[Closed] Salisbury - things to do, routes, food & drink etc

Rusty - I don't do cities so can't help with that. There is some gorgeous countryside to the West of Salisbury, stonking views a plenty. Happy to suggest trails or pass on gpx's. 🙂

Cycle routes on both these sites:

http://www.discoverchalkevalley.org.uk/

http://www.discovernadder.org.uk/

It's a city, but hardly a sprawling metropolis, CG! A lovely place.

Rusty, some ideas;
Fisherton Street - Home to the finest LBS and LHBS. Bike and home brew! 😀
The Plain - At this time of year, it's beautiful. SKylarks on the wing, wild flowers everywhere. The area between Everleigh, Tidworth and Netheravon is lovely.
Beer - Hop Back, Downton, Plain Ales, Stonehenge Ales and more. Some great stuff being brewed in the area.
The Cathedral - It's simply a stunning work of architecture. Glorious.
Food - The Malet at Newton Toney. As well as almost always having some of he beers mentioned above, the food is excellent. Especially if Noel (Landlord) has been out looking after the deer. Hmmmm, venison! Oh, and the Mars Bar Cheesecake? Yes. IT is as good as it sounds.

Thank you both, spot on, much appreciated!

Thinking more on this, the only cider I know in the area is a little North of Salisbury, towards Devizes.

If so, Stonehenge Ales and the Swan at Enford should be firmly on your list. Riding? Get on The Plain and get lost! (Hard to get lost really, and not super gnar, but lovely blue skies riding!)

Here's a church in the middle of Salisbury Plain, it's open for 2 weeks as from this Saturday. Ideal for cycling to and exploring:

http://www.imberchurch.org.uk/

Give me a shout if you need suggestions for routes to Imber. I'll be volunteering at the church, probably serving refreshments!

Hmmm, Hopback Summer Lightning! Brings back memories of a certain music do in the Hobbit.

More stories of that event are available. Summer Lightning - don't do it (at least do it carefully!)

/slighthighjack

Near Sutton Mandeville, if that rings any bells Flashy
🙂

Thanks folks - looking forward to this!

Interesting. Not where I was thinking, will look that one up!

Julian, if you managed to escape the Hobbit and Lightning with memories, you were doing it wrong! 🙂

Twixt Salisbury and Shaftesbury, close to the ridge called Shaston Drove. Would strongly recommend a visit to Old Wardour Castle which is nearby, gorgeous setting and there's some really helpful information boards amongst the ruins. From there you can walk across the fields to New Wardour Castle.

Great location!

Captain, I did my best - even tried to adjust Emma Curtis's leggings later that evening and [i]still[/i] didn't get banned from the TH (not that I wanted to be banned - it was my second home for several years...!)

She understood my situation... Bless her and all the beer she sold me. Hmm, happy hour in the TH!

Devizes is not to far, they have http://wadworth.co.uk/our-beers
they also do tour around the brewery.
Also the famous Caen Hill Locks, good canals for walking/riding chill day out.

If you go Imber there is Erlestoke, good singletrack, and home of Erlestoke 12 (on 19th sept)

There is local rides going on Thur night Devizes, if you like road there is Devizes town cycle club, Westbury wheelers, (if you want any more info let me know) and I do hear the clubs in Salisbury are friendly.

Oh also not far in the car, longleat.

Wilton House, Old Sarum (read the novel Sarum for context), look to see what is on at the Playhouse, good classical music is quite often on around the City, walking to to the famous constable view, Malmaison etc.

Clarendon Palace. Start from Laverstock and walk SE. Once the most important building in our nation.

Old Sarum both the fort and the aviation museum.

Tidworth Freeride. Great stuff.

Grovely Woods-nice walk/ride.

Salisbury Plain. Majestic.

I've temporarily moved away and missing the place badly!

We're going home now.
😐

What a stunningly beautiful place.

Didn't get too far from base as there was so much to go at without driving, tbh.
Spent most of our time riding in the area encircled by Dinton, Tisbury, Ansty, Broad Chalke and Witton.

The Compasses in Chicksgrove is a wonderful pub, lovely people, great food and ale.

The community shop in Dinton is a lifesaver (all pubs closed at 2pm?!? savages).

Flashy, you were right about Stonehenge Cycles - spoke to the lads involved in the Freeride project at Tisworth too - great little shop.

Sorry we couldn't make it to Imber CG, just ran out of time - Old Wardour Castle was a treat though - Beatons in Tisbury for the important cake stop!

Apologies for bringing the weather with us - local radio said yesterday was the wettest all year.
It was a trifle moist.
😀

Will be back dooing a bit more Wwoofing as soon as we can.

What a stunningly beautiful place.

I spent my teenage ('85 to '89) years there and was back again ('94 - '00) later on and I do get pangs of nostalgia and a yearning.

Thanks for reporting back Rusty and really pleased that you enjoyed your stay as well as Old Wardour Castle. 😀 You were obviously busy out and about! Did you make it to the ridge?

We'll forgive you bringing rotten weather, just don't do it again OK? 😉

Flashy, you were right about Stonehenge Cycles - spoke to the lads involved in the Freeride project at Ti[s]s[/s]dworth too - great little shop.

Would that have been a nice young chap who may, or may not have sounded a bit like Scooby Doo? 🙂

They're great people in there. It's a real family run shop, not only because four of the family work there, but also because staff and regulars almost become a part of that same family. Great people, great shop! Was drooling over a 6Fattie in there earlier today, as it happens!

Glad you liked the shop and your time down this way. It's lovely, isn't it? 🙂

More of a look of Shaggy with that beard.
😀
Mrs S was impressed too - great range of women's clothing in realistic sizes.

Yes CG, up on the ridge every day - half an hour from the farm to the Chislebury Ring, on the tops just above the Fovant badges.
It's sooo cute up there, all those little hills, just begging to be pootled over.
It's like North Yorkshire in parts, but designed for little people.

😉

Teffont is bit of a gem too.

Oh and does anyone know Compton Chamberlayne?
Great little church.
We got a bit deliberately lost near the Dower House. Directions from the owner.
I didn't know people that posh still existed.
Very polite though.
🙂

I love Salisbury, my Mum's family had a popular tobacconist in Castle Street when everybody smoked, Mum and Sister still live there. Every time I go down I visit the cathedral, which is a glorious example of lightweight medieval architecture. The tower tour is well woth the money.

Rusty - I climb (walk for me) from Broad Chalke to the ridge on a bridleway and see the view unfold:

[img] [/img]

It's Knap Down, from opposite Chiselbury hill fort:

[img] [/img]

Broad Chalke has a wonderful cafe sited in a disused church, I had a cream tea there and the scone was definitely home-made. Slightly creepy though sitting outside right beside a gravestone. 😯

I don't know Compton Chamberlayne, will need to check that out especially as it has a church. 🙂

Plenty of posh people in the South, I've come across some friendly ones who've been genuinely interested in where I've been cycling. Also some bad ones who don't want you on their land despite a public right of way going through it.

CG, can you recommend any routes around there suitable for hybrids, preferably reachable from a station?

Moses - I've not done this but from Salisbury Station you can get to Shaston Drove via a bridleway that crosses the River Nadder. How easy it is in practice I don't know. Shaston Drove tends to be enclosed apart from where I've taken those pics. I would say it's ideal for a hybrid provided there's not been any heavy rain.

Another option would be to get the train to Tisbury which is West of Salisbury but don't know what the riding would be like, apart from not being far from the other end of Shaston Drove. There would be a massive climb to get up there though!

The links I provided further up the thread would be worth looking at.

Not sure whether you're restricted to Salisbury but a possibility would be getting the train to Dunbridge which is West Hampshire. Here you can cycle along the Test Way to Stockbridge which is a lovely place or use the minor roads which are quite safe and most pleasant.

Do shout if you need more info!

Thank you. The OS map is open in front of me.

Another option is Pewsey and cycle along the Kennet & Avon Canal. Everywhere else around there is hilly though.

Hi CG, I hadn't thought of heading SW from Salisbury, so yesterday I had a tootle about, taking my very tatty ratty OnOne.
I took the train from Bristol packed with the early morning Bestival crowd, & from Salisbury stn went across the serene Town Path (beautiful), behind the houses to the Harnham quarries, east to meet the Old Shafterbury Drove, SW past the racecourse and the trig point (flytip central most of the way),
down to Burcombe and double back on the rd to Wilton.
Rt 24 along the Wylye valley to Steeple Langford (v pretty)
N up to Yarnbury Castle, but needed 1/4 mile of the A303 to get to the byway. Huge numbers of partridge and sunflowers.
Byway N to Tilshead. Nice gravel roads, open views, with Little Germany to my left.
I diverted around Westdown Camp, where there were many mice men in uniforms.
Heading NE on the byway, ignoring the red flags, I didn't ignore the locked gates across the byway before Summer Down, nor the military vehicles and loud bangs. The whooshing noises were missiles, I was told.
So instead of continuing N as per my plan, I diverted SW to Netheravon. I had a little chat with a heavily laden superfit Gurkha, and various chaps in olive vehicles.
Since I was off-route and off my printed map, I used the back road to UpAvon, then the nettle plantation due N on the bridleway to Manningford Bohune, a mile or so on the A345 then N again to the c45 and E into Pewsey.
Including little diversions due to getting lost or heading into closed ares, around 45 sweaty miles, then took the train home.

I was knackered.

trying to find the eighth I had to launch at Stonehenge in the '80's

Sorry, found that for you 🙂

Can anyone illuminate a bit more on Tidworth Freeride? Sounds like I might be missing some trails to mince down.