20 Attractions to Explore Near Temple Of Apollo

Stourhead is the best example of a garden inspired by the great landscape painters of the seveneeenth century. Ernst Gombrich suggests it should bear the signature of an Italianized French painter: Claude Lorrain. The estate is about 4 km northwest of the town of Mere and includes a Grade I listed 18th-century Palladian mansion, the village of Stourton, gardens, farmland, and woodland. Stourhead has been part-owned by the National Trust since 1946.

King Alfred’s Tower is a 160ft high folly, designed by Henry Flitcroft for Henry Hoare II in 1772. It is believed to mark the site where King Alfred the Great rallied his troops in 878. The tower commemorates the accession of George III to the throne in 1760 and the end of the Seven Years War. The 49-metre-high triangular tower has a hollow centre and is climbed by means of a spiral staircase in one of the corner projections. It includes a statue of King Alfred and dedication inscription.

White Sheet Hill is another fine example of elevated chalk grassland which has evidence of ancient history at its summit. It has a neolithic enclosure dating back to 3,000 BC, and an Iron Age hill fort at the top. There are also Bronze Age barrows, some of which are clearly visible. It is incredible to think they have survived for 3 to 4,000 years. The Roman road which runs along the hill was at one time the main route through the Selwood Forest. The hill is part of the Stourhead estate and has

Wincanton Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Wincanton, Somerset, England. The steeplechase fences are large, making it a good test of a chaser. Three fences in quick succession in the second half of the home-straight make for exciting racing and often change the complexion of a finish dramatically; resulting in a great many close finishes.

Hauser & Wirth Somerset is a pioneering world-class gallery and multi-purpose arts center which acts as a destination for experiencing art, architecture, and so more. It has a meadow, hedged enclosures and a cloister-like courtyard. Grasses, including miscanthus varieties and the purple moor-grass 'Moorhexe', make it an easily recognisable Oudolf garden design. Landscape architect Luis Laplace produced a plan for the historic farm which became the gallery.

Longleat House was widely regarded as one of the best examples of high Elizabethan architecture in Britain and one of the most beautiful stately homes open to the public. The house is set in 1,000 acres of parkland landscaped by Capability Brown, with 4,000 acres of let farmland and 4,000 acres of woodland, which includes a Center Parcs holiday village. It was the first stately home to open to the public, and the Longleat estate includes the first safari park outside Africa

The Longleat hedge maze is considered the world's longest, with 1.69 miles of pathway. It is constructed using more than 16,000 English yews forming the walls surrounding a central tower and features six raised footbridges.The maze has 8-foot tall hedges that winds around a massive estate that functions as the seat of the Marquesses of Bath and hosts a few unusual features including a drive-through safari park stocked with more than 500 exotic animals. The maze has several dead ends and multiple

Shearwater is a man-made freshwater lake near Crockerton village, about 2+1⁄4 miles southwest of the town of Warminster in Wiltshire, England. The lake is formed from a tributary of the River Wylye. The lake is surrounded by mature woodland and is popular with anglers, walkers , runners, and cyclists. The Shearwater Sailing Club has a boathouse and a variety of dinghies on the lake, the largest being sixteen feet in length.

Nunney Castle in Somerset dates from the 1370s. Its builder was Sir John de la Mare, a local knight who was beginning to enjoy royal favour. Much modernised in the late 16th century, the castle was besieged and damaged by the Parliamentarians in 1645, during the English Civil War. . Its builder was Sir John de la Mare, a local knight who was beginning to enjoy royal favour. Much modernised in the late 16th century. English Heritage maintains the site as a tourist attraction.

Cley Hill is a prominent hill to the west of Warminster in Wiltshire, England. Its summit has a commanding view of the Wiltshire / Somerset county boundary, at 244 metres elevation. The land is in Corsley parish and is owned by the National Trust. A 26.6-hectare area of chalk grassland at Cley Hill was notified as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1975. It was one of the best trekking location in this area and also a beautiful place flourished with natural beauty.

The East Somerset Railway is a 2+1⁄2-mile heritage railway in Somerset, running between Cranmore and Mendip Vale. Prior to the Beeching Axe, the railway was once part of the former Cheddar Valley line that ran from Witham to Yatton, meeting the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at Wells. The railway has steam train rides, engine shed walk through, small museum, signal box. They also have a miniature railway, shop and cafe.

Gold Hill is a very steep and short climb – iconic for its famous views, entering into the national consciousness through the 1973 Hovis Bread advert. At the top of the street is the 14th-century St Peter's Church, one of the few buildings remaining in Shaftesbury from before the 18th century. Adjacent to the church is the former Priest's House, which is still part of the Gold Hill Museum building but now houses a shop.

Fonthill Lake is a lake in southwest Wiltshire, England. It lies just to the south of the village of Fonthill Bishop, east of the village of Fonthill Gifford, and northeast of Fonthill Abbey. The lake is 1.6 km long and approximately 100 m wide at its maximum breadth. The lake was created in the mid-18th century by building a weir below fish-ponds fed by the brook, for Alderman William Beckford, the builder of the house later known as Fonthill Splendens.

Cadbury Castle is Somerset's largest hill fort, from which the Barony of North Cadbury takes its name. Cadbury Castle also known as Camelot Castle, is a bronze and iron age hillfort in the civil parish of South Cadbury. The hillfort is formed by a 7.28 hectares plateau surrounded by ramparts on the surrounding slopes of the limestone Cadbury Hill. The site has been excavated in the late 19th and early 20th century by James Bennett and Harold St George Gray.

Kilver Court is an historic house and gardens in Shepton Mallet in the English county of Somerset. The River Sheppey powered textile mills and it later became a factory, the headquarters of the Showerings brewing business, and then the headquarters of a leather-goods manufacturer, Mulberry. It is now used as a shopping centre.

Haynes International Motor Museum, at Sparkford in Somerset offers an excellent day out for everyone. It contains over 400 cars and motorcycles and a collection of other automobilia. The museum also has an outdoor children's play area, Autogame Experience including penny arcade games of the 1950s and 1960s, retro 1980s classics and 1990s favourites such as 'Sega Rally'.

Old Wardour Castle was a stylish statement of the wealth and status of its builder, Lord John Lovell, who was a loyal supporter of Richard II. It was built in the 14th century as a lightly fortified luxury residence for comfortable living and lavish entertainment. Today the castle ruin provides a relaxed, romantic day out for couples, families, and budding historians alike. The castle was the inspiration for the one featured in the Kevin Costner film 'Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves.

Shepton Mallet prison, was built in 1610 and for the past 400 years has be home to 1000's of criminals. it was the United Kingdom's oldest operating prison, and had been since the closure of HMP Lancaster Castle in 2011. Before closure Shepton Mallet was a category C lifer prison holding 189 prisoners. The prison building is grade II* listed, while the former gatehouse and perimeter walls are grade II.

Win Green Down in south-western Wiltshire, England is a 26.0 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, notified in 1971. There are extensive views, with Bournemouth, the Isle of Wight, Salisbury, Glastonbury Tor, the Mendips, the Quantocks and Milk Hill all visible in clear conditions. It is classed as a Marilyn, and is a landmark due to the clump of trees on the high point. The parent peak is Long Knoll. One of the iconic location for a trek and also you can spend some beautiful t

The Wessex Ridgeway is a long-distance footpath in southwest England. It runs 136 miles from Marlborough in Wiltshire to Lyme Regis in Dorset, via the northern edge of Salisbury Plain and across Cranborne Chase AONB. The footpath was opened in 1994. At Marlborough, the footpath meets the Ridgeway National Trail which continues into Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Two further long-distance footpaths extend to Hunstanton in Norfolk; together, the four paths are referred to as the Greater Ridgewa