The A360 is an

A road A roads may be *motorways or freeways, usually where the local word for motorway begins with A (for example, ''Autobahn'' in German; ''Autostrada'' in Italian). * main roads or highways, in a system where roads are graded A, B and sometimes lower c ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, England, running from

Devizes Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century ...

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

, through the villages of

Potterne Potterne is a village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England. The village is south of Devizes and lies on the A360 which links Devizes to Salisbury. The civil parish includes the hamlet of Potterne Wick. History There is evide ...

, West Lavington,

Tilshead Tilshead () is a village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire in Southern England, about northwest of the town of Amesbury. It is close to the geographical centre of Salisbury Plain, on the A360 road approximately midway between the ...

, and

Shrewton Shrewton is a village and civil parish on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, around west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. It lies on the A360 road between Stonehenge and Tilshead. It is close to the source of the River Till, which flows ...

, and passing near the

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connectin ...

ancient monument.

Route

The road is long and starts at the junction of the A342 and

A361 road The A361 is an A class road in southern England, which at is the longest three-digit A road in the UK. History When first designated in 1922, the A361 ran from Taunton (Somerset) to Banbury (Oxfordshire). It was later extended west through ...

s in the town of Devizes. It continues southwards towards

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wi ...

, passing West Lavington via Potterne, then south-east to Shrewton via Tilshead. It turns right at Airman's Corner (a junction with an entrance to

and the B3086), crosses the

A303 The A303 is a trunk road in southern England, running between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon via Stonehenge. Connecting the M3 and the A30, it is part of one of the main routes from London to Devon and Cornwall. It is a prim ...

and continues southwards into Salisbury, joining the A36 near the centre of the city.

History

Original route

The A360 originally ran south from Shrewton, following the River Till via

Winterbourne Stoke Winterbourne Stoke is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about west of Amesbury and west of the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge. The village is on the River Till at the southern edge of Salisbury Plain, on both sides of a s ...

to join the A36 beyond Stapleford. This section was re-routed sometime before 1958, at first eastward for about along the A344 Amesbury road, then turning south near Stonehenge onto the former Devizes-Salisbury road; a straighter route on higher ground which avoids the riverside villages and heads directly for Salisbury.

Longbarrow Roundabout

In November 2012, major work began on the Longbarrow Roundabout where the A360 crosses the A303, with the intention that the A360 would become the main visitors' route to Stonehenge. In June 2013, the main road next to Stonehenge, the A344, was closed and drivers were advised to access the Stonehenge visitor centre via the A360 instead.

Camp Hill upgrade

In 2019, work began on upgrading a junction with a minor road to a roundabout at Camp Hill near the north-west outskirts of Salisbury, as it is a notorious accident blackspot with several serious incidents.

Features

The central section of the A360 through Salisbury Plain passes through the centre of

Salisbury Plain Training Area Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wi ...

, a major

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

site. The road crosses several

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

trails, which see sporadic active use during training exercises. A number of warning signs are placed on the road advising motorists. In 2018, live firing was stopped on the site after part of Salisbury Plain caught fire, which resulted in part of the A360 being closed. In addition to Stonehenge, the A360 passes several ancient monuments, including

Camp Down Camp Down () is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire in South West England. It was designated as such in 1965. Location The area overlooks the valley of the River Avon, and is about northwest of Salisbury. It lies ea ...

, a

bowl barrow A bowl barrow is a type of burial mound or tumulus. A barrow is a mound of earth used to cover a tomb. The bowl barrow gets its name from its resemblance to an upturned bowl. Related terms include ''cairn circle'', ''cairn ring'', ''howe'', ''ke ...

at Longbarrow.

References

External links

A360 at SABRE
{{DEFAULTSORT:3-0360 Roads in England Transport in Wiltshire