How to find the witches' trees in Grovely Woods, near Salisbury

Grovely Wood, near Wilton, is home to many tales of mystique and wonder and the legend of the four Handsel sisters is rooted there.

It is said that in 1737 a wave of smallpox killed more than 100 Wilton villagers and four foreign sisters were blamed and labelled witches.

They were dragged into the woods, bludgeoned to death and buried apart from each other so that they could not conspire against those who killed them.

Now, what remains of the sisters draws visitors from far and wide to the woods.

Decorations on the witch tree. (Image: Salisbury Journal)

Four trees allegedly grew from the graves of the sisters or, more likely, they were planted there after their deaths.

Hundreds of years later three towering beech trees remain and can be found just off the 7000-year-old tarmacked Roman road that runs through the woods.

The gnarly-branched trees stand out from the rest and people visit to decorate them with offerings, trinkets and ornaments.

Log circles have been placed around each tree which makes them even easier to spot.

How to find the witches' trees

To find them yourself, park up in a layby at the end of The Hollows in Wilton.

Then, walk up the dirt path until the road forks at a farmhouse to the left.

Follow the right path for half a mile until you reach a large metal gate to the left, at the end of the path. Here, you will see the magnificent Roman road for the first time.

Grovely Wood Roman road. (Image: Peter Norton)

Keep walking down the road for roughly 700m but look out to the left, this is where you'll see the first tree.

If using the what3words application, leave the road at scouted.skippers.bonus.

From there, you will be able to spot the other trees further up the road, although spotting them yourself adds to the fun.