Upavon brings together two travel interests: listed buildings and the Upavon Walk, which leads from Upavon to Upavon Hill. The village lies on the upper reaches of the Salisbury Avon, and the A345 runs through Upavon. The walk offers views across the Vale of Pewsey. This gives visitors two distinct focal points for a stay: cultural history and walking.
Location and orientation
The Salisbury Avon helps locate Upavon geographically: the village lies on the upper reaches of the river. The A345 provides another point of reference, running through Upavon. The river and the road describe different aspects of the village’s location. To understand where your destination is, you can distinguish between these references: the river places Upavon on its upper reaches, while the road runs through the village. Cultural and walking interests each have their own focus here.
Listed buildings
The Church of St Mary is a Grade I listed building. Its chancel dates from the late 12th to early 13th century, while the nave dates from the early 13th century. These dates mark different periods within the same building: the chancel’s dating reaches back to the late 12th century, whereas the nave belongs to the early 13th century. For anyone interested in architectural history, this offers a specific starting point for exploring the church. Both its Grade I listing and the dates of its constituent parts shape this cultural focus.
Another listed building is Upavon Camp (Officers' Mess), Building 21, which is Grade II*. Together with the Grade I church, it offers a choice of two cultural points of interest with different listing grades. The Church of St Mary also has the additional distinction of its chancel and nave dating from different periods. You can focus more closely on the church’s architectural history or include both named buildings in your cultural exploration of Upavon.
The Upavon Walk
The Upavon Walk is a permitted footpath that leads from Upavon to Upavon Hill and connects with existing public rights of way. The path offers views across the Vale of Pewsey. This walking focus differs from the buildings, which are fixed in place: the emphasis is on a named route and views across the Vale.
If you are more interested in walking than architectural history, you can make the Upavon Walk the starting point for planning your day. The route leads from Upavon to Upavon Hill; its connection with existing public rights of way is another feature of the route. Alongside an interest in historic buildings, this offers a clearly defined walking option, with views across the Vale of Pewsey adding a distinctive landscape element.
Upavon as a place to stay
To decide whether Upavon suits your stay, compare the interests on offer: the Church of St Mary and Upavon Camp (Officers' Mess), Building 21, are listed buildings; the Upavon Walk is the walking focus. If you are most interested in architectural history, you can focus on the church and its parts, which date from different periods. If you would rather include a footpath in your day’s plans, the Upavon Walk offers a different focus. If you are considering Upavon as a place to stay, start your search with the village name and choose hotels to suit your personal requirements.
Discover more destinations: Malmesbury, Limpley Stoke, Hindon, Castle Combe, Tollard Royal, Ludgershall, Salisbury, Grittleton.
For the broader travel overview: Wiltshire.
