Melksham

How to get here.... About thirteen miles south from Junction 17 of the M4, getting to Melksham couldn't be easier. It's location makes Melksham wonderfully situated as a centre for touring over perhaps a hundred mile radius. It lies on the southern most edge of the Cotswolds, just to the north west of Salisbury Plain & the Marlborough Downs. Only a few miles from Bath and north west of the Mendips. Castle Combe & Lacock, vie for the title of the prettiest village in England, both are within five miles. Did I miss anywhere out? Mention a beauty spot you hadn't heard of? I thought not.

The Tourist Information Centre 32 Church Street Melksham Wiltshire SN12 6LS Tel.01225 707424

Opening Times Monday to Friday: 9.30am to 4.30pm Saturday:9.30am to 1.30pm Closed Sundays and Bank holidays Mail: info@visit-melksham.com

 

Taxis

Self Drive Hire cars

Chauffeur Driven Hire cars

A bed for the night....or longer.

These are the principal establishments, but the local directory lists a couple of dozen more. The Tourist Information Centre will be pleased to advise you. See also the pages of SmoothHound where some bookings may be made "on-line"

Caravan Sites.

• Piccadilly Caravan Park
  Folly Lane West
  Lacock
  Tel. 01249 730260
  This is on the left hand side of the A350 out of Melksham. A small secluded fully equiped site. Highly recommended.

• The Camping and Caravanning Club Site
  Spout Lane
  Nr Seend
  Melksham
  Wiltshire
  SN12 6RN
  Tel.01380 828839
  On the A365 Devizes road.

• Blacklands Lakes holiday & leisure Centre
  Stockley Lane
  Calne
  Tel.01249 813672
  On the A4 Calne - Marlborough road. A caravan site with extras: lake fishing, indoor swimming, fitness centre and more. Large and the facilities are open to non residents so can be busy.

Further Afield

• Ultimate Karting of Hulavington
  Open every day 11.00am - 10.00pm Indoors, Junior sessions. Take the A429 towards Cirencester, north from the M4, then left after old airfield. Signposted.
  Tel. 01666 838600
  

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• Car Racing & Karting at Castle Combe Circuit
  Signposted from A420, Chippenham - Bristol.
  Also hosts special days for many classic car clubs.
  Check local press or the Events page for details of current events.
  

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• Corsham Court

  Based on an Elizabethan house dating from 1582, restyled by "Capability" Brown and standing in Brown's parkland, landscaped gardens. Corsham Court houses a magnificent collection of 16th and 17th century Italian and Flemish paintings, rare Italian primatives and stone inlaid furniture.
  You are free to wander at will through a collection including works by Van Dyck, Caravaggio, Rubens and Reynolds.
  The house has been used as a setting for several cinema and TV films.
  Open Daily, excepting Mondays and December. Check times. Tel. 01249 701610.
  

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• Lacock Abbey, & Fox Talbot Museum

  The Abbey dating from 1232 was donated along with most of the rest of the village, to the National Trust in 1944. It has been carefully maintained and the village is a collection of 700 years of architecture. The Abbey was the home of William Henry Fox Talbot inventor of photography and the great barn at its entrance is a museum commemorating his life and work. Lacock is off the A350 Melksham to Chippenham road       
  

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• Castle Combe

  Castle Combe was once voted England's most beautiful village, take a look for yourself. Castle Combe is on the left of the A420 Chippenham - Bristol road.

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• The White Horses

  No visit to Wiltshire would be complete without going to see a white horse or seven. Yes seven. Once long, long ago some-one decided to dig out a patch of steep hillside in the shape of a horse and let the chalk show through. Like a lot of good ideas, it sort of caught on! Visit the White Horses

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• Woodland Park

  Brokerswood Woodland Park covers eighty acres of historic broad leaved woodland. During the summer guided walks are offered during the day and evening, followed by either lunch or supper. Or go your own way.There are nature trails, a lake with wild fowl, coarse fishing and picnic areas. Purpose built barbeques are available.
  Also in the park is the Smokey Oak Railway. Chalet accommodation, together with a caravan and camping site are available for those who wish to stay.
  Contact the Administration Office on 01373 822238 for further details.
  Brokerswood is between the A361 Trowbridge - Frome and A36 Bath - Warminster roads. From Melksham take the A350 south, turn right at Yarnbrook, then left.
  

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• Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum

  A small informal museum containing around 70 exhibits. Ranging from a tiny 1931 Singer of just 847cc to a 8200cc Cadillac Sedan De-Ville. Open all year but not Fridays or Saturdays. 11am - 5pm (4pm in winter)
  The museum is off the A4 Calne to Malborough road.
  

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• Stonehenge

  Just thirty miles from Melksham, Stonehenge is a World Heritage Site and should not be missed. Building started over 5,000 years ago and took some 1,500 years. Stand and gaze at stones that were pulled overland by men for over 219 miles. After you've soaked it all in you may still not believe it. Opening times vary with the season but always include 9.30am - 4.00pm. Tel.01980 624715. Closed 24-26 December & 1 January. The best route to Stonehenge is via Devizes A324, then Tilshead A360 An English Heritage site.

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• Avebury

  Not immediately as impressive as Stonehenge, Avebury is a much larger site yet with a more intimate feel to it. The village has grown in among the stones. Indeed many can be found broken down and embedded into the wall of buildings. Take a walk around the great ditch and up on the top among the stones themselves. Visit the Museum and the Church, part Anglo Saxon, part Norman, part 1812. For the really energetic, Silbury Hill, the largest man made mound in Europe, lies only a mile to the South. Avebury is a mile off the A4 Melksham to Marlborough road. Also a World Heritage Site Avebury is in the care of The National Trust.

Contributions from individuals and organisations in the Melksham area always welcome.
Please email yourguide@zetnet.co.uk