Discover Redlynch and Find Hotels

If you would like to combine a hotel stay with walks and local history, Redlynch offers several points of interest. The named footpaths differ in their connections and landscape themes; meanwhile, local building and industry history spans several centuries. Before your trip, you can therefore consider whether you would rather devote more time to the routes, woodland and views, or to the history of the village.

Footpaths, Woodland and Views

A route guide revised in 2013 lists several connections: Footpath 10 links Goggs Lane with Grove Lane; after leaving Sandy Lane, Footpath 15 runs along the edge of Grove Copse. Footpath 9 begins in Black Lane and leads through Langley Wood National Nature Reserve. At the northern tip of the New Forest is an extensive area of ancient oak woodland.

From Footpath 27, there are views across Morgan's Vale towards Salisbury and the Downs above Downton. If views are your main priority on a walk, you can follow this route; if you would like to include a woodland reserve, Footpath 9 offers that connection. The different descriptions provide specific points to help you choose, without suggesting that the routes share the same landscape themes.

Bridleway 21 extends a route that passes through Redlynch via Quavey Well. It is considered a possible section of an old salt-trading route from Pennington and Lymington. This possible historical connection gives the route a different character from the explicitly described views from Footpath 27. Footpath 28 can be reached via an access point from Slab Lane; the footpaths are part of the Avon Valley Footpath. Check local path conditions before setting out.

Buildings, Places and Former Industries

The Church of St Mary in Redlynch is a Grade II listed building. Another notable name in the village’s history is The Butts: in the Middle Ages, it was used as an archery practice ground. The Butts is a small burial mound or ancient burial site. Some also call it “Templeman's Tump”; it is listed under this name on other maps.

Lace-making was one of Redlynch’s former industries. By 1700, it had become a cottage industry in the village. Broom-making was also a traditional local industry and continued until the Second World War. These two examples represent different periods in local working life, rather than highlighting just one craft.

The history of brickmaking connects Redlynch with buildings in Downton: brickyards on the west side of Kiln Road and south of Hart Hill produced high-quality bricks for Downton’s fine 18th-century houses. The village’s history thus extends beyond crafts practised locally to the materials used for homes elsewhere.

Those who would like to learn more about the village’s history can also look out for the annual exhibition organised by the Redlynch & District Local History Society. It displays materials on local history and makes them available to those interested. Alongside the historic buildings, burial site and former industries, the exhibition offers a different way to discover Redlynch than its paths and landscape views.

Discover more destinations: Wylye, Larkhill, Sherston, Market Lavington, Marlborough, Shaw, Cricklade, Lyneham

For the wider travel overview: Wiltshire.