Salisbury Plain Army Training Estate, Wiltshire

• Just over 38,000 ha.  The training area covers 25 miles x 10 miles, 1/9 of the county of Wiltshire.
• The War Office first purchased land on Salisbury Plain in 1897.  The main acquisition programme was finished in 1920, and the major garrisons were constructed over the next 30 years.  The village of Imber was requisitioned by the War Office in 1943.
• Approximately 12,150 ha is used for live firing and as impact areas.  Public access is permanently restricted in certain areas, including the Imber Live Firing Range.
• Salisbury Plain is the largest area of chalk grassland in North-West Europe.  It contains 40% of the remaining area of this habitat in the UK. 20,000 ha are designated as SSSI, Special Conservation Areas and Special Protection Areas for birds.
• It contains 2,300 ancient monuments.

The Friends of Imber website

For information about access, descriptions of walks and Ordnance Survey references, see the MoD Access and Recreation on the Defence Estate site