[1] Turn left out of the car-park and walk along to the Market Cross, turning right into the narrow road just before the Lloyds TSB bank and opposite the George Inn. Follow this up past houses into open country. The road crosses a bridge over the A303, then passes Manor House and a couple of minutes later you turn right through a gate at a bridleway sign.
[2] Follow a tarmac track at first, but soon fork left up an ascending wide grassy track. Go through a gate and then climb leftwards for nearly a mile. As you climb, fine views appear on both sides.
(A) On left you can see the fine Palladian front of Stourhead House, built in 1721-4 to the designs of the noted architect Colen Campbell. It is in the care of the National Trust. Behind you can see Alfred's Tower, a somewhat later folly on Stourhead estate.
[3] Keep the fence on your left as you climb, passing a stone seat on left.. At the top of the hill the path flattens. Go through two gates as path crosses a track. Your way ahead continues in the same line along a flat grassy track on above the Wylye valley. Pass through two more metal gates to reach another at the edge of an airfield. (B) There are fine views on left of Little Knoll, and of Long Knoll (over which you will be walking later on).
[4] Go through the gate to the airfield then immediately turn sharp left to descend along the fence to a metal gate. Go through, turn right, and follow the path, keeping the fence on your right. There are good views of the River Wylye valley below. Pass left of a small pheasant spinney then walk just below and left of a wood, and shortly after a tumulus, as views of Kingston Deverill church and village appear, with Cold Kitchen Hill above and behind.
[5] The path descends steadily to a gate. Turn left into a lane, and immediately right through a pair of gates. Cross the field ahead diagonally left and through another gate, then turn left for 20 meters on tarmac then right at the T junction towards the church. After 100 meters fork left to walk past a wide stretch of the river with ducks, geese, swans. At the next road, don't cross the bridge but instead turn right and then immediately right through black wrought-iron gates to pass left of house No. 36 and between two small fields to the church.
[6] Exit through the lych-gate onto B3095. Turn left, then left again after 50 meters and follow this road for just over one hundred meters past a red phone box. As the road turns sharp left, you go right at signs for 'Ford' and 'Unsuitable for motor vehicles'.
[7] Soon slant up left on a track, immediately through a gate and then up a rising grassy path that swings right. As the path grows fainter look out for a gate ahead with a tree to its left, and make straight for it. Go through to turn sharp left on a track which is a permissive path. Follow this, keeping the fence on your left, for a couple of miles with great views down to left across gallops. Pass a metal fire basket beacon and descend gently then rise towards woods. Watch out for a waymark on the fence where the Wiltshire Way path veers off right away from you. Go through a metal gate ahead, and turn immediately left to climb over a wooden 3-bar jump into a small triangular enclosure of barbed wire fence that can be opened up through the middle by lifting a chain off the fenceposts.
[8] Turn right to continue in the same direction as before, along Brimsdown Hill. Descend slightly as the path twists through scrubby woodland and pass through two gates on either side of a track. The path rises very slightly then reaches the crest of the broad hill and descends along this, passing between two areas of woodland. At the end of the wood the path turns sharp left (opposite a path on right to Baycliffe Farm) descending to a tarmac road. Here turn right and after a mile enter Maiden Bradley village at a T junction, where a right turn takes you to pub and the village shop, while left takes you to the onward route past the church. When the pavement and railings end, then cross over to leave Maiden Bradley along the main road, taking great care and walking in single file, as the road is fast (50 mph limit) and can be busy with heavy lorries. There is no pavement. Walking on Sunday is the best way to reduce this risk. A high-visibility jacket is well worth taking.
[9] The road rises steadily and bends round to the right. At the top of the rise fork right at a footpath sign along an ascending wide track. Ahead you see a metal gate and stile, which gives access to the grassy hill of Long Knoll. Climb steeply at first, then easing off, with wide views on both sides. Keep the fence, and then a wood, on your right, but at a gap pass through to follow the ridge up to the top of the hill and a trig point.
[10] From here you can see the way ahead, steeply down a grassy slope to a stile, then leftwards across a field to a corner of the hedge, right to another stile by a gap in the hedge, then across another field, left of a duck-pond and house, onto Coker's Lane. (The OS 1:50,000 map shows the right of way to the right of the house, between it and farm buildings). Here turn left. Where the main track veers off to the left continue straight ahead on track running between hedges.
[11] At a T junction there is a gate straight ahead. Go through and walk towards the far right corner of the field, by houses, onto a tarmac road. Turn left and follow the road. Turn right through a children's playground with a nice roofed shelter providing a tea-spot. Out through the right corner over a stile, then along the right side of the field, passing over a broken stile by a gap and through the next field onto a lane.
[12] Turn left, then after 50 meters right, up the bank and over a stile into a field. Follow the left boundary hedge (ignore the sign pointing diagonally right across the fields) to another stile. Over this and half left towards a stile in the corner of the field. Cross this, and - with great care - the road, to enter the Stourhead Eastate. Follow the drive to the big Stourhead House.
(C) Stourhead was one of the first country houses to be built in the new Palladian style. 'A living work of art'. That's how a magazine described Stourhead when it opened its doors in the 1750s. This world-famous garden was designed by Henry Hoare II as a series of carefully constructed views, like scenes from a landscape painting. Stourhead is owned by The National Trust. There is no entrance fee to follow the path used on this walk through the grounds. There is however an entrance fee to visit the house and the landscaped gardens.
[13] Pass in front of the house and follow the drive round to the left and out through the stone gateway onto a minor road. Turn left and follow it up the slope, past the farm shop, and across the B3092. Turn right and then immediately left at the staggered junction, along a track. Follow this to Search Farm - with glimpses ahead of Castle Hill with its flagstaff, the end of the walk - and and turn right past a white house.
[14] Follow the path through fields and along past Zeals Knoll on your right, across the A303 bridge and up left to crest Long Hill. Descend slightly at the end, then up Castle Hill for great views over Mere. Descend the steep hill carefully from middle, back into the town. Turn left at the main street and go past the clock-tower to reach the car park again.