Where to start?

Why not go to Longleat?  It's terrific and under 20 minutes away.  Many guests spend two days there - so get a multi-day passport ticket, rather than a day pass.  If lions and mazes aren't your thing, then what about Stourhead? It's a flagship for the National Trust, and rightly so.  The lake, with its magnificent setting, beautiful trees and stunning follies is world-renowned and just 10 minutes away. Close by is King Alfred's Tower: the views from the top (160ft./49m.) are breathtaking.

You might also make time for Bath, with its glorious Regency buildings, Roman Baths, Thermae Bath Spa and shopping. The rugby's pretty good too! On the way there you can stop off at Limpley Stoke, and hire a boat to potter along the canal to either Bath or Bradford-on-Avon.  They also have bikes for hire (a nice and flat ride obviously, but keep steering straight!)

Salisbury is always worth a visit, partly for its Medieval centre but mainly for its magnificent cathedral. The view across the water-meadows to the cathedral has been described as England's finest. It's a short detour to Stonehenge, yet another World Heritage site, and from there you can head up to the standing stones at Avebury and take in Silbury Hill.  At the end of a (very) full day's sightseeing why not drive back via Westbury's White Horse Hill - the oldest white horse carving in Wiltshire, sited on the hill topped by an iron-age hill fort.

A short drive to the west brings you to Wookey Hole, Cheddar Gorge and caves, Wells (the smallest city in England), Glastonbury, the Haynes Motor Museum, the Yeovilton Aircraft Museum, and a plethora of National trust properties such as Tintinhull and Lytes Cary Manor.

Our nearest town, Frome, is full of hidden charms and reputedly more listed buildings than even Bath.  In early July it hosts a terrific music and arts festival which draws many visitors. F1 fans will know Frome as the place where Jenson Button comes from, though I understand he now favours Monaco for some reason... Finally if you want to go UFO spotting, then nearby Cley Hill has the highest concentration of sightings of any place in England!