendly zones open year-round; main beach restricted 1 May–30 Sep.
Broad, clean Blue-Flag sands near Chichester. Dogs welcome year-round on the East Head end; main beach restricted 1 May–30 Sep.
A classic curved bay of fine sand. Dogs banned on the central beach 1 May–30 Sep, with dog-friendly zones at each end open all year.
Dramatic Jurassic Coast shingle beaches beneath the famous stone arch. Dogs welcome year-round — steep steps down, but no seasonal ban.
The calendar is full of reasons to visit — from summer festivals and the solstice at Stonehenge to twinkling Christmas markets and light trails. A few of our favourites, by season.
Three weeks of music, theatre, dance and outdoor spectacle across the city each early summer.
Gather among the stones at dawn on the longest day — the one time visitors can walk right up to the circle.
Britain’s largest festival devoted to history — talks, living history and flying displays in the Chalke Valley.
Open-air concerts and events in a magical Victorian pleasure garden on the Wiltshire–Dorset border.
Four days of free seafront air displays over the bay, with the Red Arrows a regular highlight.
Wooden chalets, mulled wine and festive stalls in the Market Square beneath the Cathedral spire.
Spectacular illuminated lantern trails through the grounds of Longleat — a magical winter outing.
Candlelit carol services and seasonal concerts beneath England’s tallest spire.