Walks, Sports and Recreation

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Marlborough has clubs and societies catering for most sport across the age groups and includes a well-equipped Leisure Centre with a swimming pool, fitness suite, sports hall and more. There’s no excuse for not keeping fit here!

Most Saturdays, there's a free 5 km parkrun on The Common, click here to read more or register to take part.

For golfers, Marlborough Golf Club on The Common welcomes visitors, as does the club at Ogbourne Downs which is just a short drive north of town.

The town also has a variety of sport and leisure activities and clubs including bowls, amateur boxing, cricket, football, hockey, horse-riding, rugby and tennis. For model enthusiasts, there's also Marlborough Model Flying Club that meets on The Common.

The Marlborough area is a walkers’ paradise; plan your own routes or find help from the many websites now available with downloadable walks. Here are a few ideas to get you going!

Walks and Cycling

In town there are interesting alleyways, footpaths, riverside parks and open spaces to explore. If you'd like to follow a structured walk, try the short (just over a mile) self-guided blue plaque walk, or pop into the White Horse Bookshop on the High Street to pick up local local maps and books, such as walks incorporating coffee shops and pubs. For history buffs, you might be interested in the Marlborough Tank Island War Walk, about two miles around the town, produced by the Kennet Valley at War Trust. Marlborough's location also offers plenty of opportunities for walkers and cyclists to explore the surrounding countryside. Here are a few ideas to whet your appetite: please make sure you follow the countryside code and enjoy the outdoors responsibly.

Nature trail

Two walks that start and finish in the town centre and explore nature reserves following the river Kennet

There's a White Horse chalk hill figure in Marlborough: discover them all (in Wiltshire and Oxfordshire) by following our trail

Discover the ancient oaks of Savernake Forest

Approx. 6 miles (with a shorter Acorn Walk option for little legs)

Discover Marlborough's 10 blue plaques on a town centre walk

1.3 miles

Marlborough War Walk

A Town centre walk - about 2 miles

A foot & cycle path following a disused railway line going north from Marlborough, linking with a number of rights of way along its route

7 miles one way

Marlborough is in the heart of North Wessex Downs National Landscape. Explore this beautiful area, download and find walking routes here

This national trail passes close to Marlborough

There are car parks at Hackpen Hill overlooking a White Horse hill figure and on the A4 between West Overton and West Kennett

For a taster try this 5 mile circular walk including Barbury Castle Hill Fort

A long-distance walking, cycling and riding route with the Vale of Pewsey at its heart

Set in the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, this route takes in downland, woodland, farmland, country lanes, picturesque villages and the Kennet & Avon Canal. For cyclists, the route is just over 72 miles and for walkers just over 77 miles.

Circular walk, about 1.5 miles

Includes Wilton Windmill, Wilton Water and Crofton Beam Engines besides the Kennet and Avon Canal

The West Woods are alive with flowers in the spring (anenomes, wild daffodils and bluebells). Savernake Forest is more than 1,000 years old containing some ancient trees

OS Explorer Map 157

Fyfield Down is part of the Avebury World Heritage Site and is within walking distance of Marlborough (approx. 3 miles). Until recently it was a nature reserve: in 2021 the govt announced it would be delisted and managed by Natural England. You can cycle here too: route 45 of Sustrans National Cycle Network links Chester to Salisbury and passes through Wiltshire