Public information leaflet - Salisbury Plain Training Area
Published 23 May 2024
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Landscape and Cultural Heritage
Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) is the same size as the Isle of Wight, covering a ninth of the county of Wiltshire. It spans from Warminster and Westbury in the west, to Tidworth and Perham Down in the east. The village of Imber, evacuated in 1943, remains uninhabited, but one service a year is still held in the church, which is well fenced and protected. The use of Salisbury Plain as a military training area has preserved a substantial archaeological landscape dating back some 6,000 years. There are about 2,300 monuments, 550 of which are protected by law. The Plain also has one of the densest concentrations of ancient long and round barrows anywhere in Britain.
Training on land and in the air
At over 94,000 acres, Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) is the UK’s largest training area. It offers live firing and other facilities for armoured vehicles, artillery, engineers, infantry and aircraft. The regular Army, Army reserves and cadets use the training area, as do our NATO allies.
SPTA is unique in that it provides training for aspects of military operations which cannot be properly practised elsewhere in the UK. Live firing takes place around 340 days a year, and over the past 35 years over nine million large calibre rounds have been fired on the Training Area. Copehill Down, a purpose-built “village”, is used to train for operations in built-up areas. Military aircraft from all three Services also use the airspace above the Plain by day and night.
Safety and personal responsibility
When on a public right of way that crosses a training area, please adhere to the following:
- Please keep to the paths and do not pick up any metal objects
- Keep away from all buildings, bunkers and military installations
- Use of metal detectors is prohibited
- Camping and fires are not permitted
- Be sure to check for ticks after your visit
- Please protect wildlife and archaeological sites
- Collection of fossils, plants, bird eggs or insects is prohibited
- Keep your dog in sight and under close control, particularly when near livestock
- Leave all gates as you find them
- Take your litter home
- Clean your footwear before you enter your car or home
- Wash your hands before you eat
Remember! Unexploded ordnance: Do not touch any unidentified object and do not approach, touch, or pick up any metal objects lying on the ground.
Access and recreation
Public access to SPTA is regulated by Military Byelaws. Further information about byelaws.
Visitors should always comply with local signs and flags.
An extensive network of public rights of way provides access to some 68,600 acres of SPTA. Further information can be found on Ordnance Survey Explorer and Landranger Maps or via the Wiltshire County Council web pages.
Please be aware that public rights of way in Range Danger Areas are closed to the public when red flags are flying. To maintain public safety some areas of the Plain are permanently closed to the public. These include Larkhill and Westdown artillery impact areas and Warminster live firing area.
Every effort is made to minimise the impact of military training on people’s lives: a special parish liaison system is in place offering a direct point of contact to the people in all of the 45 parishes around the Plain. A regular newsletter informs residents of forthcoming exercises and other planned military activities. Noise levels are constantly monitored, and exercise planning take account of the effects of training on the local population.
Nature conservation and land management
The MOD pays careful attention to managing the heritage of the Plain to preserve it for future generations.
Some 50,000 acres of the training area form six Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The area has remained a home to a wealth of rare species of fauna and flora already lost in other parts of the country. There are approximately 6,000 acres of woodland which are used for training. A long tradition of cattle and sheep grazing helps maintain the area’s historic landscape and diverse flora and fauna, as well as reducing the likelihood of range fires. By letting grazing to local farmers the Plain makes an important contribution to the community.
Normal firing times
Normal firing times:
8.30am to 5pm for Day Firing, 8.30am to 11pm for Night Firing
Precise firing times can be checked by calling the SPTA Walks Line: (01980) 67 4763.
Further information
Salisbury Plain Greenlaning Good Practice Guide