Human origins in prehistoric south-west England

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14 July 2025 – 5 days from £1,795. See pricing grid for full details.

Immerse yourself in the early human periods of the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age on this gentle walking tour. From complex Iron Age hillforts to ancient stone circles and some of the area’s most beautiful landscapes, discover this quaint region of south-west England. Visit several National Trust, English Heritage and UNESCO-listed sites, including Stonehenge, Old Sarum, Avebury and Maiden Castle.

South-west England's diverse Neolithic and early Bronze Age archaeology has huge significance in the study of human origins. The first humans to arrive in these lands date back around 900,000 years. From this period, the area's topography underwent huge climactic, societal, political, technological and geological changes. The henges, hillforts and burial sites here, as well as the artefacts discovered by archaeologists, have offered fascinating insights into the lives of the people of prehistoric England.

Each day, you will explore beautiful landscapes as you walk for around 4 hours discovering the region, accompanied by experts who will bring the landscapes to life.

This tour is led by a Blue Badge-accredited guide, Sophie Campbell. The group will also be joined by Emily Wilson, former New Scientist editor-in-chief, for two days to explore Cerne Abbas. In addition, enjoy talks from the directors of the Wiltshire Museum and Salisbury Museum about their archaeology collections.

This tour is suitable for those with an interest in human origins, archaeology, geology and walking.

DAY 1: ARRIVE AT DEVIZES AND MEET THE GROUP

Check into the Bear Hotel in the charming market town of Devizes, located in the English county of Wiltshire. It lies at the foot of the Marlborough Downs and is near to Salisbury and Bath.

In the evening, meet Sophie, your tour leader throughout this trip; Emily Wilson, former New Scientist editor-in-chief; and your fellow guests for a welcome drink at the hotel.

Afterwards, Emily will give an informal talk about tomorrow's visit to Cerne Abbas, which will be followed by dinner at the hotel.

DAY 2: CERNE ABBAS AND MAIDEN CASTLE

At around 8am, you will travel by coach to Cerne Abbas. During the journey, Emily will talk about her time living in the village and the numerous Iron Age tools on the local hilltops that she has found.

Cerne Abbas is known for the Cerne Giant geoglyph, an ancient, naked figure sculpted into the chalk hillside that is more than 50 metres in length. Its origin and age is unclear, although one recent study has suggested an age of about 1000 years. While the village grew up around a Benedictine abbey that was founded in AD 987, there is evidence of Iron Age settlements above the giant. Cerne’s chalk stream and ancient springs have fuelled a highly successful brewing trade in past centuries.

On arrival at the village, Emily will then lead you on a guided walk of under 4 miles around the prehistoric landscape. Afterwards, enjoy lunch at a local pub in the village before continuing onto Maiden Castle.

You will have a guided tour of Maiden Castle, one of the largest and most complex Iron Age hillforts in Europe. Mostly built in the 1st century BC, it has multiple huge ramparts and is the size of 50 football pitches. Excavations have revealed evidence of occupation during the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman periods.

In the late afternoon, you will return to the hotel and enjoy dinner together. A well-loved feature of our tours is a group dinner at the end of the day, with guests passionately discussing the sites explored.

Walking distance	Walking duration	Route	Pace
4 miles	2.5 hours	Visit Cerne Abbas Abbey and up to viewpoint	Medium/Hard*
2 miles	1.5 hours	Walking up to and around Maiden Castle site	Easy/Medium

*Part of the walk this morning is up a steep hill to a scenic viewpoint. There will be an option for those not wanting to do this part of the walk to spend time in Cerne Abbas independently and then meet the group for lunch.

DAY 3: EARTH MOUNDS, AVEBURY STONE CIRCLE, ALEXANDER KEILLER MUSEUM AND WILTSHIRE MUSEUM

After breakfast, you will drive by coach to the Neolithic long barrow Adam’s Grave, a trapezoidal earth mound covering burial chambers. From here, you will walk towards Avebury, stopping at West Kennet long barrow. It is one of the largest in Britain, built in around 3400 BC, and visitors can explore inside its five chambers. Afterwards, you will walk to view Silbury hill, the largest artificial mound in Europe. Completed in around 2400 BC, it contains no burial chambers or remains, so its original purpose remains unknown. The walk is around 11 miles and will take around 4 hours. For those who don't feel confident walking this distance, there will be the option to transfer from Adam's Grave to West Kennet long barrow by coach and then on to Silbury hill, meeting up with the group in Avebury.

Today’s sites are part of the UNESCO Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site and in the afternoon, you will reach Avebury henge and stone circles. The henge is a huge, circular bank and ditch encircling Avebury village. Inside is the largest stone circle in Britain, dating back to some time between 2850 BC and 22 BC.

Afterwards, travel to the nearby Alexander Keiller Museum, where you will be able to see notable archaeological finds from the day's sites. It is housed in traditional stables and barns containing artefacts, coins and bones, plus details of the excavations of the area. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon.

After relaxing back at the hotel, you will take a short walk to the Wiltshire Museum for a private visit and introduction from the museum director. Here, you will explore more than 500,000 years of Wiltshire’s story. The collection includes more finds from around Stonehenge, including tools and decorative objects. You will then enjoy dinner hosted within the museum.

Walking distance	Walking duration	Route	Pace
11 miles	4 hours	Adams Grave to Avebury via West Kennett	Medium*
1 mile	45 minutes	Around Avebury	Easy

*Please note, there will be an option for those not wanting to do the full 11 miles, to do some of the walk and then transfer by coach to meet the group in Avebury.

DAY 4: STONEHENGE, OLD SARUM AND SALISBURY MUSEUM

Departing by coach after an early breakfast, start walking from about 3 miles east of Stonehenge. This will allow you to visit several interesting sites, including Woodhenge, Cuckoo Stone and the Cursus Barrows, before the majesty of Stonehenge slowly reveals itself. You will be accompanied by a guide from Woodhenge who will offer insight into Stonehenge.

As one of the most famous landmarks in Britain, it attracts a lot of visitors, but we are aiming to get you there by 9:30am when it opens to appreciate its beauty without the crowds. Access to the site is through timed tickets, which we will have already booked for you. The visitor centre is also worth a visit, with an exhibition, outdoor gallery and reconstructed Neolithic houses. You will have plenty of time to explore the site before departing for lunch at the Bridge Inn, a whitewashed riverside pub.

After lunch, drive to the Salisbury Museum, where the director of the Wessex Gallery of Archaeology will give a short introduction. The museum covers the story of Salisbury from prehistoric times and includes artefacts from Stonehenge. There will be some free time in Salisbury.

Afterwards, you will enjoy a short walk around Old Sarum, a huge earthwork Iron Age fort that eventually became a Norman castle. Indications of prehistoric settlement have been found from 3000 BC. It is thought to be at the intersection of two ancient trade routes and the Hampshire Avon river.

In the evening, enjoy a final dinner with the group at the hotel.

Walking distance:	Walking duration:	Route	Pace
3 miles	2 hours	From Wood henge to Stonehenge	Low*
1 mile	1 hour	Around Old Sarum	Low

*Please note, there will be an option for those not wanting to do the walk to Stonehenge, to transfer by coach to meet the group in Stonehenge.

DAY 5: DEPART DEVIZES

After a final leisurely breakfast together, it’s time to depart. Checkout is at 11am, but if you wish to stay a few more nights to enjoy the area, we can arrange this for you.

Highlights

Delightful walking tours around several prehistoric sites, including Avebury and Old Sarum.
Guided walk to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Stonehenge, offering a unique viewpoint of this wonderous site.
Led in Cerne Abbas by former New Scientist editor-in-chief Emily Wilson for a guided walk around the prehistoric landscape.
Behind-the-scenes tour of the Prehistory Galleries of the Wiltshire Museum and then private dinner with the Museum Director.
Enjoy exploring the pre-eminent earthworks of Maiden Castle with a unique guided tour.
Talk from the Director of the Salisbury Museum offering an insight into what life was like during this period.
Accompanied throughout by a blue-badge guide, who will offer insight to all the towns and regions visited.
Accomodated in a traditional Inn, located in the heart of the historic Wiltshire market town Devizes.
Maximum group size 24 people.

Meet the expert

Sophie Campbell (tour guide)

Sophie is a travel journalist and an accredited Blue Badge Guide. She writes regularly for The Telegraph and also contributes to the Financial Times and Condé Nast Traveller. As a guide, she offers walking tours and lectures in person and online for international clients around London and elsewhere in the UK. She has also presented on BBC’s The Travel Show. Sophie will be the tour guide throughout this tour and will be on hand to offer insight to the sites we visit.

Emily Wilson (Cerne Abbas)

Emily is a former editor-in-chief of New Scientist. Previously, she worked at The Guardian, where she served as features editor, website editor and editor-in-chief of the newspaper’s Australian edition, as well as running the paper’s science, technology, health and environment coverage. Her first novel, Inanna, was published in August 2023 and is set in ancient Sumer, the world’s first known civilisation.

Alongside her journalism career, she has always had a deep interest in prehistory and the earliest days of recorded time. She has attended digs, including one of a Bronze Age city in the east of Crete. She lives in Cerne Abbas where, in her spare time, she explores the Dorset countryside hunting for prehistoric stone tools. Emily will join the tour for the first evening and during the time in Cerne Abbas.

Callum Jenkins-Teague (Maiden Castle)

Callum leads a small team, where he combines his love and passion for re-enactment of early Iron age Britain and Europe, with historical walking tours. Offering a living breathing insight to the lives of ancient Britons who lived, worked and fought alongside the Romans, from the onset of the invasion of 43AD-410AD. He has worked alongside archaeologists, and across multiple locations in Britain with a growing number of historical interpreters and Experimental archaeologists. Callum will offer a guided tour at Maiden Castle.

David Dawson (Wiltshire Museum)

David has been director of the Wiltshire Museum since 2008 and has a wide range of experience in museum management, from practical curatorial work to national and international policy and the use of digital technology. He is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and an associate of the Museums Association. He holds a BA in archaeology from Durham University, UK, and a postgraduate certificate in museum studies from The University of Leicester. He has worked as a field archaeologist on a number of excavations in the UK, France and Italy, which included several seasons as a site supervisor for English Heritage.

David Hutchinson (Stonehenge)

David studied Archaeology at Cambridge University before embarking on an Army career in the Grenadier Guards, reaching the rank of Colonel. The Army took him all over the world but now he really enjoys being able to show people around England and share with them our heritage - the beautiful countryside and our many historic places. He has been a Blue Badge guide for 10 years, during which time he has met all sorts of interesting people from many different nations. David will join the group on day 4 for the walk to Stonehenge offering insight into this remarkable site.

Adrian Green (Salisbury Museum)

Adrian is a curator, and has been director of The Salisbury Museum in Wiltshire, England, since 2007. He trained as an archaeologist at the Institute of Archaeology and University College London, and his interests are focused on prehistory and Roman archaeology. He took an MA in Museum Studies (also known as museology) at Leicester University and holds the Associateship of the Museums Association.

He is the sixth director of the Salisbury Museum since 1860, and took over from Peter Saunders, who retired in the summer of 2007. Previously he was curator of archaeology at the Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery, and was involved in developing the London Before London gallery at the Museum of London.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Four nights’ accommodation based in a double room on a bed-and-breakfast basis
Four dinners with wine, including an exclusive private dinner at the Wiltshire Museum.
Afternoon tea at a quaint riverside pub on day 4. Lunch at a traditional pub in Cerne Abbas.
Accompanied by New Scientist former editor-in-chief Emily Wilson on days 1 and 2
English-speaking tour guide throughout the trip
Full touring itinerary as detailed
Entry to all sites and attractions
Transport throughout in a comfortable air-condtioned coach
Free parking at the Bear Hotel

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

Transport to the hotel for the start of the tour
Meals other than those stated
Travel insurance
Items of a personal nature, such as drinks, laundry, telephone calls
Porterage and gratuities
Single supplement

HOW TO GET THERE

This tour begins and ends in Devizes.

Arriving by car: Devizes can be reached via the A342 from either Swindon or Salisbury. The A361 also runs through the town.

Arriving by rail: The closest railway station to Devizes is Melksham, which is around 7 miles away, followed by Chippenham, Trowbridge and Pewsey, which are all around 12 miles away from Devizes town centre. From Pewsey and Chippenham, there are regular train services that will give you access to major cities, such as London, Bristol and Oxford.

Arriving by bus: There are buses available from Salisbury and Bath that go directly to Devizes. There is also a bus from Swindon to Devizes, allowing a connection from London.

PACE AND PHYSICALITY

This tour contains hiking on most days. This is mostly on established tracks, but there will be some rough terrain and hills. The walk in Cerne Abbas is up a steep hill, additional days walking is on flatter paths with occasional hills. Therefore, guests should have a good level of fitness and manual dexterity. The walking will be at a relaxed pace, but isn't suitable for guests with mobility issues. Comfortable walking shoes or boots are recommended, along with wet weather clothing that can be easily carried.

On some of the walking legs, there may be a coach journey available for guests who don't wish to take part in the full walk. This will be at the discretion of the tour leader and subject to local conditions.

Accommodation

Bear Hotel, Devizes

Dating back to 1559, this charming hotel is located in the market town of Devizes, surrounded by beautiful countryside. It is a traditional coaching inn, steeped in history. The bedrooms are small and cosy and the property itself has several uneven surfaces, so please be mindful of this when walking around. It has been chosen for its charming character and is the perfect location to explore this beautiful part of England.

There are various room options available; single rooms, double rooms (with the option of solo occupancy) and twin rooms (also with the option of solo occupancy). Please note due to the historic nature of this property, rooms will vary in size.

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