Length: 25.1 km (15.6 mi) [shorter and longer
options possible]
Ascent/Descent: 330 m
Net Walking Time: ca. 5 ½ hours
Toughness: 6 out of 10
Take the 09.15 Exeter St. David's train from
Waterloo (09.22 Clapham J., 09.48 Woking), arriving Salisbury at 10.48
Return buses from
Amesbury to Salisbury City Centre (lines X4, 8 and 33; from 21 mins journey
time): 16.41, 17.14, 17.29,
17.41, 18.25 then 20.12 and 21.39
Return trains from Salisbury: xx.27 and xx.52
to 18.52, then xx.27 only
This superb walk has no major climbs but covers beautiful rolling countryside and farmland and fields of golden barley and wheat. You then have an evocative and magical approach to Stonehenge across Salisbury Plain. After passing close to the site the route takes you down the original approach used by the Druids – The Avenue – as you set off on the final leg to Amesbury and a bus back to Salisbury city centre. There is a lot to see on this walk and what you choose to do depends very much on your interests and how far you want to walk or travel. You get excellent views of Old Sarum hill fort and of Stonehenge from the walk route. If you wish to visit the sites themselves you have to buy tickets though (for Stonehenge: in advance online). The ancient city of Salisbury has a fascinating history and the Destination Salisbury website provides information about it. If you wish to visit Salisbury Cathedral this is slightly off route.
This superb walk has no major climbs but covers beautiful rolling countryside and farmland and fields of golden barley and wheat. You then have an evocative and magical approach to Stonehenge across Salisbury Plain. After passing close to the site the route takes you down the original approach used by the Druids – The Avenue – as you set off on the final leg to Amesbury and a bus back to Salisbury city centre. There is a lot to see on this walk and what you choose to do depends very much on your interests and how far you want to walk or travel. You get excellent views of Old Sarum hill fort and of Stonehenge from the walk route. If you wish to visit the sites themselves you have to buy tickets though (for Stonehenge: in advance online). The ancient city of Salisbury has a fascinating history and the Destination Salisbury website provides information about it. If you wish to visit Salisbury Cathedral this is slightly off route.
For walk directions and all options to
shorten or lengthen the walk, a map, a height profile, gpx/kml
files, and photos click here.
Lunch: The Wheatsheaf Inn in Lower Woodford (10.2
km/6.4 mi, food all day) or The Bridge Inn in Upper Woodford (13.0 km/8.1 mi, food to 15.00). The Black Horse in Great Durnford is off-route
and only does food to 14.00 (15 km/9.3 mi).
T=swc.67
2 comments:
I was intending to do this walk but because of a timetabling hiccup over some work I'm having done I decided to do it on Thursday (21/6). Glorious day out with a lovely fresh breeze and the Wiltshire countryside looking more healthy than areas closer to London - more birds, more butterflies, more insects and more variety in flowers and plants- there's a fair number of poppies on the approach to Stonehenge.
Couple of points:
para 35-the short route from Eddies bench to the downhill path traversing the woods has become somewhat overgrown but the woodland path itself is fine. On the approach there is now a piggery on your right.
para 47: the wide byway has nnow been blocked off to traffic but I just walked round the fences and continued on so don't be put off by this. But good luck crossing the road!
Have a great day out.
N=11 walkers, incl. 1 first-timer, n=plus-one-other who had downloaded the file from our website, walked at similar pace, catching the same bus back, but wanted to walk by himself (so we're not counting him), in w=hot-and-sunny weather. 1 took a taxi to Old Sarum and picked up the walk from there, all else walked the full walk. Half ate at The Wheatsheaf, with the indoor transmission of the England game leaving plenty of outdoor tables to choose from. A fine walk as usual, in quiet rolling countryside, with the added bonus of two remarkable monuments. 17.30 bus back from Amesbury.
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