DEVIZES , seven miles down the A361 from Avebury at the mouth of the Vale of Pewsey, is a pleasant place, with some attractive eighteenth-century houses, a stately semicircular market place and a couple of fine churches, St Mary's and St John's. It's chiefly worth a stop, however, for the excellent Museum at 41 Long St (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-4pm; £3, free Sun & Mon), housing an exceptional collection of prehistoric finds from barrows and henges throughout the county. Star exhibit is the so-called Marlborough Bucket, decorated with bronze reliefs from the first century BC.

The town offers some appealing nooks to explore: seek out the timbered and jettied row of Elizabethan-era houses on the cobbled St John's Alley, tucked away behind St John's Street. Out of town, you can enjoy a pleasant canalside stroll along the Kennet and Avon Canal which boasts 29 locks at Caen Hill, roughly an hour-and-a-half's walk westwards, but easily cyclable too.

Devizes has a very helpful tourist office at Cromwell House, Market Place (Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm; tel 01380/729408). The best place to stay is the Castle Hotel , on New Park Street, a former coaching inn with a bar and restaurant (tel 01380/729300; £60-70); less expensive are the Craven B&B Station Road (tel 01380/723514; under £40) and the White Bear Inn , Monday Market Street (tel 01380/722583; £40-50). For eating , try the Wiltshire Kitchen , St John's Street, which serves good lunches and snacks, as does the Cheesecake in Market Place. Also in Market Place, you'll find Seafoods Restaurant , a fish-and-chip takeaway that also provides more substantial sit-down meals at cheap prices.