Hidden Wiltshire News
- Glyn Coy
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Hidden Wiltshire NEWS
Summer Walks
Hello everyone,
Glyn Coy here. Welcome to the first Hidden Wiltshire newsletter for quite some time!
You may have noticed I have been a little quieter over the past year or so. I had to take a bit of a step back to deal with multiple different priorities that life sometimes throws in the way.
Thankfully, Hidden Wiltshire didn't disappear. Throughout that period, Paul Timlett and Elaine Perkins did a fantastic job of keeping things going, continuing to create and share wonderful content while I concentrated on my life stuff. I'd like to say a huge thank you to both of them for everything they've done to keep the spirit of Hidden Wiltshire alive.
Now it's their turn for a well-earned rest, and I'm delighted to say that I'm back behind the camera, behind the keyboard, and out exploring the Wiltshire countryside once again.
The Hidden Wiltshire website has remained online throughout, with its collection of articles exploring the county's rich history, fascinating landscapes and hidden places. You'll also find a growing library of self-guided walks, allowing you to discover some of Wiltshire's most remarkable locations at your own pace.
We've also brought the Hidden Wiltshire Facebook page back to life, where we're once again sharing the very best of Hidden Wiltshire. Expect original photography, fascinating historical insights, forgotten places and stories from across this remarkable county. If you haven't visited for a while, we'd love to welcome you back.
I'm also pleased to be launching a programme of guided Hidden Wiltshire walks during August and September. These walks explore some of Wiltshire's most spectacular landscapes and ancient sites, bringing together history, archaeology and the stories that have shaped this county over thousands of years. You'll find full details on the Events page of the website.
Thank you for sticking with Hidden Wiltshire. Whether you've been with us from the very beginning or have only recently discovered what we do, I'm looking forward to sharing many more walks, photographs, discoveries and stories with you over the coming months.
I hope to see some of you on the walks, or if you see me out and about in Wiltshire do say hello !
Glyn Coy Hidden Wiltshire
Windmill Hill
Most visitors to Avebury head straight for the great stone circles. But just a short walk away lies a place that is every bit as important to the story of prehistoric Britain.
Windmill Hill doesn't immediately stand out. Today it appears as a broad, grassy hill overlooking the Kennet Valley. Yet around 5,700 years ago, this was one of the first places where farming communities came together to build something remarkable.
The hill is home to one of Britain's earliest causewayed enclosures – a series of concentric ditches interrupted by numerous gaps, or "causeways", from which the monument takes its name.
Excavations have uncovered pottery, flint tools, animal bones and even the remains of people whose bodies appear to have been carefully placed within the ditches. Some artefacts came from many miles away, suggesting that people travelled considerable distances to meet here.
What makes Windmill Hill even more fascinating is that its importance did not end with the Neolithic. More than a thousand years later, during the Early Bronze Age, people were still drawn to this ancient place. Several bowl barrows were constructed on and around the hill, their burial mounds taking advantage of the commanding position and perhaps deliberately connecting their dead with a landscape that was already ancient and sacred. It is a powerful reminder that each generation inherited the monuments of those who came before and added their own chapter to the story.
Standing on Windmill Hill today, it's easy to imagine groups arriving from across the landscape, carrying food, livestock and stories to share. From the summit, you can also appreciate why this place was chosen. The views stretch across one of Britain's richest prehistoric landscapes, with Silbury Hill, West Kennet Long Barrow and Avebury all nearby.
Windmill Hill reminds us that long before the great stone circles were raised, Wiltshire was already a place where people gathered, celebrated and shaped the beginnings of settled life in Britain. Its continued use into the Bronze Age also shows that this was no fleeting settlement—it remained a place of memory, ceremony and significance for well over a millennium.
Hidden Wiltshire Walks
Here are the current guided walks we have planned
Sunday 2nd August - Battlesbury, Middle Hill and Scratchbury
Sunday 9th August - The Westbury White Horse and the Battle of Ethandun
Sunday 30th August - Cherhill Down, White Horse and Ranscombe Bottom
Hidden Wiltshire Shop
We do still have the online shop on the website selling prints and books, including digital versions. All proceeds are ploughed back into the website and the content creation. Feel free to have a browse. Every little helps.
Meet the Team
Hidden Wiltshire is an ongoing project set up by Glyn Coy to uncover the more hidden parts of this extraordinary county and share them with a wider audience.
Supported by fellow Wiltshire collaborators Paul Timlett and Elaine Perkins they update the website and facebook page on a regular basis.
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