Apart from its Wilton carpets and Wiltshire ham (which you may even find in South Africa), Wiltshire has always been famous for its prehistoric sites, most notably Stonehenge. But apart from this pagan monument, Wiltshire is a fascinating county to explore with everything from lions to castles on offer.

Silbury Hill
The 40m high mound of earth that is Silbury Hill is thought to be one the oldest remaining man-made structures in Western Europe and is so ancient that its original purpose is uncertain. The site is now fenced off though and visitors are requested not to climb up the hill, not only because it is prone to collapse, but also due to the risk of damaging the site and its unique flora.

The Lions of Longleat
When we mentioned to some friends of ours that we were heading to Wiltshire, they enthusiastically suggested that we might like to visit the safari park in Longleat. As tempted as we were I tactfully pointed out that, for a person who grew up in Africa, seeing a bunch of over-fed lions lounging among the buttercups in the grounds of an English manor might just be a waste of time and money.

Avebury
Avebury is a monolithic circle of 650 stones surrounded by a moat, remarkable in that it is both older and larger than the more famous Stonehenge. It's not a protected site so you can go right up to the stones and touch them. What makes it even more interesting is that it completely surrounds the village of Avebury and flocks of sheep graze around the sarsen stones.

Unlike the monoliths of Stonehenge the stones at Avebury were not hewn, but chosen for their unusual shapes. Although some of the stones have disappeared over the centuries, their positions are now marked with concrete bollards and on closer investigation one can pick out where some of the stone fragments might have ended up — repairing a local wall here and there!

On a macabre note, during restoration in 1938 a skeleton was found under one of the stones that had been toppled over. Judging by the coins found with the remains he had been lying there since the time of Edward I — roughly 1307. So there you are, a record-breaking "Hide and Seek" champion!

Trowbridge
The once-propserous wool producing town of Trowbridge is the main centre of Wiltshire, but is beginning to look a bit scruffy. Nonetheless, its occasional oddity makes it worth a brief stop-over. On the bridge that gave the town its name, 'Tre Bridge', is the "Blind House" where unruly drunks were locked away until they sobered up.

The Westbury Horse
The Westbury Horse is situated on a hillside that was a barrow — a burial site and fort — for ancient Britons. The white horse was carved into the chalk of the hillside many years ago, but has since been concreted to save it from erosion.

The exact age of these hillside figures (there are 17 dotted around the UK) is the subject of much debate, with estimates ranging from Neolithic times (6000 years ago) to the 16th century.

Apart from the mysterious horse, you can also admire the myriad wild flowers and take in the view of miles and miles of Wiltshire farmland and villages rolling off into the horizon like a quilted sea.

Bradford-on-Avon
Bradford is a charming little town with its yellow stone buildings, ridiculously steep roads and virtually absent pavements. Vaguely reminiscent of a town in the Italian Alps, minus the smell of espresso in the air!

We popped off to nearby Frome (pronounced "Froom") Castle, but for £2.50 were expecting a castle that is a bit more than a dilapidated ruin. So back we went to Bradford to spend a sunny afternoon watching the narrowboats negotiate the locks on the canals, and following the Avon (one of many English rivers by that name) into town.

Interestingly, the Avon had yet another medieval bridge with a jail built on it. This gaol could boast of a better class of clientéle than the drunks of Trowbridge, having had people like John Wesley (the founder of Methodism) among its former occupants.

Lacock and Castle Combe
These two villages are said to be the most beautifully preserved villages in England. Apart from the chocolate box scenery, the town also has some famous sons. In 1835 Fox Talbot invented photography in the village of Lacock, so his photographs of this village are essentially the first photographs ever taken.

Of course there is a museum in his honour and as I took some photos of Lacock with my digital camera it struck me how far we've come since then. The 'pencil of nature' has been digitized and I'm sure Mr. Talbot would have approved.

		Visiting Wiltshire For more information on travelling in England, click here for the Visit Britain website. South African passport holders do not require a visa to enter Britain for holiday purposes. A number of airlines fly directly from South Africa to the UK. Click here to book tickets online.