Marlborough

Ancient monuments dot the chalk downs like scattered breadcrumbs from a giant's feast. Marlborough sits in one of England's most archaeologically rich landscapes, where prehistoric burial mounds share the skyline with radio masts and the high street hums with proper market town life. The town itself is handsome without being showy - wide streets, Georgian facades, and Marlborough College's red-brick buildings lending it an understated elegance.

Milk Hill and Walkers Hill offer cracking views across the Vale of Pewsey, while East Kennett Long Barrow and Adam's Grave remind you that people have been walking these ridges for five millennia. The downs here are proper walking country - rolling chalk grassland that turns bone-dry in summer and squelchy after rain. Pickrudge and Pumphrey Wood provide welcome shade on hot days, though most visitors come for the big skies and endless horizons.

Getting here is straightforward enough. The M4 runs just south, making Marlborough an easy drive from London or Bristol. The town sits on the old coaching route between London and Bath, which explains its unusually wide high street - designed for turning horse-drawn carriages around.

Staying at one of the nearby parks makes perfect sense for exploring this corner of Wiltshire. You're within striking distance of Avebury's stone circle, just ten minutes north, while Savernake Forest sprawls to the southeast. The Ridgeway long-distance path runs right past several peaks including Golden Ball and Knap Hill, making this an ideal base for serious walkers. Plus, after a day tramping the downs, Marlborough's pubs do a decent pint.