Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a ceremonial county located in South West England.

It is surrounded by several other counties. To the north lies Gloucestershire, and to the north-east is Oxfordshire. Berkshire sits to the east, while Hampshire and Dorset border the south. Somerset is the neighbor to the west. The county is mostly rural and features many sparsely populated areas. Swindon is the largest settlement in the county. Other major towns include Salisbury, Trowbridge, and Chippenham.

The landscape is defined by its unique geology. Two-thirds of the county sits on chalk. Chalk is a soft, white, and porous limestone. This rock resists erosion and creates high chalk downlands. The largest area of chalk is Salisbury Plain. This plain is used for farming and British Army training. The highest point is the Tan Hill–Milk Hill ridge. The north-west corner is different because it sits on oolite limestone. This area is part of the Cotswolds.

Water shapes the land through rivers and valleys. There are two major rivers, and both are named the Avon. The northern Avon flows through the north-west. It passes through the Avon Vale and exits near Bradford-on-Avon. The southern Avon rises on Salisbury Plain. It flows south through the city of Salisbury and into Hampshire. Because chalk is porous, it holds little surface water. Most major settlements formed near wet points. For example, Salisbury sits between the chalk and marshy flood plains.

History in Wiltshire reaches back to the Stone Age. Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Bronze Age people lived on these hills. They built famous sites like Stonehenge and Avebury.

These stone circles are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the 6th and 7th centuries, the area was the western edge of Saxon Britain. The Danes invaded the county in 878. After the Norman Conquest in 1066, the crown and church owned much land. In the 1300s, the Cistercian monastery at Stanley exported wool to foreign markets.

In later centuries, the county saw much change. During the English Civil War, Wiltshire was largely Parliamentarian. The Battle of Roundway Down was a victory for the Royalists near Devizes. In 1794, local men formed the basis of the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry. This group served in the Boer War and both World Wars. Around 1800, the Kennet and Avon Canal was built.

This canal allowed people to transport cargo from Bristol to London. This route was important until the Great Western Railway was developed.

Today, Wiltshire is known for its many protected landscapes. The Marlborough Downs and West Wiltshire Downs are national landscapes. The New Forest in the south-east is a national park. Visitors can see the medieval cathedral in Salisbury. You can also visit large country houses like Longleat or Stourhead. Longleat even features a safari park. There is also a local nickname for people from the area. They are called "Moonrakers." This comes from a story about smugglers hiding alcohol in a pond. They raked the water to hide the barrels. They told officials they were raking for a giant cheese. They claimed the cheese was actually a reflection of the moon.

The climate in Wiltshire is temperate. It is generally milder and wetter than counties to the east. The annual mean temperature is approximately 10°C. July and August are the warmest months. In winter, mean minimum temperatures are often 1°C or -1°C. Rainfall is caused by Atlantic depressions or by convection. Most rain falls between October and March. The average annual rainfall is around 800mm. The predominant wind direction comes from the south-west.