Best Hidden Gems in Wiltshire
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best hidden gems in Wiltshire are East Knoyle Windmill, Liddington Hillfort, Old Sarum, West Kennet Long Barrow, Clarendon Palace Ruins and Pepperbox Hill Tower.
Wiltshire is a county of chalk downland, ancient earthworks and quiet, out-of-the-way corners that reward anyone willing to leave the main roads behind. Its rolling hills carry some of the oldest human marks in Britain, from Neolithic tombs and Iron Age hillforts to ruined royal palaces and curious follies raised for reasons long forgotten.
Away from the well-known crowds, you can walk into a chambered barrow at West Kennet, stand within the great ramparts of Old Sarum, or climb to Liddington Hillfort for wide views over the surrounding country. There are stranger sights too, a stone tower mill near East Knoyle, the surviving wall of Clarendon Palace hidden in woodland, and the hexagonal brick tower on Pepperbox Hill.
Some of these places are free and open, others are best seen from nearby lanes and paths, but each offers a genuine sense of discovery. Here are six of the best hidden gems to seek out in Wiltshire.
East Knoyle Windmill
Photo: Clive Perrin via Geograph.org.uk
East Knoyle Windmill is an old stone tower mill standing near the village of East Knoyle, the birthplace of Sir Christopher Wren. The round, tapering stone tower still stands whole, though it lost its cap and sails long ago and has since been converted into a home.
It dates from the seventeenth or eighteenth century, a solid survivor of the county's milling past. Today it is a private house on private ground, so it is best seen from the lanes and paths that pass nearby rather than approached directly.
Seek it out on a quiet walk through the countryside around the village.
Liddington Hillfort
Photo: Katy Walters via Geograph.org.uk
Liddington Hillfort, also known as Liddington Castle, is an Iron Age hillfort on the highest hill in the Swindon area, near the Ridgeway southeast of the town. A single line of grassy bank and ditch rings the summit, enclosing several acres of open hilltop with wide views over the surrounding country.
It is one of the oldest hillforts in the region, with occupation going back to around the 7th century BC. Tradition suggests it as one possible setting of the legendary Battle of Mount Badon, though that link is only a story.
Reached on foot by footpaths, it is well worth seeking out for its views alone.
Old Sarum
Photo: Graham Horn via Geograph.org.uk
Old Sarum is a great ring of earthwork ramparts on a hill a couple of miles north of Salisbury, the site of an Iron Age fort that later became a Norman town. Within the huge banks and ditches lie the stone footings of a royal castle on a central mound and the outline of the first Salisbury cathedral.
People settled here from around 400 BC, and after the Norman Conquest it grew into a walled city before cathedral and town moved down to new Salisbury in the thirteenth century. It later became the most notorious of the rotten boroughs.
Now an English Heritage site with wide views, it is a rewarding place to seek out.
West Kennet Long Barrow
Photo: Michael Dibb via Geograph.org.uk
West Kennet Long Barrow is one of the largest Neolithic chambered tombs in Britain, on a low ridge near Avebury. A signed footpath from a layby on the A4 passes Silbury Hill and climbs to the barrow, an earthen mound about 100 metres long with a stone entrance.
You can walk inside the chambers, which are high enough to stand in. Built around 3600 BC, it was in use for centuries and forms part of the Avebury World Heritage Site.
English Heritage cares for it, and it is free and open, so seek it out for a rare chance to step inside an ancient tomb.
Clarendon Palace Ruins
Photo: Toby via Geograph.org.uk
Clarendon Palace Ruins stand in woodland and parkland a few miles east of Salisbury. What remains is mostly a single tall fragment of flint-and-rubble wall, the surviving end of the great hall of what was once a large royal palace.
Kings used it as a country residence through the 1100s and 1200s, and its outline lies buried in the grass around the standing piece. It is reached on foot through scrub and trees, a scheduled monument set in quiet countryside.
Seek it out for a peaceful walk to a forgotten fragment of royal history hidden among the woods.
Pepperbox Hill Tower
Photo: Maigheach-gheal via Geograph.org.uk
Pepperbox Hill Tower, or Eyre's Folly, is a tall hexagonal brick tower on the chalk downland of Pepperbox Hill, a few miles southeast of Salisbury, one of the oldest follies in England. Its doors and windows were bricked up long ago, so it is seen only from the outside.
The National Trust looks after the hill, open downland of chalk grassland with orchids, juniper and yew, footpaths and long views in both directions. Tradition dates the tower to 1606 and links it to the Eyre family, though its exact date and purpose are uncertain.
Seek it out for the folly and the sweeping downland views.
FAQs
Which Wiltshire hidden gems are free to visit?
West Kennet Long Barrow is free and open, cared for by English Heritage, and you can walk inside its chambers. Pepperbox Hill and Liddington Hillfort are open downland reached on footpaths, so they cost nothing to explore on foot.
Can you go inside West Kennet Long Barrow?
Yes. The barrow's stone chambers are high enough to stand in, and visitors can walk inside. It is reached by a signed footpath from a layby on the A4, passing Silbury Hill along the way.
Are these Wiltshire sites easy to reach?
Several, including Liddington Hillfort, Clarendon Palace and Pepperbox Hill, are reached on foot along footpaths or through woodland. East Knoyle Windmill is a private house, so it is best seen from the nearby lanes rather than approached directly.
Conclusion
Wiltshire rewards the curious traveller with a great depth of history laid quietly across its downs and valleys. From the Neolithic chambers of West Kennet Long Barrow and the great ramparts of Old Sarum to the Iron Age summit of Liddington Hillfort, these sites carry thousands of years of human story.
Add the ruined grandeur of Clarendon Palace, the converted stone tower at East Knoyle and the odd hexagonal folly on Pepperbox Hill, and you have a county that keeps surprising you the further you wander. Some are free and open, others best admired from nearby paths, but all reward the effort of seeking them out.
Whether you come for ancient earthworks, royal ruins or curious towers, these are the best hidden gems to seek out in Wiltshire.
