Following on from last month’s email, this is a final reminder that year’s Imberbus service will be running next Saturday – 15th August 2026.

This year there will be up to 40 vehicles in operation, providing departures every 10-15 minutes from Warminster Rail Station, starting at 9.30am. Most journeys will be operated by more than one bus, some of which will be wheelchair accessible, so even if you have mobility issues getting to Imber should not be a problem if you can get to Warminster. However travelling beyond Imber to some of the villages might take a bit more planning, so if you are travelling with a wheelchair please email us so that we can tell you a bit more about what to expect.

In addition to the regular service between Warminster and Imber, buses will be serving Chitterne, Tilshead, West Lavington, Market Lavington, Brazen Bottom and New Zealand Farm Camp at least every 30 minutes during most of the day, and you can start your journey at Chitterne, Tilshead and the Lavingtons instead of Warminster if you wish – just wait at a marked bus stop along our route, signal clearly to the driver by putting your hand out as the bus approaches and ensure that you have some cash on you to pay the conductor.

Full details of what we have planned this year can be found on the “Imber 2026” page of our website (www.imberbus.org) which has recently been updated. However, but we would particularly draw your attention to the following arrangements and features:

• August 15th will be a car free day at Imber, so the only vehicles that will allowed on to the military roads will be the Imberbuses themselves.  If you would prefer to drive or cycle to Imber, please delay your visit for a couple of weeks as Imber Church and the road through Imber are expected to be open to all traffic over the Bank Holiday weekend, although there will be no buses running then.

• In addition to the car parks in Warminster Town Centre, there will be additional parking available at the Cricket Ground in the village of Chitterne (east of Warminster) and at Warminster School on the edge of Warminster town centre. Alternatively if you can get to Warminster before things get busy, why not use our “Earlybird” car park at Sack Hill which is north of Warminster on the road to Imber. Please see the “Travelling to Imberbus” page of our website for more details of car park locations. but remember that there are no toilets or other facilities at Sack Hill and you will have to pay your bus fare in cash if you do not get on at Warminster Station!

• If you are driving to Warminster from the south, please be aware that the road into Warminster from the southern junction of the A350 & A36 will be closed due to roadworks, so we recommend that you take this diversion instead to reach us.

• Direct train services to Warminster are available from Cardiff, Newport, Bristol, Bath, Trowbridge, Salisbury, Southampton and Portsmouth (plus various towns in between) and there are still a few spaces available on the coaches that are running to our event from London, Coventry, Gloucester, Weymouth and South Wales – further details of these are also provided on the “Travelling to Imberbus” page on our website.

• We operate a simple fare structure on Imberbus, with just two ticket prices – £10 for adults and £2 for children.  These tickets will allow unlimited travel on service 23A for the whole day.  Please note that you will need to pay for your tickets in cash, unless you are boarding at Warminster Station where we will have a ticket booth that can also accept payment by contactless card. You will also need cash for purchases at Imber Church and some of the village halls, so please bring plenty with you!

• If you live locally to Warminster, this year you can also purchase your tickets beforehand from the Athenaeum Centre on Warminster High Street or the “Iris & Olive” gift shop in the Market Place. However most people choose to wait until they arrive at Warminster Station.

• If you would like to visit Chitterne before heading to Imber, there will be buses running from the coach layby in Warminster Central Car Park direct to Chitterne at 10.20am. If you are not sure where that is, click on this link to see the walking route from the train station.

• There will also be an exhibition of Imber/Imberbus related cartoons taking place in Warminster Library at the same time as our event, plus a dinosaur trail that families might like to follow after they have finished riding on the buses. Please visit the recently updated Exploring Warminster page on our website for more information.

As Imber is in a military area that is normally closed to the public, facilities there are extremely limited and there are restrictions on where you can wander when you arrive. Therefore if you have not attended our event before, we would recommend that you read the Imberbus FAQ page on our website which provides important information on where you can and cannot go, where you can get something to eat and also the location of public toilets (which are few and far between on the Salisbury Plain!). 

Please also bear in mind that the Imber plain is a very exposed location with very little shelter or shade except inside Imber Church! At busy times there may also be a short wait to get on a bus, so we therefore strongly advise you to wear sensible footwear, bring plenty of drinks and an umbrella with you, and slap on lots of sunscreen!

We hope that you will be able to join us on Saturday and if you would like further information about our event, please check out the other pages on our website – www.imberbus.org. We would also be keen to see any photographs or videos that you take on the day – particularly if they would be suitable to replace those currently in use on our publicity or website. Please feel free to get in touch if you think you have any that might fit the bill.