Big chalk downland and old hunting country, with some of the darkest night skies in southern England
Old hunting ground and open chalk make up this quiet spread of downland where Wiltshire, Dorset, Hampshire and Somerset come together. Across 986 km² you get high, rounded hills, dry valleys, beech clumps and a scatter of ancient earthworks, with far fewer visitors than the coast or the better-known downs nearby.
Win Green is the highest point, a National Trust hilltop crowned by a ring of trees you can see for miles, with long views south towards the sea. Over to the west, Long Knoll makes another fine viewpoint above the Wylye valley, and downland reserves like Martin Down keep the old flower-rich turf.
It’s easy, gentle walking country. After dark, though, is when it comes into its own — this is a designated Dark Sky Reserve, and on a clear moonless night the stars are extraordinary.
