Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

All military activity is suspended for a few days.
If you want a weekend outing with a difference, a trip over the Imber Ranges could be the answer.

The tarmac roads to Imber Village from Bratton, Gore Cross (** see below), Heytesbury and Warminster are open to the public between 18.00 hours Friday 28th and 18.00 Sunday 30th September.

Imber Church will be open both days (Saturday 10.00 - 16.00, Sunday 12.00 - 16.00) with various bands of bell ringers present to make your visit even more memorable with a peal attempt on the Sunday. The 29th annual St Gilestide Service Will be held on the Saturday at 1500hrs.

Please be aware that these roads are 'poor' tarmac and are not maintained to public road standards. They have some pot holes, so care needs to be taken. However, they are suitable for 'normal' cars and the trip is well worth making.

All other tracks, stone tracks, the Southern Range Road, and Imber village itself, remain closed (Out of Bounds) in accordance with the Bylaws. Movement off of the 'opened' roads is forbidden and trespassers liable to prosecution.

There is, of course, a difference between the roads listed above, definitive legal rights of way (which you are entitled to use) and the 'permissive' rights of way listed above.

One final point. If you do venture onto the ranges DO NOT LEAVE THE ROAD AND DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING you may find laying about, it may kill or seriously injure you!!

(**) Roads through Imber will be open on the weekend of the annual St Giles’ Church service, however as a concrete platform to enable tanks to manoeuvre across the road is being built at the Joan a Gore Cross entry point, the Imber to Joan a Gore Cross road will not be open to vehicles but walkers and cyclists, with care, will be able to pass around the outside of the road works.