Imber Village: 80-Year Ban Ends for One Surreal Open-Bus Day

Imber Village, shuttered in Wiltshire since 1943 for D-Day training, unlocks for a single August day—ImberBus delivers explorers past ghostly homes and an unexploded ordnance warning. Trending: “Can you visit Imber?” and “Why was Imber abandoned?” Blacksmith Albert Nash reportedly died of heartbreak after eviction, and custodian Neil Skelton dryly warns, “Visitors have been ignoring instructions regarding trespassing in restricted areas.”
While Imber’s one-day opening lures history hunters, only St Giles’ Church is legally accessible—no electricity, no toilets, and certainly no WiFi. Curious searchers ask, “Is Imber still a military training area?” and “What happens if you trespass in Imber?” The scene: hopeful tourists queue beside Warminster Station, clutching cash for a decade-old bus, as military signs threaten prosecution, injury, or, with British understatement, death by leftover World War II bombs.
In 2023, 28 ImberBuses carried thrill-seekers across Salisbury Plain, raising nearly £35,000 for charity—while every other building in the village stood locked, silent, and strictly out of bounds.