Local Towns to Explore
The Hideaway is surrounded by a number of small towns and villages that are great to explore, have a spot of lunch or dinner and to mooch around.
Ramsbury
Hilldrop is set above the Village of Ramsbury which in itself is set within the North Wessex Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This is a busy and vibrant community, and the family is very close to the village having been here since 1957. We do our best to help where we can and we hope our guests will respect this relationship.
Ramsbury Manor
The History of the Village really evolves around Ramsbury Manor which, originated in the reign of Charles 2 from around 1680. The house was built by Robert Hooke for an MP called Sir William Jones with the architecture known as Caroline House. What is unquestionable is that it’s mesmerisingly beautiful!
Sadly, long-term restoration works at the Manor, are not likely to finish until 2026/7. Tours of the Manor, including the late Harry Hyams's sensational artwork, are a few years away.
Might we suggest taking one of our walks which goes over a footbridge with views of the house across the lake? The walk takes about 1.5 hours but goes past the Bell of Ramsbury if a drinks break is needed.
The Bell of Ramsbury
The main pub is at the centre of the village and serves excellent food; and Café Bella, at the back of the pub serves coffee and cakes. https://thebellramsbury.com
The Holy Cross Church
Stands tall at the Centre of the village and dates to the 13th century. This grade-one listed building has restored Gothic organ, Victorian glass, and many monuments including one for Sir William Jones. Unusually our village has its own Bishop of Ramsbury.
It is a stunning church being open daily and services tend to be at 9.30 on a Sunday. Please check for information about all our local churches: http://whittonteam.org.uk
Ramsbury Brewery and Distillery and Gin School
Just up the road from Hilldrop, you will also find the Ramsbury Brewery and Distillery, which does tours on request. You will find bottles of Gin and Vodka in the Hideaway for you to sample in the Hideaway.
The Ridgeway
We are 2 miles from the Ridgeway, being the oldest ‘road’, in Great Britain. There are some fabulous walks and views to be enjoyed from the Ridgeway, which is where the glacier ran out of energy during the ice age. It is 87 miles long, running from Luton to Avebury. The glacier effectively flattened the land to the Northeast and left the more dramatic valleys of the Marlborough Downs to the South.
Hungerford
Hungerford has a large Tescos, a train station, several coffee shops, and an excellent healthy café called Eliane. It is on the canal and has a train station running to London.
Shopping
Mojo & McCoy
High-end lady’s fashion - www.mojoandmccoy.com
Roxtons
Countryware - www.roxtons.co.uk
Barrs Yard
located just outside Hungerford on the A4 to Newbury and has several really interesting shops, florists, and coffee shops to explore.
Garden Art
A mixture of antique and some extraordinary contemporary garden furniture and structures. www.gardenartplus.com
Cricket Fine Art
Definitely worth a visit, it has genuinely lovely paintings and sculptures www.cricketfineart.co.uk
GrapeSmith
Wine merchant www.grapesmith.co.uk
Jax Boutique
Ladies and gentlemen fashion - www.thejaxboutique.com
Cobbs
An excellent farm shop: located 0.5miles from Hungerford on A4 to Marlborough: www.cobbsfarmshops.co.uk
Antiques
Hungerford is a mecca of Antique dealers: Perhaps our favorite is the Great Grooms Antiques and the Hungerford Arcade the latter being a nostalgic throwback where antiques meet bric-a-brac. For interior design visit Blanchards, in Froxfield. http://www.blanchardcollective.com
The Local Buzz Magazine website is a decent starting point for all things Antiques.
Marlborough
The historic market town of Marlborough and home of Marlborough College has many national shopping names… There is an excellent Waitrose, endless coffee shops, art galleries, the White Stuff, Crew Clothing, Majestic wine, and a street market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. To highlight a few of the more interesting shops:
The White Horse Books shop
Landmark
For countryware: www.landmarkstores.com
Sumblers:
An excellent butcher: www.sumblerbrosbutchers.co.uk
Indigo
For interiors, you might be intrigued by this very large warehouse of oriental antiques; albeit this is nearer Pewsey.
The website tells its own story: www.indigo-uk.com
Marlborough Cinema
This is a new small cinema with only one screen. It does however have huge comfy seats and a cocktail bar. There are multiscreen cinemas in Swindon but considerably less charming. www.theparadecinema.com.
