Ask a tourist who has never been to the country to describe a typical English village and the picture they will probably have in their mind is Lacock.

It is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trust, which preserves its perfect appearance.

An appearance that has barely changed in 200 years.

And TV and movie producers cannot get enough of using the Wiltshire village for period dramas and blockbuster films.

Since the BBC used it in 1995 for its celebrated production of Pride and Prejudice, its been used for other TV shows such as Downton Abbey and Cranford and a host of huge films including Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Of course, when a village is so picture perfect it can mean big crowds - particularly in the summer months.

So visiting in the autumn of winter - or on a weekday - is your best bet of having the place almost to yourself, where you can appreciate its beauty all the more.

Lacock Abbey, an old monastery turned country house surrounded by woodland and gardens, is an obvious starting point for any visit to the village.

As with all National Trust properties at the moment, there are limited numbers on visitors, so you have to pre-book or find yourself turned away.

Once you've checked out the abbey, leave some time to just wander the streets of the village, taking in the pretty cottages covered in climbing plants, the traditional yellow stone medieval houses which you'll find across the Cotswolds and the medieval church that dates back to the 14th century.

There's a choice of pubs to choose from for a meal or just a drink - with the George Inn being one of the oldest pubs in England.

What else is there to do nearby?

If you are heading to Wiltshire for a weekend there's lots of options to choose from.

Not far away is Longleat, with its famous safari park, stately home and enormous maze.

A bit further south is Stonehenge, one of the world's most famous landmarks.

If the inevitable hordes of tourists put you off Stonehenge, you could alternatively visit the stone circles at Avebury, which are less well known and, as a result, a lot quieter.

Gorgeous Castle Combe - often named Britain's prettiest village - is also nearby and the town of Bradford-on-Avon and city of Bath are other good options.

Basically there's more than enough to do to make a very long weekend of it!

How do I get there?

By car it is a couple of hours from Central London, and about 90 minutes from parts of West London.

It's a fairly straight forward journey. Head down the M4 and it is a couple of miles south of Chippenham.

If going by train, Chippenham is just over an hour from Paddington and once there you can get a bus or taxi to Lacock.