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WILTSHIRE
National Geographic Traveller (UK)
|January/February 2025
BEYOND THE MAIN ATTRACTION OF STONEHENGE, WILTSHIRE HAS EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE ANCIENT SITES, GIANT CHALK HORSES AND COSY PUBS IN HISTORIC VILLAGES
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Wiltshire may well be the most mysterious county in England. It's home to the country's densest concentration of Neolithic remains - among them, the blockbuster that is Stonehenge and a scattering of 13 giant white horses carved into hillsides and visible for miles around. Ask what they're for or why they're there and the response is commonly a shrug and a 'who knows?'.
The attractions lose none of their appeal for being enigmatic, however. This is a largely rural county of chalkland hills, where mist clings to valley floors and lingers in woodlands long after the sun has risen-myth and fable seem in-built into the landscape. And when you're done pondering the questions left to us by our ancient predecessors, there are inviting pubs to retreat to in pretty villages. Nothing dispels a sense of mysticism quicker than a pint of local ale enjoyed by the fireside.
What about its ancient sites? 
This story is from the January/February 2025 edition of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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