We arrived in Salisbury late in the evening with just enough time to check into our hotel, grab a bite to eat and turn in early so we were ready for our whirlwind tour of Wiltshire the next day. Below is our itinerary for the day plus some other great things to see in Wiltshire County.
9am: Walk along the River Avon toward the Salisbury Market.
Wander through the stalls and people watch. Buy something to have for lunch later. Then head over to Salisbury Cathedral.
10am: Visit Salisbury Cathedral.
Featuring England’s tallest spire and largest close, Salisbury Cathedral really is an amazing place to visit. Built in the 13th century, in the Early English Gothic style some of the highlights include the oldest working clock (built in 1386), the beautiful Prisoners of Conscience Window, a cool reflective font and, of course, the Magna Carta. It is the best preserved of only four remaining original documents from 1215 and you go into a low light room to view it. We were lucky and it wasn’t busy so we were able to take our time studying it, however when it is busier I suspect they move people through pretty quickly. There are various tours available as well, including a tower tour.
11:30am: Drive to Stonehenge
12pm: Stonehenge.
Explore the visitor center with audio visual displays about the stones, people and meaning of Stonehenge. Then you can walk or take the bus to the 5000 year old megaliths. It is really cool! You can read about it in my post Stonehenge vs Avebury.
2pm: Drive to Stourton
3pm: Visit Stourhead Estate.
Stourhead includes a Palladian house and famous garden. We skipped the house because it was a little late in the day and we wanted plenty of time to walk the grounds. It was splendid! We walked around the breathtaking lake and saw the gorgeous grotto and temples. Top of our list was Apollo’s Temple which was where the proposal scene from Pride and Prejudice (2005) was filmed. We waited around for Mr. Darcy but he didn’t show. If I lived near here I would have to have a National Trust membership so I could walk here every day.
5pm: Tear yourself away from the grounds and head for Bath
We had packed our itinerary pretty tightly to try to get a lot of the highlights of England into our trip, with the intention of coming back next time and exploring more. Salisbury and Wiltshire County definitely deserve more time. Salisbury is an adorable town and I could see myself spending a couple days exploring. Here are some other sights we were not able to see on this trip but hope to check out in the future
Wilton House
Used as a filming location for numerous films and television shows (Bridgerton, Pride and Prejudice, Young Victoria and The Crown just to name a few) this English Palladian home has been the seat of the Earls of Pembroke for over 450 years. Designed by Inigo Jones, the Single Cube and Double Cube rooms are beautiful examples of balance and harmony in architecture and design. Artworks by Van Dyck, Rembrandt and Brueghel add to the allure. There’s also 22 acres of grounds. After visiting Stourhead I am hooked on estate grounds and can’t wait to check out more. The estate is only open from April to mid September and can often close for events and filming so make sure to check their site when planning.
Mompesson House
Built in 1701, this Queen Anne Style house is located in the Cathedral Close. Featuring a stunning carved oak staircase, period furnishings and a walled garden, it is like taking a step back in time. I love historic houses so this is a must see for me on my next trip, we actually would have stopped in here after the Cathedral but it was closed.
Old Sarum
An Iron Age hill fort that was taken over by Romans, Saxons and Normans. There are ruins of a castle built by William the Conqueror in 1070. Scale the ramparts and get a fantastic view of Salisbury and the cathedral.
Woodhenge
A Neolithic site near Stonehenge that was built in about 2500 BC. It is six concentric ovals of timber posts of varying sizes, now marked by concrete pillars.
Salisbury Museum
The museum is currently undergoing renovation so parts of it are closed. It contains archeological finds from the local area including Stonehenge. There are also local costumes on display and the Salisbury Giant, a 13th century pageant figure. It has a little something for everyone.
St Thomas Church
This 800 year old church features a rare, well preserved Doom painting, a fresco of Judgement Day, with scenes of heaven and hell. There are also 250 angels scattered throughout the church on the roof, pillars and walls.