natural wonder
Cotswold Water Park
A 40-square-mile network of 180 lakes formed by gravel extraction, now used for watersports and wildlife.
11 km · about 20 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomEngland
Malmesbury
England, United Kingdom · Europe
About Malmesbury
Malmesbury works well as a base: 10 minutes from Hankerton, 11km from Cotswold Water Park.
Malmesbury is in England, United Kingdom, with about 6,300 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Hankerton, about 5 km away.
Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately 14 miles (23 km) west of Swindon, 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Bristol, 9 miles (14 km) north of Chippenham and 5 miles south of Tetbury. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the upperRead more
waters of the Bristol Avon and one of its tributaries.
Once the site of an Iron Age fort, in the early medieval period Malmesbury became the site of Malmesbury Abbey, a monastery famed for its learning. It was later home to one of Alfred the Great's fortified burhs for defence against the Vikings. Æthelstan, the first king of all England, was buried in the abbey when he died in 939. As a market town, it became prominent in the Middle Ages as a centre for learning, focused on and around the abbey.
In modern times, Malmesbury is best known for its abbey, the bulk of which forms a rare survival of the dissolution of the monasteries. The economy benefits mostly from agriculture, as well as tourism to the Cotswolds; Dyson is the town's main employer. At the 2021 census, the population of the parish was almost 6,000.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Malmesbury?
Within an hour or so of Malmesbury: Cotswold Water Park (11 km), Castle Combe Circuit (13 km), Castle Combe (13 km), Castle Combe (Doctor Dolittle, War Horse, Stardust) (13 km).
Are there any good drives near Malmesbury?
The nearest famous roads are A466 Wye Valley (Chepstow to Monmouth), Cheddar Gorge Road (B3135) and Gospel Pass.
Where is Malmesbury?
Malmesbury is in England, United Kingdom, about 5 km from Hankerton.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 6,318
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- England
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 51.5817, -2.0971
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Malmesbury
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
racetrack
Castle Combe Circuit
A charming Wiltshire circuit in a picturesque Cotswolds village, one of England's oldest operational racing venues.
13 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Castle Combe
A film-set medieval village of honey cottages with no visible modern intrusions, often called England's prettiest village.
13 km · about 25 min drive
film location
Castle Combe (Doctor Dolittle, War Horse, Stardust)
Often called England's prettiest village; it was the seaside town of Puddleby in the 1967 Doctor Dolittle and appears in War Horse and Stardust.
13 km · about 25 min drive
film location
Lacock Abbey (Hogwarts corridors and classrooms)
The medieval cloisters of Lacock Abbey served as Hogwarts corridors, and its rooms as Professor Snape's Potions classroom and Professor Quirrell's Defence Against the Dark Arts room.
19 km · about 20 min drive
film location
Lacock Village (Godric's Hollow)
The unspoilt National Trust village stood in for Godric's Hollow; 'Harry's parents' house' on Church Street appears in the Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows.
19 km · about 20 min drive
ancient ruins
Avebury Stone Circle
Largest prehistoric stone circle in the world, enclosing an entire village and considered by many to be more atmospheric than Stonehenge.
24 km · about 30 min drive
landmark
Painswick
The 'Queen of the Cotswolds', a steep wool town whose churchyard holds 99 clipped yew trees and a Rococo garden nearby.
24 km · about 25 min drive
Driving roads near Malmesbury
- 39 kmClifton Suspension BridgeIsambard Kingdom Brunel's iconic 1864 suspension bridge soaring 75m above the Avon Gorge at Bristol, still carrying traffic and glowing with lights after dark.
- 39 kmCleeve HillThe highest point of the Cotswolds at 330 m, an open common above Cheltenham with views to the Malverns and Wales.
- 41 kmDevil's PulpitA narrow limestone pinnacle perched above the Wye Valley near Tintern Abbey, offering a dizzying view down through the forest canopy.
- 42 kmA466 Wye Valley (Chepstow to Monmouth)A wooded riverside road through a designated AONB past Tintern Abbey, gentle and beautiful rather than challenging.
- 47 kmSymonds Yat RockA famous viewpoint 504 feet above the River Wye, where peregrine falcons nest and the river performs a dramatic horseshoe bend.
- 56 kmCheddar Gorge ViewpointEngland's largest gorge with 450-foot limestone cliffs, offering jaw-dropping views from several pull-off points along the winding road.
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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