The village

Ebbesbourne Wake is a charming unspoilt village, with plenty of thatched cottages, an old church, a chapel and an excellent pub, The Horseshoe Inn, which has a beer garden, real ales and very good home-cooked food. If you want to eat there at the weekend you will need to book. It's closed on Mondays. The River Ebble, at this point a tiny stream, starts in the village, hence its name.

Walks

There are plenty of footpaths in the area, including a bridleway which starts beside the garden gate and goes across the field and up the hill. The roads through the village are very quiet and pleasant to walk along. The area is chalk downland and is lovely to explore. The Ox Drove, the old track along the hill ridge to the south of the village, and the similar one along the hill ridge to the north can be accessed at many points and have lovely views. There are some particularly fine woods to the south, just over the Oxdrove : Garston Wood, owned by the RSPB, on the way to Sixpenny Handley, and in Cranborne Chase, which is heavily wooded. You can walk on footpaths and bridleways from the village in all four directions.

Shopping

Salisbury (ten miles away) is the largest centre in the area and of course well worth visiting, but for food shopping, Shaftesbury (also ten miles away) is probably easier, being smaller and a lovely place to walk around. Wilton (about seven miles away) has shops, Wilton Shopping Village, an Italianate church and Wilton House. Tisbury, (near Old Wardour Castle and about five miles away), is a large village with enough food shops for most needs. The village of Sixpenny Handley, six miles to the south, has two corner shops, a post office, a butcher’s and an iron monger’s. Broadchalke ( three miles away in the Salisbury direction) has an excellent and award-winning community village shop and post office’s