Hidden Wiltshire Podcast
47 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingJoin photographers Glyn Coy and Paul Timlett as they work their way around this ancient, historic county and talk about what they have found.
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Episodes
45: Weird Wiltshire
February 25, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 59.5 MBAnother location recording and once again it didn’t quite go to plan. The never ending rain led to some of the worst flooding we’ve seen in years and when faced with the sight of a car marooned up to its windows in a flood we decided the sensible thing to do would be to turn round and find another location. But as ever you will have to listen to the podcast to find out where we were. In this episode we welcomed a guest. Emma Heard runs the Weird Wiltshire website, and we asked Emma to join ...
44: A Meander Along Some of Wiltshire’s Rivers
December 23, 2023 05:00 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBIt only seemed like a few days since our last podcast recording – and that’s because it was! Glyn, Elaine and Paul assembled at a secret location to record our first podcast since June. There was much to catch up on and, though we say so ourselves, it went swimmingly with much hilarity and spontaneity. However, there was one small problem – the mics failed to record. Anything. Anything at all. So we reconvened three days later in the same outdoor location to do the whole thing again. You wil...
43: Some of our Favourite Woods
June 25, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 64.6 MBGlyn, Elaine and Paul are back with another episode of the Hidden Wiltshire podcast, and once again have returned to record outside at a mystery location. You’ll have to listen to find out where we were. There are lots of links to things we discussed in this episode in these show notes. Before we moved onto the main topic we had the usual run down on what we’ve been up to since the last podcast. And there was an awful lot to talk about so some of it was consigned to the cutting room floor! ...
42: Some of Wiltshire's Nature Reserves
April 16, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 67.9 MBWe’re back. After a break of what feels like years, but may only be about five months, we’re reinvigorated and ready to beguile our audience with more Hidden Wiltshire nonsense. Towards the end of 2022 Glyn and Paul had reached burn out after 41 episodes. We needed a break to think about what to do and where to go next, whilst sticking firmly to Wiltshire. Whilst we were away from the podcast we continued to pepper the Facebook page and website with blogs. But if we’re honest our survival w...
41: Alton Barnes, Alton Priors, Wansdyke and the Pewsey Vale
November 06, 2022 05:00 - 40 minutes - 37.1 MBThis episode is a bit of a special, as most of it was recorded outside over a year ago and it contains a special guest - David Carson MBE. David's family have farmed the land around Milk Hill for over 100 years, and we recorded a video with him in 2021, where he took us through much of the local history around the villages of Alton Barnes, Alton Priors and the Pewsey Vale. The video can be found on YouTube (link here: Hidden Wiltshire video) This podcast is the audio from that video, which...
40: Aldbourne Circular Route and the Abandoned Village of Snap
October 02, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 55.3 MBBack to recording indoors this month, and back to recording from different countries. Whilst Glyn remains in Wiltshire Paul is once again doing battle with French rural internet which seems to be arriving by means of a telephone cable lying in a ditch outside the village. But it’s amazing what Glyn can do with his editing software so the audio was fine. Bearing in mind Paul has been away for a few weeks and Glyn has been tied up with work, there was a surprising amount to report in terms of...
39: Ludgershall Castle and Collingbourne Wood
September 04, 2022 04:00 - 58 minutes - 53.5 MBThis could be the last outside recording of the podcast this year, unless of course this crazy weather continues. We found a spectacular location to record with views of a stunning sunset as we chatted. As ever, you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out where we were, a place so hidden even Glyn didn’t know it existed. During our review of the last month in Wiltshire we talked about the walks and blogs that Glyn, Paul and star contributor Elaine Perkins have posted on the Hidden Wilt...
38: Lacock and the Wilts & Berks Canal
August 07, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 64.9 MBWe’re making the most of the weather again and recording the podcast outside on location. As before you’ll need to listen to find out where we were. As ever we start with a chat about what’s been happening in the world of Hidden Wiltshire since the last podcast. And if it weren’t for one or two of our wonderful contributors the answer would be “not much”. Elaine Perkins has “delivered” once again (this seems to be the word of the month at the moment)! She posted some great photos in the co...
37: Bincknoll Castle and Broad Town White Horse
July 03, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 55.3 MBAnother location recording this month where we pack up the equipment and take to the Wiltshire landscape. As with last month you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out where we were, but it wasn’t Bincknoll Castle or Broad Town White Horse. As a clue – it was very windy! Before we got onto the main topic, we did our usual review of activity and news since the last podcast, which was a whole month ago. Regular contributor Elaine Perkins wrote an excellent blog for the website followin...
36: Grovely Wood
June 05, 2022 04:00 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MBIn this episode of the Hidden Wiltshire Podcast we pack up the recording gear and head for the hills to record the whole podcast outside. You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out where we were, but suffice to say it wasn’t Grovely Wood! We begin with our usual canter through what we’ve been up to in Wiltshire since the last podcast. Since we’re now recording once a month you’d think we had loads to talk about but since Paul was in France for the entire time and Glyn has been explori...
35: All Cannings Long Barrow – An Interview with Tim Daw
May 01, 2022 04:00 - 56 minutes - 51.6 MBIn this episode of the Bluebell Podcast Glyn is joined by our French correspondent – Paul! And without any messing about we start the podcast with a mention of both bluebells and France, and Paul’s endless battle to stop his French ruin from crumbling around him (OK it’s not that bad but maintaining it is like painting the Forth Road Bridge. Or owning a yacht. Or a horse!) Once again it’s bluebell season and regular followers of Hidden Wiltshire will know we like the odd bluebell (or cloche...
34: Tidcombe, Hippenscombe and the Devil’s Waistcoat
April 10, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 58.7 MBGlyn was hoping for an easy edit for this episode of the podcast as he had less time than usual to do it. This was all the invitation Paul needed to say exactly what he wanted knowing that Glyn didn’t have the time to cut it out! But being responsible podcasters we stuck to the brief. The main feature was a glorious walk we put together for Wiltshire Museum based around Hippenscombe Bottom, so beautifully painted by Eric Ravilious in 1937. And there was a special announcement at the end of t...
33: Wiltshire's Chalk Badges
March 27, 2022 04:00 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBA slightly shorter episode this week, although not by much. Whilst we have plenty of subjects in the pipeline to talk about we’re beginning run out of ideas. It’s not that we’ve said everything there is to say about Wiltshire but that finding the time to get out and explore is increasingly difficult. So we’re contemplating recording the podcasts on a monthly basis rather than every two weeks, just to give us the time to visit more interesting locations. We’d really appreciate ideas about new...
32: Medieval Inglesham – Three Counties Walk
March 13, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 59.5 MBSince the main part of this podcast is about a short five mile walk we thought this would be a shorter episode than normal. But how wrong we were. We still managed to blather on for what seemed like hours! We kick off with some concerning news about some unedifying scenes in the Facebook Group today with a discussion about Paul’s bottom. This is a family show and we’ve no idea what prompted such a debate. Much!! Despite eye watering petrol and diesel prices we’ve managed to get out a littl...
31: RAF Blakehill Farm and RAF Ramsbury
February 27, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 58.8 MBIt’s been a busy couple of weeks since the last podcast. The succession of storms had an impact and Paul foolishly agreed to appear on BBC South Today to talk about the deprivations of a whole three days without electricity. What an embarrassment. Thirty minutes or so after the BBC left the power came back on! Meanwhile Glyn was dodging the roof of the Wetherspoons pub that was flying low over Trowbridge. But what we experienced in the south was nothing compared to our fellow countrymen in ...
30: Old Winsley, Turleigh and The Elbow
February 13, 2022 05:00 - 59 minutes - 55 MBGlyn has a new toy. A 360 degree camera which he assures us will be used for nothing more suspicious than making videos for the Hidden Wiltshire YouTube channel whilst out walking. So watch out for more news on this, and more of our ugly mugs. Meanwhile Paul is traumatised having sold all his camera gear without having the foresight to sort out a replacement kit. Unfortunately we’ve received another complaint from a Mr Jenkins about how long it takes us to get to the main subject of each po...
29: Wiltshire's Blind Houses
January 30, 2022 05:00 - 59 minutes - 54.4 MBIt’s the eleventy seventh of January and we’re sick of the endless grey days but Spring is in the air. We’ve seen snow drops and crocuses, and the River Till behind Paul’s house has finally risen from its dry river bed. It won’t be (that long) before we’re out taking photos of bluebells again, although in an act of extreme provocation Glyn has already posted bluebell images on his Twitter feed. Things have been a bit busier since the last podcast. The Hippenscombe walk has finally been post...
28: White Sheet Hill, Long Knoll and the surrounding landscape
January 16, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 55.1 MBSomething a little different in this episode – not a walk but a whole area! We open with a mention of Glyn’s talk at the Bratton History Association on the subject of Blind Houses at 4:00pm on Sunday 16 January. The event will be held at Bratton Church Institute. It is but a vicious rumour that Glyn will be performing his talk as dance. After saying we’ve had a quiet two weeks we then embark on an extended round up of the last two weeks, in which mud featured large. Lenka Stokes asked in t...
27: Quaker's Walk, Oliver's Castle & The Battle of Roundway Down
January 02, 2022 05:00 - 55 minutes - 50.8 MBA Happy New Year to all our listeners. A new year and the start of our second year as podcasters. We still can’t believe it. Our usual round up of the last two weeks in Wiltshire was pretty spartan. Neither Glyn nor Paul have done anything other than enjoy Christmas with our families. Paul had COVID in the house so spent the best part of the 10 days up until Christmas Eve isolating to keep his son company. A diet of walks onto the Plain from home kept him sane. Both Glyn and Paul have been...
26: Christmas Special & Our First Anniversary
December 19, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 59.5 MBEpisode 26 of a fortnightly podcast means we’ve made it to the end of our first year of podcasting. And with the dreaded COVID-19 rampaging through the country again we don’t seem to have come very far. But this episode is a Christmas Special and when we look back over the last year we realise just how much we’ve covered and how far we’ve come. But first our final look for 2021 at the last two weeks in Wiltshire. Notwithstanding a couple of days’ tractor driver training at Parsonage Down f...
25: Codford Down and Chitterne Brook
December 05, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 65.3 MBA fit of the giggles for Glyn and Paul this week. In a break from tradition we recorded this episode in the evening and this seems to have had a disturbing effect on our sanity. But more of that later. This week we head to the south of the county again, not far from the scene of the last podcast. We follow a walk Paul did in May 2020 which appears on the Hidden Wiltshire website and is entitled In Pursuit of Kites. You’ll find a link below. But first, the usual round of the last two weeks ...
24: The River Till
November 21, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBGlyn opens this episode of the podcast with the announcement that he has moved the Hidden Wiltshire Headquarters from Trowbridge. Fearing that HQ had been relocated to Liverpool, Paul’s initial shock was eased by the news that HQ is now at Heywood House on Capps Lane just outside Westbury! And just as Paul was left wondering where Glyn had got what was probably a five million quid asking price from, Glyn stated that in fact he was simply renting a desk in what is serviced office accommodatio...
23: Wiltshire Museum Special - Stonehenge Gold, Saxon Wessex, the Ravilious Exhibition & More
November 07, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 64.1 MBA real treat in store in this episode as we interview David Dawson, Director of Wiltshire Museum in Devizes. But first we have our usual round-up of what we’ve been up to since the last episode. The second Hidden Wiltshire book is approaching completion. Apart from providing the music for the podcast Steve Dixon is a graphic designer. He’s now cast his eye over the draft and given us some great advice. We’re nearly ready to send it off for a draft print before ordering the full print run. ...
22: Great Ridge
October 24, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBIn which Glyn bravely battles through the podcast whilst suffering from a long bout of man flu, with frequent triggers of the mute button as he splutters into the crook of his arm as instructed by the scientists. But, ever the professional, the listener will hopefully not notice! Paul is still in Dordogne so has obviously done nothing in Wiltshire in the last two weeks. But we had plenty to talk about. Whilst researching something else Glyn stumbled across Potterne Midden. For those that d...
21: Knapp Down and the Ebble Valley
October 10, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 55.8 MBGlyn’s been so busy since the last episode that he’s not done any walking or taken a single photograph. But that doesn’t mean he’s been shirking his Hidden Wiltshire duties. He’s produced the first draft of the second Hidden Wiltshire book which will be out before Christmas. This one is a joint venture between Glyn and Paul and will feature photographs taken both from above and at ground level. Glyn has also embarked on the mammoth task of editing the footage shot for what will be Hidden Wil...
20: Erlestoke Wood and the "1917" Field
September 26, 2021 04:00 - 57 minutes - 52.4 MBSomeone has called Glyn and Paul the Whitehouse and Mortimer of the podcast world but with more sheep. We’re not sure if that was meant as a compliment but we’ll take it. We just need to decide which one of us is Paul Whitehouse and which one is Bob Mortimer. Before getting on to the main subject we discuss the last two weeks in the world of Hidden Wiltshire. It was the final Hidden Wiltshire/Wiltshire Museum guided walk recently which took us to Fyfield Down where we led a sell out six mil...
19: Beckhampton Gallops and the Witch Plantation
September 12, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBBit of a chaotic start to this episode of the podcast. We weren’t sure where we were. Glyn simply can’t get the staff these days. And what’s worse is that our reputation as serious podcasters is at risk due to the fact that most Google searches for reference material about Wiltshire lead back to this website! We’ll need to be a bit more diligent about our fact checking in future, although in this podcast we didn’t make a particularly good start!! Starting on a slightly sombre note, after Pa...
18: The Coffin Trail - linking West Ashton to Steeple Ashton
August 29, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 57.3 MBIt’s been a busy couple of weeks and there is dissent amongst the Hidden Wiltshire staff about pay and conditions. Paul in particular is unhappy with the current working practices that required him to spend two full days this week walking in warm sunshine across the Wiltshire countryside, taking photographs and testing the local hand pumped beers available in a Wiltshire pub after one particular walk. More of that in a future episode. But in the meantime, somebody had to do it and the Hidde...
17: Eden's Last Post - Ebbesbourne Wake, Norrington and Prescombe Down
August 15, 2021 04:00 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MBA welcome return to Wiltshire for Glyn after his selfless trip to Pembrokeshire in South West Wales in search of links to his home county. We might call it a holiday but he assures us it was all in the interests of Hidden Wiltshire! The link is of course that the blue stones at Stonehenge were sourced from the Preseli Hills some 5,000 years ago. And it’s now thought the exact location was a stone circle at Maun Wawn. Evidence suggests the stone circle was dismantled after around 300 years ...
16: Pewsey Downs - The East End
August 01, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 55.5 MBIt was an important and historic day for Wiltshire when we recorded the podcast as we waited for the decision of the courts on the judicial review of the Government’s decision to build the A303 tunnel past Stonehenge and the Winterbourne Stoke bypass. Will the courts allow the legal change against the process for arriving at the decision to build, or will they decide the process was not legal? Will it be the end of decades of wrangling? Whatever your view, the decision will be known by the t...
15: Salisbury Plain - Black Heath and the Old Slow Coach Road
July 18, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBIn this weeks episode we have our first guest – Hidden Wiltshire’s resident expert on Salisbury Plain, Mr Steve Dewey. But to begin with, Glyn talks about some birthday and anniversary milestones that instead of being celebrated in Rome, will be celebrated at Bishopstrow in Wiltshire – keeping it local! This weeks episode was actually recorded a while ago as Paul is currently closer to Norway than London, as he is taking a break travelling around Shetland and Orkney. Paul once a...
14: Wiltshire Clumps
July 04, 2021 04:00 - 56 minutes - 51.9 MBSomething a bit different in this episode. Instead of talking about a particular walk we focus on something that is classic Wiltshire. Something that we’ve all seen right across the county. The ubiquitous Wiltshire Clump. But to begin with we do our usual round up of the last two weeks in Wiltshire. We briefly mentioned the last joint walk that we ran with Wiltshire Museum on Adam’s Grave and Milk Hill. The walk was superbly led by David Carson whose family has farmed these lands since the ...
13: Sutton Veny and Tytherington
June 19, 2021 23:00 - 1 hour - 55.5 MBToday’s episode is the second of our walks to include some location recording, which seemed be so popular (according to our poll of three listeners) following our first attempt two weeks ago. Between them Glyn and Paul have done this walk three times already this year. It was that good! To begin with, in our catch up of the last two weeks in Wiltshire, we provide a bit of an update on how the outside broadcasting is going (pretty good we think) as well as a sneak preview of some really e...
12: The Valley of the Stones and the Devil's Den
June 05, 2021 23:00 - 53 minutes - 49.4 MBIn this episode we explore the expanse of Fyfield Down, searching out both hidden natural and human phenomena. There was so much to see and find that we went twice, and in the process recorded our first outside broadcast. But first, in our catch up on the last two weeks in Wiltshire, Glyn regales us with far too much information about his feet, and reviews the first of Hidden Wiltshire’s walks in conjunction with Wiltshire Museum. The glory of these walks is that we are accompanied by a ...
11: Searching for Kitt's Grave
May 22, 2021 23:00 - 57 minutes - 52.3 MBToday’s podcast revolves around the search for Kitt’s Grave in bandit country on the borders with Dorset and Hampshire. A story of historical fact or folklore? Or both? To begin with Glyn tries to justify why RAF Chinooks over Imber are hidden (he failed)! We continue with our review of the last two weeks in Wiltshire where rain largely stopped play. Paul admits to traitorous behaviour having spent a marvellous day walking on the South Downs in his home county of Sussex in the previous we...
10: The Fonthill Estate and the Gold Suited Doorman
May 08, 2021 23:00 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBAs we clock up double figures with our 10th episode this one is dominated by stories of some truly bizarre people including the gold suited Spanish dwarf Perro. But we begin with the prospect of a re-enactment of Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights by Glyn and Paul on Sidbury Hill. A prospect too ghastly for words. You’ll have to listen to find out more. We then catch up with activity over the two weeks since the last podcast which mostly involve the colour blue. Yes, it’s bluebell time again i...
9: Folly Wood and the Headless Horseman
April 24, 2021 23:00 - 1 hour - 58 MBAn episode of mystery, intrigue and colourful characters. After all it wouldn’t be Hidden Wiltshire without at least one of these elements and we have all three! We begin with a chat about what we’ve been up to in the last two weeks since the previous episode. Glyn’s excited about his discovery of a new bottom, and an old coffin trail to Steeple Ashton which included a stone bridge built, we think, by well-known West Country stonemason Andrew Ziminski. His book “The Stomemason” is thoroughl...
8: Ranscombe Bottom, Morgan's Hill and the Naked Highwaymen
April 10, 2021 23:00 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBIn today’s episode we visit Ranscombe Bottom, Morgan’s Hill and the very spooky Furze Knoll following a route that Glyn wrote about in his blog dated 17 September 2020. Use the link below for Glyn’s superb photographs and a description of the walk including the route map. But before doing so we have a chat about what we’ve been up since the last podcast including a recce for a future blog and podcast; a white out in blizzard conditions; and Glyn’s walk around the Fonthill Estate. We al...
8: Ranscombe Bottom and Morgan's Hill (and the naked highwaymen)
April 10, 2021 23:00 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBIn today’s episode we visit Ranscombe Bottom, Morgan’s Hill and the very spooky Furze Knoll following a route that Glyn wrote about in his blog dated 17 September 2020. Use the link below for Glyn’s superb photographs and a description of the walk including the route map. But before doing so we have a chat about what we’ve been up since the last podcast including a recce for a future blog and podcast; a white out in blizzard conditions; and Glyn’s walk around the Fonthill Estate. We al...
7: Pewsey (or is it Marlborough) Downs?
March 28, 2021 00:01 - 1 hour - 55.4 MBIn this episode we visit the hills to the north of the Pewsey Vale where Glyn and Paul have an argument about whether they are called the Pewsey Downs or the Marlborough Downs! But first we talk about a query from a listener about what to do when faced by a blocked public right of way. The answer is to report the matter to Wiltshire Council. There’s a link below. Glyn then tells us about a letter (yes an actual letter on paper and everything) that he received from Wiltshire artist Da...
6: Castle Combe and a Hint of Ancient History
March 14, 2021 00:01 - 55 minutes - 50.7 MBIn this episode we visit Castle Combe without actually going to the village. It’s hardly hidden is it? Instead we concentrate on the beautiful and historic countryside surrounding the village with its many hidden combes and bottoms (including one where we can only imagine at the derivation of its name) and its babbling brooks. We follow a walk posted on the Hidden Wiltshire website on 26 July 2020 (link below) but only in preparing for the podcast did we realise the significance of the rive...
5: The Deverills - North of the River Wylye
February 28, 2021 00:01 - 56 minutes - 51.8 MBIn this episode we continue our journey around the Deverills and the Wylye Valley, picking up where we left the walk in the previous episode at Brixton Deverill. We look at the extraordinary find of the site of a Roman villa in the gardens of a house in Brixton Deverill. We then take to the hills tracing a route to Brims Down, Cold Kitchen Hill and Whitecliff Down discussing the area’s rich history dating back to Neolithic times and the incredible long barrow on Cold Kitchen Hill before re...
5: The Deverills 2 - North of the River Wylye and a curious Roman Villa
February 28, 2021 00:01 - 56 minutes - 51.8 MBIn this episode we continue our journey around the Deverills and the Wylye Valley, picking up where we left the walk in the previous episode at Brixton Deverill. We look at the extraordinary find of the site of a Roman villa in the gardens of a house in Brixton Deverill. We then take to the hills tracing a route to Brims Down, Cold Kitchen Hill and Whitecliff Down discussing the area’s rich history dating back to Neolithic times and the incredible long barrow on Cold Kitchen Hill before re...
4: The Deverills - South of the River Wylye
February 14, 2021 00:01 - 56 minutes - 51.5 MBIn which we follow the first half of a walk heading south from Kingston Deverill to explore the beautiful and ancient landscape of the hills above the Wylye Valley. An area that has been continually farmed since at least 3,500 BC. This is an infrequently visited area of great natural beauty with seemingly endless views. A place where you will find a peace and solitude that belies its past as a busy farming area in prehistoric and Roman times. A meeting place of several ancient trackways ...
3: Exploring Bratton and Edington
January 31, 2021 00:01 - 58 minutes - 53.2 MBThis episode looks at the beautiful and historic landscape around the villages of Edington and Bratton. We follow a walk that Glyn wrote about in May 2019 that starts at the Iron Age Hillfort of Bratton Camp above the Westbury White Horse, and continues via Picquet Hill above Edington after a short diversion to Tinhead Hill. We explore Luccombe Bottom and its spring before returning via Bratton church and the lung busting climb back to Bratton Camp. You can follow Glyn’s walk on the Hidden...
2: Knook Castle and the Lost Village of Imber
January 17, 2021 00:01 - 51 minutes - 47.5 MBIn this episode we move a little further east from the location for episode 1 to visit the Iron Age settlement at Knook Castle. We mine the rich seam of history to be found in this area, thinking about how it might have looked over thousands of years of human habitation and how this has attracted interest from our ancestors since the dawn of archaeology. From there we head north and discuss the sad story of the village of Imber and share the fascinating story of Alan Dodson who has been try...
1: Where it all began. And a look at the Warminster Skyline
January 03, 2021 00:00 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBIn our very first episode Wiltshire photographers Glyn Coy and Paul Timlett talk about how the whole Hidden Wiltshire concept started, and the journey that led to the launch of the podcast. We also talk about one of Glyn’s favourite walks and the hill forts of Battlesbury, Scratchbury and Cley Hill that dominate the Warminster skyline. Glyn explains how he caused a major international incident (well, an article in the Wiltshire Times) by posting a film clip of a moth, and tells the highl...