Wessex is the land of King Arthur and King Alfred, of Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy, of Bath and Stonehenge. It was the birthplace of England and England's heritage remains very much part of the Wessex way of life. It is a land of beautiful countryside, historic market towns and ancient villages, geographically not far west of London, but in every other way very far from the pressure, pace and congestion of the urban world. Its people have the time to be friendly and the visitor the time to touch and feel its heritage.