Wiltshire
Many thousands of visitors drive across the rolling downlands of south and west Wiltshire passing Stonehenge on one of the main routes to holiday destinations in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Those who do break their journey with a visit to the stone circle at Avebury, one of the most important megalithic monuments in Europe, or to glorious Stourhead, are captivated by the rolling countryside of this part of the ancient kingdom of Wessex.

Blaise Hamlet
Blaise Hamlet is unique. Designed by John Nash in 1809 for John Harford to accommodate the Blaise Estate pensioners, it is a collection of nine different picturesque cottages around an enclosed lawned area. A stay at this tranquil and hidden oasis near Bristol is a fantastic base from which to explore not only elegant Bath and bustling Bristol, but also the depths of rural Somerset, glorious Gloucestershire and the rolling Cotswold hills. The nearest National Trust properties include Dyrham Park, Tyntesfield and Priory Park Landscape Garden. This is the perfect location if you love to shop - Cribbs Causeway Mall, the South West's largest retail complex, is only 10 minutes drive away.

National Trust places nearby: Bath Assembly rooms, Prior Park, Dyrham Park, Tyntesfield. Shop and pub: Bristol. Tea-room/café/restaurant: Bristol. Railway station: Sea Mills and Filton Abbey Wood. Other attractions: Bath and Bristol for shopping and sightseeing, Bristol Zoo, Badminton Horse Trials.

Ordnance Survey Landranger Map 172