Exploring Salisbury Plain: Turning off the A303 at Liba Vineyard
- Martin Hesp
- 20 hours ago
- 8 min read
Exploring somewhere you pass through often, but have never bothered to truly investigate before… That could be one of the themes of these articles - most of us do it, after all - we all have regular routes we must travel for multitudinous reasons, and they’ll take us through places, that over time, we take for granted. But stopping and exploring these “nether regions” can pay dividends.
That is the theme of this article. Most West Country readers will know Salisbury Plain thanks to Stonehenge and other ancient remains - and those living in the far west will have often passed across the strange, wide-open, Wessex plateau on the A303, one of the two main arteries in and out of Devon and Cornwall.
I’ve used the highway hundreds of times, but never before have I stopped to reconnoitre fascinating, beguiling, Salisbury Plain. Last week I did just that, having received an invitation to stay in a Wiltshire vineyard…
Liba Vineyard is only five minutes off the A303 and just a couple more minutes from Stonehenge - so I took up the offer of a stay in one of their new glamping pods precisely because I’d never ventured into the enigmatic Plain in all those years of to-ing-and-fro-ing to London.
A New Life off the A303: The Story Behind Liba Vineyard
First, the story behind the new vineyard and glamping site… Former London management consultant and Fowey native, Chris Reynolds, with his wife Louise Marshall, swapped corporate burnout in the capital for a new life in the countryside. Seeking a better environment to raise their two young boys, they established Liba Vineyard on a south-facing slope just minutes off the A303, and not far from Salisbury.
Combining glamping with sustainable viticulture, the site features 4,000 vines planted with modern, disease-resistant hybrid grape varieties ideal for the local climate. Managed under organic and biodynamic principles, the vineyard operates as a balanced ecosystem - utilising roaming alpacas for winter grazing and weed control, alongside peacocks, ducks, chickens, and bees.
Beyond the existing three luxury woodland glamping pods, Chris and Louise have permission to expand and are currently developing the farm barns to house a future farm shop, café, and tasting room for visitors.
They’re lovely people, and their little glamping enterprise is first class. We were there at the height of the heatwave last week and I was a little apprehensive about being in a pod with no air-conditioning, but we needn’t have worried. The shade of the surrounding trees helped and Chris had installed a large fan to help keep temperatures down.
The couple have gone for quality. “We could have installed double the number of pods had we gone for cheaper options, but we wanted to do everything right and get the best models we could afford and the fittings to go with them,” Chris told me.
So the “eco-conscious” glamping pods blend rustic charm with luxury. They’re centrally heated (not that we needed that) and sleep up to four - each features a double bed with premium bedding, a double sofa-bed, and a en-suite bathroom complete with a walk-in shower and toilet. With a fully equipped kitchen inside, every pod extends outdoors to a seating area with a fire pit and its own private wood-fired hot tub or soaking bath.
“We wanted a site that was welcoming to guests and safe for our children, but also one that works with nature rather than against it. So we’re creating a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem where everything works together,” said Chris.
Speaking about the site’s location, he added: “A lot of visitors think they’re going to use it as a base to explore, but actually, when people arrive and settle into their pods in the woodland, they look out over the vineyard, watch a sunset and relax in a hot tub. And, well… they cancel their plans. They just chill out and unwind.”
Beyond the Pods: Journeying Into the Chalk River Valleys
I can understand visitors from an urban-environment wanting to do that, but because we spend most of our lives in deep countryside within a woodland setting, we were happy to explore.
The site is actually on Boscombe Down, near the RAF base and not far from the village of Porton, home of the famous Porton Down government facility. And here’s the first thing to say about the greater Salisbury Plain area… It is very much a game of two halves - the landscape is dominated by the high plateau, but intersected here and there by pretty river valleys. Porton is in one such valley - the A338 runs north-south along it, so you can either turn right and head directly down to Salisbury, or turn left into the heartlands of the great plateau.
Our route took us north, across the A303, up to Tidworth (a military town if ever I saw one) and then, north-west to the village of Everleigh where we took a quiet lane called Marlborough Road across the high downs to the Vale of Pewsey. As an unqualified visitor to the area, I’d say this marvellous byway offers the very best of Salisbury Plain.
It is, for lack of a better phrase, quintessential Salisbury Plain. You travel some six miles across the high downs on a hedge-less road, admiring tree circles and odd prehistoric shapes and remains dotted here and there in the wide open landscape.
Exactly 200 years ago (in his Rural Rides), here’s what William Cobbett had to say about the spot where this lonely road catches its first view of the Vale of Pewsey… “I had often heard this valley described as one of the finest pieces of land in all England. From the top of a very high part of the down, with a steep slope towards the valley, I first saw this Valley of Avon - and a most beautiful sight it was!
“Villages, hamlets, large farms, towers, steeples, fields, meadows, orchards, and very fine timber trees, scattered all over the valley... Great as my expectations had been, they were more than fulfilled.”
I read this quotation on an interpretation board they’ve erected at the very spot. Next to it they’ve built a flight of half a dozen steps which you can climb to get the very best of the panoramic view.
Even up there though, you will not see the famous Pewsey White Horse, which has been etched into the hill just a few hundred yards away. The contours are so steep you need to be away from the hill to see it.
We called into Pewsey, bought a lacklustre pasty (Pewsey seems limited for choice), and enjoyed an impromptu picnic by the harbour.
“The what!” I hear you cry…
Yes, we are far inland and many miles from the sea. But just outside the village lies Pewsey Wharf on the Kennet and Avon Canal. Once a 19th-century industrial hub dealing in timber, grain, and gravel, the wharf has been restored and is now a peaceful haven for narrowboats. Visitors can enjoy waterside walks, towpath cycling or simply a relaxed picnic or pub stop by the water.
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Looming nearby is Martinsell Hill, which must be one of the steepest escarpments in the region - it certainly offered fine views of a very hot and dusty vale the day we climbed to the top.
The Unbroken Wilderness of the Military Training Area
Directly south-west of Pewsey lies the massive untamed expanse of central Salisbury Plain - and more specifically, the empty wilderness of the Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA). Spanning roughly 150 square miles, it forms the largest military training area in the UK. Vast tracts have been restricted to the public for over a century, allowing this high chalk downland to unwittingly become one of Europe’s most extraordinary nature reserves.
No public roads cross it and the landscape is largely untouched by modern intensive agriculture. Its sweeping grasslands roll away to unbroken horizons, harbouring rare flora and fauna as well as ghost villages such as Imber, evacuated in 1943 for military use. The poor villagers were never allowed to return.
This vast landscape is criss-crossed by tank tracks - indeed there are road signs here and there on the highways and lanes which circumnavigate much of this strange demesne, warning you of “tanks crossing”. Red flags fly and you can hear artillery fire during military manoeuvres.
The sheer scale of the place evokes a striking, prehistoric majesty that feels very far removed from the rest of busy modern England. Indeed, I’d say it’s not really a very English landscape - to my eyes, the area is more reminiscent of the great plains of central and northern France.
Despite its military status, the Plain is not entirely locked down and you can explore on foot, provided you stick to the rules. I yearned to enter this fascinating and unspoilt zone but, as I’ve said, we were there in a heatwave and the idea of hiking across those exposed, tree-less chalk downs did not appeal. I hope to return one day.
Our consolation was a circumnavigation, starting from Pewsey along the B3098 through villages like Edington, Bratton, and Urchfont. This drive gave us dramatic, towering views of the northern escarpment - we then took the A360 back down to Stonehenge, which gave us a taste of the high plain. We even saw tanks roaring across the highway at one point, throwing up huge clouds of dust as they climbed away toward the Coppenhill Military Training Village.
The military presence is everywhere. I knew Salisbury Plain was big, but I had no real idea just how vast the MOD influence was in these parts.
As an escape from the heat of the Plain we dropped down to Salisbury for a late afternoon snack and a look at the mighty cathedral - but perhaps more about that another day.
Featured Stay
Location | Porton Road, Porton, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0NF (5 mins off A303) |
The Vibe | Biodynamic 3-acre vineyard surrounded by woodland, roaming alpacas, peacocks, and bees |
Accommodation | 3 luxury woodland pods (Elder, Beech, Hawthorn) |
Pod Amenities | En-suite shower, kitchen, double bed, sofa bed, central heating, private fire pit & wood-fired hot tub/soaking bath |
Pricing | From £149 per night (based on a self-catering two-night stay for 4 people) |
Contact & Booking |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ Section)
Where is Liba Vineyard located?
Liba Vineyard is situated on Porton Road near the village of Porton on Boscombe Down, Wiltshire. It sits just five minutes off the main A303 highway and roughly 15 minutes from Stonehenge and Salisbury.
Can you walk across the Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA)?
Yes, but with strict restrictions. The Ministry of Defence maintains around 300 miles of public rights of way across the Plain. However, around 70 miles cross active live-firing ranges. When red flags fly (or red lamps burn at night), access is strictly forbidden. Walkers can also follow the 30-mile Imber Range Perimeter Path outside active firing periods.
What varieties of grapes are grown at Liba Vineyard?
The vineyard was hand-planted in 2024 with nearly 4,000 vines featuring disease-resistant hybrid grape varieties including Cabaret Noir, Sauvignac, Calardis Blanc, and Solaris. These varieties thrive in the local climate under organic and biodynamic principles.
What is Pewsey Wharf?
Pewsey Wharf is a restored 19th-century industrial canal basin located on the Kennet and Avon Canal just outside Pewsey village. Today it serves as a peaceful waterside spot for narrowboat mooring, towpath walks, and picnics.
