Broad Town

Broad Town is a small, scattered village in north Wiltshire, tucked below the edge of the North Wessex Downs about six miles southwest of Swindon and three miles southeast of Royal Wootton Bassett. The parish, which also takes in the hamlets of Thornhill and Cotmarsh, is home to fewer than 600 people, and there is no high street to speak of - just farmland, a scatter of houses, a Victorian church and the steep chalk scarp rising behind it.

What Broad Town lacks in bustle it makes up for in atmosphere. This is proper North Wessex Downs countryside, all hedgerows, sheep fields and long views, and it is best known for the hill figure carved into the escarpment above the village - a white horse that has watched over the parish since the 1860s. It is a place for walkers and people who like their villages small and their skies big, rather than a base for restaurants or nightlife.

Top things to do near Broad Town

Broad Town rewards anyone happy to get outdoors. The main draw is right on the doorstep, with several more of Wiltshire's famous white horses within easy reach.

• Broad Town White Horse - Cut into the chalk in 1864 by local farmer William Simmonds, this 80ft by 60ft hill figure is one of eight historic white horses in Wiltshire and is looked after by a dedicated village restoration society formed in 1991. Tucked away from the main roads, it has a reputation as the county's "secret" white horse.
• North Wessex Downs National Landscape - Broad Town sits right on the edge of this protected chalk downland, with waymarked paths, ancient trackways and sweeping views across the Vale toward the Marlborough Downs.
• Hackpen White Horse - A short drive or a longer walk away near Broad Hinton, this is another of the county's chalk horses and can be combined with Broad Town's figure for a proper white-horse tour.
• Christ Church, Broad Town - Built in 1844-45 with funding from the Marchioness of Ailesbury and the Goddard family, the parish church is a modest but handsome piece of Victorian architecture.
• Swindon and Marlborough - Both within easy reach, giving access to museums, shops and the wider attractions of Wiltshire, including the Georgian market town of Marlborough and its broad, historic high street.

Getting to Broad Town

Broad Town lies just off the B4041 between Royal Wootton Bassett and Wootton Bassett, reached via a network of small lanes rather than a major road. Swindon, around six miles north, has the nearest mainline railway station with regular services to London Paddington and Bristol. The M4 motorway is a short drive away via Junction 16, making the village a practical, if quiet, base for touring north Wiltshire by car.

Best time to visit Broad Town

Spring and summer show the Downs at their best, with the chalk grassland, hedgerows and long evening light making walking especially rewarding, and the white horse at its cleanest after the restoration society's regular scouring. Autumn brings good walking weather with fewer crops in the fields to skirt, while winter can be muddy underfoot on the steeper downland paths but rewards visitors with crisp, clear views across the Vale on a good day.

Where to stay near Broad Town

Accommodation in Broad Town itself is limited, as this is a working farming parish rather than a tourist village, so most visitors base themselves in nearby Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon or Marlborough, all of which offer a wider choice of hotels, inns and guest houses within a short drive.

Food and drink near Broad Town

Broad Town has no pub or restaurant of its own, so visitors head a short distance to neighbouring villages. The Crown Inn at nearby Broad Hinton, an Arkell's pub sitting between the Broad Town and Hackpen white horses, is a popular stop for a country pub meal, while Royal Wootton Bassett and Swindon offer a fuller range of cafes, pubs and restaurants.