Old Sarum was one of the biggest surprises of our trip through England. If you enjoy history, this place is absolutely fascinating. Standing on the site of the original settlement of Salisbury, surrounded by the remains of a medieval castle and cathedral, really gives you a sense of just how much history has unfolded here. Walking the earthworks and taking in the views was an incredible experience. What made the visit even better was the staff. They were genuinely warm, welcoming, and clearly passionate about English Heritage and sharing the site’s story with visitors. We even ordered a coffee, and it seemed like they hadn’t made one in a while. Instead of being flustered, they laughed along with us, were great sports about it, and made the whole interaction memorable. Old Sarum may not be as famous as Stonehenge, but it absolutely deserves a visit. It’s peaceful, rich in history, and offers incredible views of the surrounding countryside. If you’re anywhere near Salisbury, I highly recommend making the stop—you won’t regret it.

Definitely worth a visit here, with so many Neolithic sights in the area. Dating back to around 3000 BC, it was the earliest settlement in the Salisbury area, it has altered as time has passed from the iron age hill fort, then the Romans with road development, and the Saxons used the site to protect from the Vikings. The Norman’s built the Mot and Bailey castle which was eventually demolished using the blocks in the new Salisbury Cathedral which began construction in 1220. It’s beautiful place with far reaching views. It’s free to visit the surrounding hill fort, but the centre is run by English Heritage which if not a member is currently £10 at the gate or £9 online (a day prior to visiting).

Visited Old Sarum 🏰 — an incredible place layered with thousands of years of history. Hard to imagine that this windswept hilltop was once the original site of Salisbury Cathedral before the entire cathedral was relocated to the city below. Standing among the old foundations and castle ruins, you can almost picture medieval life carrying on around you. The views across the Wiltshire countryside are stunning, and there’s something really special about seeing where so much history began before Salisbury grew into the beautiful city it is today. 🏰✨

A really fantastic historic site with parking up in the bailey itself so as you enter you proceed up the same route that kings, nobles, knights and merchants all took all those years ago. The mound is tall so just imagine what sort of vista you would get from the walls or the top of the towers or perhaps more importantly the view others would have as they looked up at the white castle on the hill.

The massive amount of land containing the ruins of Old Sarum was amazing. We were lucky to find ourselves alone amongst the ruins for at least half an hour. We were in love with this walk and visit! There are two ways to get up to the top of the hill with the ruins: 1. There is a straight way path that only takes a minute 2. There’s a much longer path that goes all the way around to the other side of the ruins. While this takes a longer time, we loved the walk. The nature, view, and walk up to the ruins was breathtaking. We were so happy we made the adventure out there. This followed our visit from Stone Henge (by bus). Definitely buy the dual ticket of Stone Henge and Old Sarum. Friendly travel tip: be sure to have comfortable walking/hiking shoes. This is all under the sun, so be sure to bring protection and water.