Reckoned England’s oldest borough, Malmesbury crowns a hill in a loop of the Avon, its lanes falling away from the ruined 12th-century abbey. Athelstan, the first king of all England, is buried in the abbey church. It was also the launch pad of Eilmer, an 11th-century monk who fixed wings to his arms, leapt from the tower and glided a furlong before breaking both legs. Abbey House Gardens lies beside the abbey. Kemble station is about 11km north-east.
