The recent publication by the World’s largest publisher of travel guides; Lonely Planet of its list of best cities to visit in 2015 ranks Salisbury as Number Seven, the only UK destination to make the top ten. This will come as no surprise to those of us who already have the pleasure of living and working in this lovely part of the country. The fact that little old Salisbury is ahead of the more glamorous and famous global cities of London, New York, Paris, Sydney and Rome, amongst hundreds of others, should be a source of tremendous pride.

It is part of the British psyche to not only be modest but also to actively put ourselves down. We are, it has been said, a nation of moaners. This is the wrong attitude. Britain is truly a great country; one with superb natural beauty, a fascinating history and enviable tradition as well as being a hugely important financial, political, cultural and sporting leader on the World stage.

Salisbury, Wiltshire on the world stage

Salisbury being regarded as one of the top ‘must see’ places in the World to visit next year is a great boost not only for the UK but particularly for this region. This news will attract headline attention for the city and the surrounding area but it is not just about transient visitors, it is also somewhere that attracts considerable interest from those looking to make their permanent home here.

One of my tasks as an estate agent is not to sell just my clients’ homes but is also to ‘sell’ this part of the country to those looking to move here from London, other parts of the UK and even from overseas. Often these buyers have not made up their minds as to where they want to live or do not know South Wiltshire and the neighbouring counties very well. This part of the job is actually pretty easy, not because I know it so well having lived in the area for much of my life but because it is genuinely a wonderful place to be.

Celebrated Wiltshire Countryside

So why would you want to stay in and around Salisbury if you already live here or move to if you don’t. Well, there’s the glorious undulating countryside for a start, much of which forms part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This may be regarded as a rural, mainly agricultural region but it is not an isolated one with London and the rest of the country being easily accessible by road and rail. The South Coast with its lovely sandy beaches, sailing and cross channel ferries is not far away either.

The rich local history is another strong attraction with many well-known landmarks such as the city’s inspiring medieval cathedral, Old Sarum, Old Wardour Castle, the Fovant Badges and of course the most famous ancient historical site in the country; Stonehenge. So there’s plenty to keep both the visitor and full time resident busy and with the 800^th anniversary of the Magna Carta coming up in 2015, the best preserved copy being kept at the cathedral, Salisbury is sure to attract plenty of attention.

Excellent Wiltshire Schools

Many families are drawn here due to the high standard of the education on offer with two highly regarded grammar schools, some excellent primary and secondary state schools and a number of top independents. However it is also the quality of life here that is an attraction and why we are seeing an increasing number of buyers registering with us looking to purchase properties whether as their primary home or just as a weekend escape.

Rural View country properties are on the telly! So far we have notched up four requests for village properties that we are marketing to appear on Escape to the Country. It may involve a couple of days of production executives and film crew, but the publicity can be well worth the effort and there is always a genuine buyer behind each episode.

We are delighted to participate and so far every Vendor has reacted in the same way. The only downside is that we have to wait for the properties to be televised, but it’s nice to be recognised for selling attractive country cottages and houses and even nicer for our clients to see their homes on the small screen.

Are you looking to buy or rent that perfect country cottage or family home in Wiltshire?

If you are looking to buy or rent that perfect country cottage or family home in Wiltshire then you have picked a great place to live in. With its sweeping chalk and limestone downland and pretty valleys and vales, this sizable (1,345 sq miles), mainly rural county, stretches from Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire in the North to Dorset and Hampshire in the South with Somerset to the West and Berkshire to the East.

Introduction to Wiltshire life

The bulk of the county’s population of 613,000 live along the M4 corridor to the North with Swindon, Chippenham and Marlborough being the main towns, the former being the largest and known for its engineering, electronic and manufacturing industries. To the West are a number of smaller towns such as Trowbridge, Melksham and Westbury that grew from the 19^th Century wool industry.

To the South of the market and brewing town of Devizes on the Kennet & Avon Canal is the large expanse of Salisbury Plain known for its military training grounds and prehistoric archaeology with Stonehenge and Avebury being amongst the most famous Neolithic sites in the World.

Property in Wiltshire

Rural View sell and let village homes, farmhouses and country property in South Wiltshire. This lovely agricultural area being made up of five river valleys called the Chalke, Nadder, Wylye, Woodford and Bourne Valleys. Rather confusingly, the rivers running through the Chalke and Woodford Valleys are actually the Ebble and Avon respectively whilst the Western end of the Wylye Valley is known as the Deverill Valley and the upper reaches of the Nadder Valley are called the Donheads! These rivers cut through rolling chalk downland, much of which is classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and all join up near or at Salisbury to become the River Avon.

Salisbury, Wiltshire

Salisbury’s roots go back to the Iron Age hill fort of Old Sarum before construction of the iconic cathedral began in 1217. This attractive medieval city holds twice weekly markets and is well known for its arts, schools, hospital and the many historic buildings around the Cathedral Close. The railway station has direct mainline services to London (Waterloo).

Just to the West of Salisbury, at the gateway to the Nadder and Wylye Valleys, is the small town of Wilton; the ancient capital of Wessex, site of the riverside stately home of Wilton House and once famous for the quality of its carpet production.

Warminster, Wiltshire

Despite its military connections, Warminster’s name is thought to derive from the River Were and owes its prosperity in the middle ages from corn, cloth and bell making. Close by is the Longleat Estate with its stately home, safari park, holiday centre and boating lake at Shear Water whilst Stourhead is much loved for its splendid National Trust owned gardens.

The southern border of the county forms part of Cranborne Chase, a large chalk plateau, the highest point being at Win Green with views as far as the Isle of Wight.

5 little known facts about Wiltshire

1. The largest Chinese restaurant in the UK is The Pagoda Palace in Swindon
2. Bremilham Church, Malmesbury measuring just 13 x 11ft, is the smallest church in Britain with a single pew for 4 people & standing room for 6
3. The Britpop band Oasis took their name from an Inspiral Carpets tour poster in Noel & Liam Gallagher’s bedroom; one of the venues was the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon
4. The phenomenon of crop circles originate from the 1980’s in North Wiltshire particularly around the Marlborough Downs & Pewsey Vale area
5. The people of Wiltshire used to be known as Moonrakers following excise men catching smugglers trying to retrieve contraband hidden in a pond at night; the criminals said they were raking the moon’s reflections on the surface of the water to gather cheese

As village and rural Estate Agents we are delighted to be sponsoring a cultural rural event in the beautiful Deverill Valley.

The Festival of Performing Arts which takes place over the coming Bank Holiday weekend has attracted a large number of excellent acts and promises to be an enriching occasion, with performances to suit all tastes and tickets that are affordable.

Being based in the nearby Nadder Valley, Rural View is a very local agent and we are therefore delighted to be supporting an event of this calibre on our doorstep.

If you would like to know more please visit the festival website and buy your tickets while they last.

Hampshire State Primary Schools

Abbotts Ann C of E Primary School, Andover

Amport C of E Primary School, Andover

Andover C of E Primary School, Andover

Appleshaw St Peter’s C of E Primary School, Andover

Beaulieu Village Primary School, Brockenhurst

Breamore C of E Primary School, Fordingbridge

Brockenhurst C of E Primary School, Brockenhurst

Broughton Primary School, Stockbridge

Burley Primary School, Ringwood

Clatford C of E Primary School, Andover

Grateley Primary School, Andover

Hale Primary School, Fordingbridge

Hatherden CofE Primary School, Andover

Hurstbourne Tarrant C of E Primary School, Andover

Hyde C of E Primary School, Fordingbridge

Kimpton, Thruxton And Fyfield C of E Primary School, Andover

King’s Somborne C of E Primary School, Stockbridge

Longparish C of E Primary School, Andover

Ringwood Junior School, Ringwood

St Mary Bourne Primary School, Andover

Stockbridge Primary School, Stockbridge

Vernham Dean Gillum’s C of E Primary School, Andover

Wallop Primary School, Stockbridge

West Tytherley C of E Primary School, Salisbury

Western Downland C of E Primary School, Fordingbridge

Wherwell Primary School, Andover

Hampshire State Secondary Schools

The Burgate School And Sixth Form Centre, Fordingbridge

Harrow Way Community School, Andover

John Hanson Community School, Andover

Ringwood School, Ringwood

Test Valley School, Stockbridge

Hampshire Independent Primary/Prep Schools

Forres Sandle Manor, Fordingbridge

Moyles Court, Ringwood