Old Sarum & Salisbury

22 October 2008

Distance: 61/4 miles
Parking: English Heritage Car Park - Old Sarum
Map: Explorer 130 Salisbury & Stonehenge
Map ref for car park: SU141328

For route details click here

I always learn something from the walks I do, whether it be a better idea of how to frame a photograph or discovering another use for some piece of equipment. The most useful thing I learn from some walks however is how it could be improved. This particular day proved to be one of the latter.

The weather was lovely, glorious sunshine, scarcely a cloud and warm for October. I began at Old Sarum, denying myself the pleasure of a wander around the castle ruins unless I returned in good time later. I’d planned the walk but hadn’t put a time to it. Even without entering the castle ruins, there are two great moats and the ruins of the original cathedral to observe before heading down to the gate out of Old Sarum.

The walk took me along a footpath which I believe to be the remainder of a more ancient way and alongside the River Test, although on the opposite bank to the Nature Reserve walk. Lesson 1. The walk continues over a wooden bridge and down into the city centre, passing under the main road and the railway bridges of modern concrete and Victorian brick, with other smaller bridges of wrought iron and more modern architecture crossing over the river from the Walk to shopping malls. Salisbury’s city centre has to be the most charming I have yet entered. Despite the modern shopping malls and stores, the River flows gently through and on this day was flocked with swans, mature and juvenile. Older brick buildings are preserved and in one wall is still to be seen an old sluice gate with its great screws.

Further on, with the cathedral spire dominating the skyline from all directions, you come to the older, mediaeval part of the city with its narrow streets and restored buildings, and the Bargate through which you pass into the Cathedral Close. The Gates are still closed at night, between 2330 and 0600.

The cathedral rises in majesty. The spire is the tallest in Britain. And this year the Cathedral celebrates its 750th year. The Close contains several buildings of interest, including a mediaeval hall, but this is only open between April and September, so was unfortunately inaccessible today. The Clarendon Way begins in front of the beautiful West Front of the Cathedral, heads out of the Close and turns right on its eastern route to Winchester 25 miles away.

Although I didn’t visit the Cathedral, I did step for a few minutes into the Church of St Thomas Becket where there is an original 15th century “Doom Painting”, long preserved by the whitewashing during the Reformation and rediscovered and restored in the 19th century. This did nothing for my time-keeping, but I wouldn’t wish the visit undone.

Of the latter part of my walk from Salisbury back to Old Sarum, some part of it went through suburban city streets much like any other city’s; along a bridlepath called Cow Lane of little interest or beauty, except for the double railway bridges at the far end. Emerging from Cow Lane and wishing to access St Marks Lane towards a bridlepath back to Old Sarum, there is no easy access except to turn left towards the roundabout and cross over to the Church, or turn right and find the way through from there.

The bridlepath itself when reached is an excellent gravelled path accessible not only to horseriders, but cyclists, pedestrians, wheel-chair users and pushchairs. It’s only drawback in respect of universal use is that it finishes at a narrow road with no pavement, and this needs negotiating to come back to Old Sarum itself.

I didn’t return in time to have a look around Old Sarum, and a visit to the Cathedral will have to be postponed until another day, because I didn’t leave myself enough time.

So, I have planned a new, rather shorter route which will take in the Avon River Nature Reserve, the water meadows and leave time for visiting both the castle ruins at Old Sarum and the Cathedral in the city.