We had a great couple of hours with James in his classic Defender Land Rover. James is very knowledgeable about the area and we were fortunate to have a rain free, sunny day so could see the amazing views for miles around. We managed to see quite a few bustards. Interesting history about the army who have owned most of the plains since Victorian times. You will see old tanks used as target practice. Plus a purpose built town just used for training. A fascinating and unusual tour.
James didn’t even bother showing up, messaged me after our meet time and claimed he’d double booked himself. I explained we’d had to travel to the area and had family from Yorkshire with us. It was a treat for my husband’s birthday, which was totally ruined. We were financially compensated, quite generously, but that didn’t alter the fact it was too late to book anything else and the day was a right off.
This was a birthday gift for my husband along with sister and brother in law. James was an excellent tour guide. His breadth of knowledge of the area, wildlife and military was amazing, and his love and enthusiasm for the area was obvious. We were lucky to have a beautiful summer day for our tour but I can imagine it would also be amazing in other weather. The scale of the scenery is breathtaking, real "big sky" views from one end of Wiltshire to the other from various high points, James also gave us different perspectives on parts of the route we had been on ourselves. He gave us all the things we had asked for on our wish list and more - bustards, history/archaeology and military. We also had a fun few minutes over some bumpy splashy bits which was great fun. Would wholeheartedly recommend and would also love to go again at the different time of the year. Fantastic!!!
This experience was a Birthday present and I can really recommend it. The local knowledge that James has shows immediately, he really does know Salisbury Plain like the back of his hand. He takes time to highlight both the physical landscapes but also the native wildlife. Interesting to see the Army playing war games, but from a safe distance. Thank You 😊