Secrets of the Wiltshire Landscape
‘Here is the heart of our Island... The fibres of England unite in Wiltshire’. Novelist EM Forster made a good point. Wiltshire’s landscape encompasses quintessential scenes, the best of both southern and south-west England. The county has rolling chalk hills, exquisite Cotswold villages, England’s greatest landscape garden and quirky white horses, together with the world’s largest and most famous stone circles. There is much to delight the photographer here. Yet compared to other parts of the West Country, most of Wiltshire remains relatively little known. On this tour I will share its secrets.
The tour has been scheduled to coincide with the flowering of bluebells and other woodland flowers, oil-seed rape and freshly green leaves. This is the Wiltshire countryside at its vibrant best. The dates of flowering vary slightly from year to year so whilst we cannot guarantee to catch all of them at their peak, these dates give us the best chance.
Highlights of this tour include photographing many different aspects of the five thousand year old Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site, England’s finest cathedral and most renowned landscape garden, a pristine chalk stream packed with flowers and a hidden gem of woodland far from other visitors.
Our proposed itinerary (subject to modification to suit weather and peak flowering locations, in order to maximise photographic opportunities) is as follows:
Day 1: Arrival and introductory presentation, followed by early sandwich lunch. Afternoon: Castle Combe and Lacock Abbey. Early dinner. Evening: Cherhill Down, white horse and Lansdowne Monument.
Day 2: Sunrise at Avebury. Rest break. Breakfast. Grovely Woods, Salisbury Cathedral, Stourhead. Dinner. Evening: Heaven’s Gate.
Day 3: Sunrise at Caen Hill locks (Devizes). Rest Break. Breakfast. West Woods, Gopher Wood, Kennet and Avon Canal, Alton Barnes White Horse. Dinner. Evening: Roundway Down.
Day 4: Sunrise at Stonehenge. Breakfast. Rest break. Folly Wood, West Kennet Long Barrow, Silbury Hill, Lockeridge, River Kennet at West Overton.
The tour will involve easy walks. Days will start before sunrise to make the best use of early mornings when the light is good, incorporate a rest break during the day and finish at sunset. The tour may be adjusted to make the best use of weather conditions on each day and peak flowering locations, in order to maximise photographic opportunities.
Maximum Group Size: Six
Recommended photographic equipment: Digital single lens reflex camera, lenses ranging from wide angle (ideally 16mm on full frame) to short telephoto (preferably up to 300mm), tripod (essential), neutral density filters and polarising filter. Warm and waterproof clothes and good walking shoes or boots. Wellington boots will be useful for one shooting position.
Dates:
Four day tour. Price £695 for double/twin occupancy. Single supplement £95.
Included: Accommodation in single, twin or double rooms at Castle Hotel in Devizes for three nights, breakfasts, transport within Wiltshire, photographic guiding. Meet at 10.30am on Day 1, depart 5pm on Day 4.
Not included: Lunches, drinks, evening meals, travel to Devizes to join tour.
Comments from participants on previous Secrets of the Wiltshire Landscape Tours with Natural World Photography:
"Itinerary was very good we saw a good selection of the varied landscape in Wiltshire. Lots of assistance from the tour leader with composition and settings." JE, Northamptonshire
"It was a very full and varied programme which gave the participants a range of interesting places to visit. The Itinerary was well planned, taking into consideration weather conditions ... I do like the talks that Robert gives as it provides a good explanation of what you are seeing and the history of the particular place. I also liked explanation of composition and suggestions to improve, before taking an image, a subject I think all of us needed help on." RR, Hampshire
"The hotel was a good choice – comfortable and friendly, and well placed for all the locations ... It’s quite difficult to choose just three favourites as we visited so many amazing places, but if pushed I would name these three (in no particular order): Stonehenge, Stourhead, West Woods ... Your knowledge and enthusiasm for all things Wiltshire adds significantly to the overall enjoyment – it’s a learning experience as well as an opportunity to take great photos." JM, Oxfordshire
The tour has been scheduled to coincide with the flowering of bluebells and other woodland flowers, oil-seed rape and freshly green leaves. This is the Wiltshire countryside at its vibrant best. The dates of flowering vary slightly from year to year so whilst we cannot guarantee to catch all of them at their peak, these dates give us the best chance.
Highlights of this tour include photographing many different aspects of the five thousand year old Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site, England’s finest cathedral and most renowned landscape garden, a pristine chalk stream packed with flowers and a hidden gem of woodland far from other visitors.
Our proposed itinerary (subject to modification to suit weather and peak flowering locations, in order to maximise photographic opportunities) is as follows:
Day 1: Arrival and introductory presentation, followed by early sandwich lunch. Afternoon: Castle Combe and Lacock Abbey. Early dinner. Evening: Cherhill Down, white horse and Lansdowne Monument.
Day 2: Sunrise at Avebury. Rest break. Breakfast. Grovely Woods, Salisbury Cathedral, Stourhead. Dinner. Evening: Heaven’s Gate.
Day 3: Sunrise at Caen Hill locks (Devizes). Rest Break. Breakfast. West Woods, Gopher Wood, Kennet and Avon Canal, Alton Barnes White Horse. Dinner. Evening: Roundway Down.
Day 4: Sunrise at Stonehenge. Breakfast. Rest break. Folly Wood, West Kennet Long Barrow, Silbury Hill, Lockeridge, River Kennet at West Overton.
The tour will involve easy walks. Days will start before sunrise to make the best use of early mornings when the light is good, incorporate a rest break during the day and finish at sunset. The tour may be adjusted to make the best use of weather conditions on each day and peak flowering locations, in order to maximise photographic opportunities.
Maximum Group Size: Six
Recommended photographic equipment: Digital single lens reflex camera, lenses ranging from wide angle (ideally 16mm on full frame) to short telephoto (preferably up to 300mm), tripod (essential), neutral density filters and polarising filter. Warm and waterproof clothes and good walking shoes or boots. Wellington boots will be useful for one shooting position.
Dates:
- 2 to 5 May 2024
Four day tour. Price £695 for double/twin occupancy. Single supplement £95.
Included: Accommodation in single, twin or double rooms at Castle Hotel in Devizes for three nights, breakfasts, transport within Wiltshire, photographic guiding. Meet at 10.30am on Day 1, depart 5pm on Day 4.
Not included: Lunches, drinks, evening meals, travel to Devizes to join tour.
Comments from participants on previous Secrets of the Wiltshire Landscape Tours with Natural World Photography:
"Itinerary was very good we saw a good selection of the varied landscape in Wiltshire. Lots of assistance from the tour leader with composition and settings." JE, Northamptonshire
"It was a very full and varied programme which gave the participants a range of interesting places to visit. The Itinerary was well planned, taking into consideration weather conditions ... I do like the talks that Robert gives as it provides a good explanation of what you are seeing and the history of the particular place. I also liked explanation of composition and suggestions to improve, before taking an image, a subject I think all of us needed help on." RR, Hampshire
"The hotel was a good choice – comfortable and friendly, and well placed for all the locations ... It’s quite difficult to choose just three favourites as we visited so many amazing places, but if pushed I would name these three (in no particular order): Stonehenge, Stourhead, West Woods ... Your knowledge and enthusiasm for all things Wiltshire adds significantly to the overall enjoyment – it’s a learning experience as well as an opportunity to take great photos." JM, Oxfordshire
To receive further details and a booking form for this tour, please enter your details, giving the tour name as the "Subject". Once I have received your enquiry, I will confirm availability and hold your place for seven days to give you time to send payment.
Other Photography Tours that you may be interested in:
Glencoe and Skye
Cairngorms Birds and Mammals
Milky Way and Cornwall Coast
Snowdonia in Spring
Mull's Otters and Eagles
Secrets of the Wiltshire Landscape
Bustards, Butterflies and Barn Owls
Seabirds and Castles
Milky Way and Jurassic Coast
Dartmoor Tors and Hidden Valleys
Lake District in Autumn
Savernake Forest in Autumn
Jurassic Coast in Midwinter
Other Photography Courses that you may be interested in:
Astrophotography Workshop
Astrophotography Evenings
Landscape Fundamentals Workshop
Landscape Masterclass
