Attractions and Places To See around Lyneham - Top 20

In the case of a "market cross," as we encounter here again, one would have to ask the fundamental question of whether it is actually primarily a small sacred monument—as its cross shape suggests—or whether it is more of a secular object. In times long past, such a cross—unlike classic wayside crosses or field crosses—was only allowed to be erected if the corresponding locality also possessed so-called "market rights"—that is, if it had been granted them by the local ruler.

Beautiful medieval church dating back to the 12th and 14th centuries, located in the small village of Broadwell.

The King Stone is a standing stone in the Cotswolds, England, which dates back to the Bronze Age. It is believed to have been a marker for ancient trade routes or a ceremonial site.

Great start & finish point. Lots of places to have a coffee, a cup of tea or something stronger and plenty of choice if you want something to eat too. Not an expert but the shopping looks interesting as well. Worth a visit.

Remember to always keep a pace when going up a big hill

Wildlife Greystones Farm is home to Salmonsbury Meadows Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). These ancient meadows are home to an incredible diversity of wildflowers and provide a habitat for many insects, butterflies, birds and mammals. In the spring and summer you will see great burnet, southern marsh orchids, early marsh orchids, ragged robin, devil’s-bit scabious, meadowsweet, knapweed and yellow rattle. These flowers support butterflies including orange-tip, meadowbrown, brimstone, small copper and ringlet. Greystones Farm are also working to restore the hay meadows which were damaged from the 1940s onwards, with the aim to bring local wildflowers back to these areas of Greystones. The rivers that run through Greystones are full of wildlife. Alongside the River Eye you can listen for water voles rustling among dense vegetation, as well as the distinctively ‘plop’ when they enter the water. This species is severely endangered, through loss of habitat and predation by mink, but thanks to Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Greystones now has one of the largest populations in the Cotswolds. Stretches of riverbank have been fenced off to encourage vegetation, for them and the otters that regularly travel the river. In this wonderful habitat tiny fish can be seen all year, but invertebrates like freshwater shrimps and mayfly nymphs hide away under pebbles and banks. Watch in early summer for flamboyant banded and beautiful demoiselles and for other species later. A glimpse of a kingfisher is possible! They have also created habitats and homes for bats, owls and other birds around the farm and visitor centre. Common and soprano pipistrelles, Natterer’s bats, long-eared bats and lesser horseshoe bats roost above the Discovery Barn and barn owls roost in the office building. Around the farm, swallows and house martens nest in the barn eaves and pied wagtails stalk the rooves looking for insects.

This large medieval cruciform church, with a north and south transept, dates back to the 12th to 14th centuries and reflects the importance of Broadwell (or Bradwell) at that time. Nowadays it stands in a small village of a few houses, with another small village, Kencot, just beyond the eastern church wall. In the 12th century Broadwell had a population of about 2,000. Did the Black Death kill the village in 1349 or was it the collapse of the Knights Templar, Broadwell's benefactors? There is no evidence of the Black Death but the building of this church and its recorded history does coincide with the rise in power of the Knights Templar after the First Crusade and the gift of land in Broadwell to them in 1185 followed by the building of the spire using their money in about 1260. By then the Knights Templar had built a vast international financial and military empire, such that the monarchs of Europe were indebted to them. King Philip IV of France pressurised Pope Clement V to declare the Knights Templar heretical and the Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, was burnt at the stake in Paris in 1314. A timescale perfectly in tune with the building of this large and magnificent church and, possibly, the decline of Broadwell village. The church doesn’t face east but north-east, which accords with the Templar’s practice of aligning churches with sunrise on the Patronal Saint’s day, 29th June, for the Saints Peter and Paul. All monastic orders ceased under Henry VIII and churches supported by them often fell into disrepair because villages could not adequately maintain them. Broadwell appears to have fared better as the manor held rich farming estates. The next major reconstruction came with the Victorian Restorers and one, E.G.Bruton, worked on Broadwell in 1873. He stripped the medieval plaster and paintings off the walls and reroofed the nave, chancel and transepts with a steeper pitched roof.

The King Stone was erected in early to middle Bronze Age, probably around 1,500 BC. Rather than relating directly to the much older Neolithic Stone Circle, the King Stone was likely erected as a permanent memorial to the Bronze Age round cairn 17m across with a central chamber, which lies immediately to the north-east set exactly on the top the ridge.