Savernake's Royal Forest

Situated on an undulating chalk plateau high above Marlborough on the extreme north east edge of Salisbury Plain, Savernake consists of 2,300 acres (931.5ha) of mixed woodland managed by the Forestry Commission. In the Middle Ages, Savernake was a wilderness of bracken and heathland stretching for miles across the Wiltshire countryside and had been a royal hunting ground from long before the Norman Conquest. It was William the Conqueror (1027-87) who appointed the first hereditary warden, Richard Esturmy, and subsequent kings of England rode through the forest glades in pursuit of deer, which were in plentiful supply for the royal sport.

In the 15th century a daughter of the Esturmy family married into the Seymour family who then became wardens of Savernake. It was in 1535 that Jane Seymour, daughter of Sir John Seymour, was first introduced to King Henry VIII while he was hunting with Sir John in the forest. Local tradition has it that Henry VIII married Jane at Savernake, where a great barn was hung with tapestries and transformed into a banqueting hall for the wedding feast. Jane's brother, Edward Seymour, became warden in 1536 and was later created Protector of the Realm, the Duke of Somerset, on Henry VIII's death in 1547. He managed to persuade King Edward to transfer the ownership of Savernake from the Crown to the Seymour family. In 1676 it passed by marriage to the Bruce family and so to the present owner, the Marquis of Ailesbury, whose mansion, the present Tottenham House, was begun in 1781 by the first Earl of Ailesbury.

Although a large part of the forest was enclosed during the early 17th century, much of Savernake decayed due to the lack of systematic replanting following increased timber demands for shipbuilding. Few trees were declared fit for building use by a naval surveyor in 1675. Today's forest of grand oaks, chestnuts and stately beeches was the inspiration of landscape gardener 'Capability' Brown (1715-83). He planned the 4 mile (6.4km) long Grand Avenue that cuts north to south through the forest, and the eight lesser beech avenues which lead to its centre. Originally intended to be very formal, it now has an air of informality, with young broad-leaved trees and glorious tall pines intermingling with the surviving great beeches and ancient pollarded oaks.

You will experience the grandeur of this beautiful forest as you journey down one of the deliciously cool and shady rides to the Ailesbury Monument, an elegant classical column standing at the end of Column Ride, a straight 2 mile (3.2km) ride that extends to Tottenham House. The column was built by Thomas Bruce in memory of his uncle, Charles Bruce, a former Earl of Ailesbury, who 'left to him these estates and procured for him the barony of Tottenham'. The inscription also refers to George III who conferred upon Thomas Bruce the honour of an earldom.

Where to eat and drink

The 16th-century, thatched and timber-framed Royal Oak Inn at Wootton Rivers on Walk 4 offers a good range of interesting pub food, real ales and a sun-trap courtyard. If hungry and thirsty, it is well worth undertaking the extra few miles as Walk 3 is devoid of a refreshment stop.

What to look for

You may catch a glimpse of fallow deer, with fan-shaped antlers and spotted summer coats, slipping silently into a thicket as you walk through Savernake Forest. Well-lit clearings may be carpeted with primroses and the woods with bluebells, while wood anemones, wood sorrel and rosebay willowherb thrive in spring and early summer. As you cross the A346, note the old milestone in the hedge, 'To Tottenham House 2 miles, 3 furlongs and 143 yards. To Marlborough Town Hall, 2 miles, 7 furlongs and 70 yards'.

While you're there

Drive east towards Great Bedwyn to see the magnificent steam-powered beam engines at Crofton Pumping Station or visit Wiltshire's only operating windmill at Wilton. If heading north towards Marlborough, lookout for the Big Belly Oak, one of Savernake's oldest trees, set right beside the A346.