Did you know that the UK is full of abandoned places? Well, it is. Whether due to natural disasters, political decisions or the slow march of time, there are apparently up to 3,000 ‘lost’ settlements across the country.
And now, excitingly, you’re able to visit one of those places. The ‘lost’ village of Imber in Wiltshire is visitable for one day per year and, this year, that day is this coming weekend.
Imber was abandoned in 1943 during World War II, after the farming village’s residents were asked to vacate in order to make way for Allied forces to train for D-Day. The villagers were given only 47 days’ notice and never returned, with the village still used for training by the British Army to this day.
Imber is usually closed off to the public, but it’ll open this weekend for its yearly busload of visitors. You’ll be able to discover the forgotten village and Salisbury Plain on Saturday (August 19) as part of a fascinating open-top bus tour.
The bus ride starts from Warminster and runs down military-owned roads into the village, giving passengers a glimpse of pre-war Imber as it would’ve been in 1939. The bus tour will take visitors past council houses, St Giles School, Imber Court Farm, Nag’s Head Cottages and St Giles Church, which dates back to the late thirteenth century.
Last year, more than 2,000 people toured the village, with all-day-fares priced at £10 for adults and £2 for children. If you’re interested in making a trip to Imber this weekend, you can find out more on the official website here.
Did you see that you can now rent an entire gothic church on Airbnb?
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.