Friday Sept 14

Crofton Beam Engines, There is a lot of industrial history in the Crofton story starting at a time when the canal system was the motorway of its time shipping goods from Bristol to London. Inside the engine house there are two beam engines still working as a testimony to the quality of engineering of the past. The Engine House and Engineman's Rest Cafe are open today from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Crofton Pumping Station is owned by the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust. The station has been restored and operated over the past half a century by our incredible volunteers.

Avebury henge and stone circles are one of the greatest marvels of prehistoric Britain. Built and much altered during the Neolithic period, roughly between 2850 BC and 2200 BC, the henge survives as a huge circular bank and ditch, encircling an area that includes part of Avebury village. Within the henge is the largest stone circle in Britain - originally of about 100 stones - which in turn encloses two smaller stone circles. Avebury is part of an extraordinary set of Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial sites that seemingly formed a vast sacred landscape. They include West Kennet Avenue, West Kennet Long Barrow, The Sanctuary, Windmill Hill, and the mysterious Silbury Hill. Many can be reached on foot from the village. The Alexander Keiller Museum also displays many notable finds from the Avebury monuments. Together with Stonehenge, Avebury and its surroundings are a World Heritage Site. Avebury henge and stone circles are managed by The National Trust on behalf of English Heritage, and the two organisations share the cost of managing and maintaining the property. Walking between the sites of Avebury is a great way to make the most of your visit, but be aware that paths may be uneven and muddy. The charged car park at Avebury is managed by the National Trust, but is free to English Heritage members. Toilets are available near the Alexander Keiller Museum. Thatched barn

part of The National Trust hub has visitor reception in the 17th century threshing barn in the Old Farmyard. There is also a cafe, picnic area, shop and toilets.

Swindon Karting F1, 4pm, Swindon Karting, Wroughton, Swindon. There is a sensible range of events to choose from with race formats ranging from sprint events for small groups right up to exclusive Grands Prix or team endurance races for larger corporate groups. Fiver Friday with karting for juniors followed by adults only at 6pm. Covered kart track plus rodeo bull, laser shooting, mini-quad and digger course. It is suitable for ages: Young Children (4-8), Older Children (9-12) and Teenagers (13-18) with a full on fun karting experience. They have a huge fleet of TB Karts with 270CC engines, suitable for kids and adults. Minimum age for arrive & drive session is 8 years old but they run a children's club every Sunday morning for 5-8-year-olds. Note that booking is essential. There is also Minimoto bikes are available for hire plus the centre is home to the Scott Redding Young Riders Academy, teaching children as young as five years old to ride a minimoto. They offer loads of events available for families, including private track hire and discount days. And for when you need to refuel, their on-site café serves fast food and snacks.

Cicatrix: The Scar of a Healed Wound is a contemporary art project incorporating drawing, films and installation. It explores the scars of World War I on the landscape, people and psyche of Wiltshire. Join the curator for a free lunchtime tour of the new exhibition, from 12.30pm, at the Museum & Art Gallery, Bath Road, Swindon. It is a free event. It is a contemporary art exhibition incorporating installation, drawing and films, by Prudence Maltby, Susan Francis and Henny Burnett. For more details call 01793 466556.

Saturday

Calne Heritage Week begins at 10am in the Calne Heritage Centre, Carnegie Building, New Road, Calne. Many of the 32 events are free. 01380 828851. Bringing Calne’s past to life with a week of open days, talks and guided walks. Calne Food Festival, begins at 10am, in Phelps Parade, Phelps Parade, Calne on Saturday. It is a family friendly food festival working in support of Calne Springs, a flavoursome line up of experiences for food lovers hungry to explore a wide range of food and drink. The festival is free to enter and will include live entertainment and demonstrations, sample all the different cuisines on offer! It is a free event. For more details visit 01380 734364.

Old Town Autumn Fayre, 12pm, Christ Church, Cricklade Street, Old Town, Swindon. Free. Children will love the animals at Dave & Ewes Mobile Farm. Traditional games add to the fun alongside fairground rides, a grand prize draw and lots of craft and produce stalls. Or spend the time with music from the Bill Bailey Jazz Band with a glass of real ale or local cider or a different tipple from The Little Box Bar a vintage travelling gin bar serving a range of premium gins. Dotty’s will be sizzling their mouth-watering sausages from the Gloucester Sausage Company and Moshan Grill will be providing some delicious vegetarian Caribbean alternatives. There will also be freshly cooked artisan pizza by Falvo’s or try the cakes in the community centre tea garden. And if you need some exercise after all that you can venture up 46 steps into Christ Church’s bell tower. In the church you can find out about local heritage, try your hand at lacemaking and be entertained by the Christ Church Hand Bell Ringers and the Gemma Short School of Dance & Theatre Arts.

Lydiard Park and house fun trail encourages children to get involved with Lydiard’s beautiful displays and fun exhibits. Have fun on your adventure as you hunt for objects, shapes and colours! Ideal for fives and under. Free with standard admission. There are Puzzle it Out Trails, find the answers to clues! One letter from each of the answers spells out a word - can you find out what the word is? Free with standard admission. The Palladian House, church and walled garden, is set in 260 acres of parkland. There is a children's play area, cafe and tea rooms. Lydiard Park boasts some 260 acres of mixed habitats that accommodate a wide range of wildlife. Although the park is enjoyed by around 700,000 visitors every year, the wildlife enjoys a good level of protection through the refuge of semi-natural areas, habitat management and building contacts with external organisations, including Swindon Swan Sanctuary.

Sunday 16/09/2018

Autumn Hedgerows led by park ranger Tom Murawicki begins at 11.30am, in Stanton Park, The Avenue, Stanton Fitzwarren, Swindon on Sunday. It is a gentle five-miler walk through park and surrounding countryside to look at hedgerows laden with food, as Mother Nature starts thinking about her winter sleep. The walk is suitable for dogs. Meet at Stanton Park Ranger Centre. Please wear clothes to suit the weather and stout shoes, bring some money for refreshments at the half way stop. It is a free event. Book in advance on 01793 490150 or swindonrangers@swindon.gov.uk

Faringdon Folly Open Day, 11am, Faringdon Folly Tower and Woodland, Stanford Road, Faringdon. Adults £3, 11-16 years £1, under 11s free. 01367 241142.This unique unusual 100ft tower is Faringdon’s icon and the last major folly to be built in England.

It sits on Folly Hill, within a charming circular 4 acre woodland of splendid Scots Pine and broadleaf trees, some more than 200 years old. Check out the fantastic views over 5 counties and find out about the history of Folly Hill, Henry James Pye (of Sing a Song of Sixpence fame), Oliver Cromwell and the very eccentric Lord Berners (the creator of the tower). Seek out the 24 black birds and giant willow pie, Cromwell’s cannon, the fairly useless bridge, Lord Berners in a tree! and a variety of birds and animal sculptures lurking among the trees. You might even see a troll, but, ‘please do not feed the giraffes’. ( Find the full list in Things to do on the Folly website) 10 minutes walk from Faringdon’s historic market place. The woodland is always open and entry is free. Book a private opening, for your party or celebration. www.faringdonfolly.org.uk

The Richard Jefferies Museum Marlborough Road, Coate is owned by Swindon Borough Council and run by the Richard Jefferies Museum Trust and is open on Sunday from 1pm - 5pm. The museum consists of a seventeenth century thatched cottage bought by the Jefferies family in 1800, a later, nineteenth century three-storied farmhouse, plus outbuildings, gardens, a copse, orchard and vegetable gardens. Inside, there is an extensive collection of items relating to Jefferies, mostly on loan from the Richard Jefferies Society. For example, there are first editions of many of Richard Jefferies' writings, the manuscript of Wood Magic and photographs, paintings and memorabilia. Furthermore, much of the house has been restored to create the atmosphere of a mid to late 19th Century farmhouse, complete with four-poster bed, a diorama of Jefferies as a young boy reading on his bed, and even a cheese room. The museum has an outdoor camera that we use to see if we can capture natural events when we are not around. The camera is triggered by movement, so is good for making little videos of animals, birds etc.. We place the camera in different hidden places, both around the museum and further afield in other natural surroundings, then check it regularly to see who has visited!