Barbury Castle Country Park — Attraction in Wroughton

It is a beautiful place with great walks with stunning far-reaching views. We had a lovely picnic and watched red kites langourously ride the thermals.

One downside is that Google Maps has no idea where the main car park is, so it is horrendous to find if coming from Marlborough. Google Maps tried to take us down three unmade bridleways that are NOT suitable for cars. One was blocked off due to some horse trials - not that we would have driven up it, The other had chasm sized ruts that nearly grounded our car. Up there, we had no signal and couldn't even get Google Maps to work! Further up the road was a stranded car blocking it, and the final 'road' was one in Wroughton, which we just didn't even attempt. We finally asked a lovely lady in Wroughton who gave us brilliant directions to the actual car park at Barbury Castle. So I would say approach from the north to find the actual Barbury Car Park. I did hopefully update Google maps with the...

Although I've lived in Swindon for many years this was the first time I'd ever visited. At first sight it seems a bit barren especially at this time of year and unless you know what to look out for it's very easy to walk past a lot of the interesting features. I was lucky enough to have signed up for one of the free guided walks with Mike from the Swindon Ranger team and had a fantastic time. He was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the site and the nearly three hours we spent going around the site flew by. I now know a lot more about Bronze and Iron Age settlements and what to look out for. If you would like to go on one of the Rangers guided walks here or at one of the many other sites they manage you can find details on Facebook under Swindon Borough Council Ranger Team (This is the official site but not updated so frequently) Or Swindon Volunteer Rangers (This has...

I am The First Bard of Beranburgh Castle. The first of three. My two successors were both female, who competed for the role by traditional Bardic Competitions that were held in the replica, Iron age Roundhouse that was built within one Lunar Month by Druid Priest, Chris Parks and his many craftspeople assistants. Sadly, The Roundhouse was razed to the ground by members of the local youth following a firework night attack three years after its construction. My Parent's ashes reside within the confines of The Beranburgh Hill Fort. A place for quiet contemplation and reflection. Religious or otherwise. Visit and enjoy. But don't forget your wooly hat and a warm coat. Even Summer days are rarely warm. Blessings from The First Bard...