Things to do
in Malmesbury

The obvious starting point is Malmesbury Abbey. It is not a ruin: the surviving nave of the medieval abbey church is in use as the town's parish church, with ruined parts of the larger building around it. The abbey was founded in the seventh century, was home to the twelfth-century historian William of Malmesbury, and holds the tomb of King Athelstan.

Abbey House Gardens, next to the abbey, is now called Abbey House Manor and is privately owned. The gardens no longer open daily; the public is admitted only on a few ticketed open days, so check the manor's own website before you plan around them. For background on the town, the Athelstan Museum in the Town Hall on Cross Hayes is run by volunteers and covers Malmesbury from the Iron Age onwards.

Below the west side of the hill, Daniel's Well is a riverside spot on the Avon, named after an early monk called Daniel, and part of the town's river walk. The riverside paths can be muddy and can flood, so take care near the water.

A couple of miles south, Corston Quarry and Pond Local Nature Reserve is a former quarry owned by the local parish council and reached on foot by a bridleway from Corston village.

For an evening, the town council's what's-on pages list film screenings and productions by the Athelstan Players, the town's amateur dramatic society.

Malmesbury has a good spread of places to eat and drink for a town of its size, most of them on or just off the High Street. Coffee #1 is on the High Street, Jackdaws is a coffee house in the Town Hall on Cross Hayes, The Summer Cafe is at the abbey end of the High Street and Abbey Café is at the abbey itself.

For something more substantial, The Whole Hog by the Market Cross serves drinks and meals, and The Bird Cage on the High Street is a pizzeria. The Spice Merchant on Holloway and Rajah are both Indian restaurants, and Skipper's Fish & Chips on Cross Hayes is a takeaway.

Two of the bars belong to hotels: The Old Bell is a hotel with a restaurant beside the abbey, and The Kings Bar is part of the Kings Arms Hotel on the High Street. The Three Cups is a pub on the Triangle, a short walk from the centre. The Red Bull is not in the centre: it is on the Bristol Road about a mile and a half to the west, so plan to drive. Rose and Crown Pub is in the village of Lea, east of the town. Opening days change, so check before you go.

If you want to stay in the centre, two of the places mentioned above are hotels: The Old Bell on Abbey Row, beside the abbey, and the Kings Arms Hotel on the High Street, which is home to The Kings Bar.

Marsh Farm House is a bed and breakfast on Crudwell Road, on the northern edge of town.

If you'd rather camp, Burton Hill Caravan Park is on Arches Lane on the south side of town, and Whychurch Farm Camping is a small farm site just north of the town that also offers bed and breakfast. Check each site's season and book ahead rather than turning up. All three are within about a mile of the centre, so the abbey, the Market Cross and somewhere to eat are close by.

Malmesbury is in north Wiltshire, on the edge of the Cotswolds. The old town sits on a hilltop that two branches of the River Avon almost encircle before they join below the town. By road, the A429 between Cirencester and Chippenham passes the edge of town.

There is no railway station in Malmesbury. The nearest stations are Kemble and Chippenham. Neither is within walking distance, so plan your onward travel in advance and check the operator's current timetable before relying on a connection.

For parking, the short-stay car park is on Cross Hayes, in the centre outside the Town Hall. The main long-stay car park is at Station Yard, at the bottom of the hill behind the abbey. The town council warns that the route from the long-stay car park up to the centre is by steep steps and is not suitable for wheelchair users or anyone with mobility difficulties, so use Cross Hayes if that applies to you. Charges and time limits change, so read the signs when you arrive.

Several villages are close enough to combine with a visit to the town. Milbourne is the nearest, less than a mile to the east. Brokenborough is a little over a mile and a half to the north-west, and Lea is a similar distance to the east, with Rose and Crown Pub in the village. Check an Ordnance Survey map for footpaths before setting out on foot, rather than assuming the road is walkable.

Further out, within about three and a half miles, are Corston, Charlton, Foxley, Cleverton, Little Somerford, Shipton Moyne, Hankerton, Long Newnton, Startley, Great Somerford and Easton Grey. Tetbury, over the county boundary in Gloucestershire, is about four and a half miles to the north-west.