Salisbury recommendations for this weekend.

[Fizzbo]

DH & I are having a spur of the moment long weekend in Salisbury and would love some recommendations of things to do & places to eat please. We’ll visit the Cathedral but what else should we do? Is Old Sarum worth a visit? (We’ve both been to Stonehenge so won’t be visiting this time). Thanks in advance, for your help.

Obviously the cathedral is the big attraction, there are also museums in The Close..what sort of things do you like doing?

Thanks @Hyenaormeercat. We like walking, visiting museums, food but are open to all sorts of visitor attractions. We won’t have the children with us so will be able to please ourselves. I’ve looked at the things to do on TripAdvisor but I’m just wondering about hidden gems that we might overlook.

Eating out-
Barouska is by far the best restaurant they serve Lebanese food and have superb service.
Chapter House - steak
Cafe Diwali - India

Places to visit-
Stockbridge which is about 20 mins . Gorgeous old (small) market town.
Thyme and Tides deli is worth a visit
Mottisfont Abbey just beyond Stockbridge. National Trust House and lovely gardens
Romsey is also a lovely small town to visit

Walks-
Clarendon Way
Test Way

Old Sarum can be walked to from town, footpaths/ cycle path..
Woodhenge, Avebury are a short drive if you are into ancient sites.
St.Thomas' Church in town is worth a look it was built for the workers building the cathedral. It has a Doom painting..
Lots of old buildings if you like architecture. Depending on where you are staying either aim for car parks or park and ride..on street parking is an utter pain.

Saturday is market day in the centre.

Old Sarum is mostly just a hill. Nice for a walk though
The museum in the close is good for a couple of hours
There’s a nice walk through the water meadows
Have a drink in the haunch of venison and visit the mummified hand
Look for otters in the river which runs through the centre
The shopping is a bit crap, I’d concentrate on eating and drinking if I were you

Avebury is about an hour so if you’re only there for the weekend it’s a bit of a trek

Wilton house is nice too and not so far to drive

Fisherton Mill is a lovely gallery and shop very close to the city centre, worth a visit if you are hitting the shops.

Boston Tea Party is a great casual restaurant for breakfast/brunch/lunch/coffee/tea, in a beautiful ancient building in central Salisbury, and large so plenty of tables and space.
A nice short walk is from the cathedral to the riverside park (Elizabeth Gardens, I think).

Wilson?

I mean wilton

Thanks very much everyone. Great suggestions. Fingers crossed for a dry weekend 🤞

Agree the shopping's not great but there is a Lakeland, the jewel in Salisbury's crown!

Old Sarum not thrilling but lovely walking in the meadows and the market is quite good too.

@Perfectlystill

Agree the shopping's not great but there is a Lakeland, the jewel in Salisbury's crown!

Old Sarum not thrilling but lovely walking in the meadows and the market is quite good too.

Go to the shop just outside Salisbury, buy all my random stuff and help make me a millionaire

There’s a lovey childrens bookshop - The Rocketship Bookshop - for gifts for your return. If you like Thai food I enjoy Giggling Squid (it’s a chain but great).

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. We’re just mulling them all over. 😁

Walk along the river from maltings to Stratford, either side. Walk to Old Sarum then round the battlements. There's also a place (little Durnford manor) with camels and llamas. It's a private farm but with a public footpath through it. Also the town path from the cathedral to the water meadows, broken bridges, the mill etc. You can eat at The Old Mill which is very nice. Near Wilton there's also Grovely Woods - worth doing a Google search on as it has many features, including witchy trees

The Escape Room in Salisbury is one of the best in the UK. If you can get a last minute slot, I'd highly recommend that.