Seven Picture Perfect Villages to Visit in Pewsey Vale

If you’re visiting the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire soon, make sure you leave time to explore some of the area’s picturesque villages. These chocolate box villages and hamlets ooze English country charm and are crying out to be instagrammed! You’ll find lovely walks and cycling options nearby as well as traditional country pubs and stunning scenery. Any of these villages would make a great base to stay at for your holiday, or simply a pretty spot to visit as part of a day of walking and exploring.

Here are some of our favourite Pewsey villages…

1. Milton Lilbourne to the East of Pewsey town is a picture perfect linear village centred around the Grade II* listed Manor House. Take a walk down the quiet main street to admire the lovely thatched cottages. Idyllic!

2. Located on the Kennet and Avon Canal between Pewsey and Marlborough is the small, peaceful village of Wootton Rivers. The village has several listed buildings including the quirky church of St Andrew with its unique clock and is also home to the Wootton Rivers Lock as well as a pretty historic thatched pub, the Royal Oak. Walk to nearby Martinsell Hill for great views of the surrounding areas.

3. Great Bedwyn is an idyllic English village on the edge of Savernake Forest. There are lots of quintessential English sights to see in this pretty little village, from colourful canal boats to gorgeous thatched cottages. The Church of St Mary's is of particular historic interest; it is a Grade I listed building and contains a memorial to Sir John Seymour, father to Jane Seymour. And the local pub, The Three Tuns Freehouse, is a great place to stop for lunch.

4. The twin villages of Alton Priors and Alton Barnes enjoy a fabulous setting near the Alton White Horse, one of eight carved chalk horses found across Wiltshire. There are two pretty churches to see in the villages; Medieval All Saint’s Church in Alton Priors and the ancient church of St Mary the Virgin, Alton Barnes, which is partly Saxon in origin. The small hamlet of Honeystreet is nearby, where you can take a boat trip along the Kennet and Avon Canal or stop off for a cup of tea at the Honeystreet Mill Cafe.

5. Gorgeous honey-coloured cottages gather around the large village green in Wilcot. Get your fill of Wiltshire country charm as you look around the picturesque village cricket pitch, the Grade II* listed parish church of the Holy Cross and the local pub, the Golden Swan.

6. The three Manningford villages, Manningford Bohune, Manningford Abbots and Manningford Bruce, offer lovely walks along peaceful country lanes. Located near to the Pewsey White Horse, these villages boast pretty thatched cottages and gorgeous surrounding countryside. There are also some lovely small and friendly places to stay in the Manningfords, including Huntlys Farmhouse and the White House B&B.

7. Wilton village (not to be confused with the market town of Wilton near Salisbury!) is a chocolate box place with a pretty village pond and a great pub, the Swan Inn. There is plenty to see here, including nearby Wilton Water, a tranquil reservoir and the fascinating Crofton Beam Engines. And Wilton Windmill is well worth a visit; it is the only working windmill in Wessex!

Which is your favourite picturesque spot in the Vale of Pewsey? Let us know in the comments below!