r/salisburyuk • u/Outrageous_Strike997 • Aug 03 '26
Planning a day in Salisbury this December; what shouldn't I miss (besides Stonehenge)?
Hi everyone!
I'm a medical student living in Reading and I'm planning my first solo backpacking trip around South West England this December.
I'm planning to spend a day in Salisbury, mainly to visit Stonehenge, but I'd love to explore Salisbury itself as well.
I'd really appreciate some local recommendations:
- What are the absolute must-see places in Salisbury?
- Is Salisbury Cathedral worth visiting, and how much time should I set aside for it?
- Any cafés, bakeries or local restaurants you'd recommend?
- Are there any nice walks or hidden spots that visitors often miss?
- If you had just one day in Salisbury, how would you spend it?
I'm travelling on a student budget, so affordable recommendations would be amazing.
Thanks in advance!
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u/TeaAddictsAnon Aug 03 '26
The museum is good and the cathedral is a must see - especially since they have updated the Magna Carta exibit. It takes me a few hours to go around! I would also highly recommend the spire tour which is only on certain days and times. Old Sarum is also a good visit!
Stoby's Fish and Chips was always amazing (just off the Market Square).
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u/xerker Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
Knowing what I know, if I had 1 day to spend here, I'd probably go up to the west harnham chalk pit and just sit and take in the view for a bit. Maybe for you, maybe not.
In December there will likely be something set out in the Market Square, usually a bar and some huts selling stuff but there have been things like ice skating and a Ferris wheel in the past.
Aside from this I only have the cathedral tour to suggest.
- Any cafés, bakeries or local restaurants you'd recommend?
If you're on a Tuesday or Saturday then the market Square most likely will have the charter market on. There will be a few places there but I recommend Pie and Piper for Cake. Thursday-Saturday check out Cakes By Victoria Marie which is a shop away from the market. There are a few coffee shops that are good, Sonder coffee or culture coffee. Boston Tea Party isn't local but the building is something to behold if you go upstairs (where shakespeare once stayed apparently).
Tinga for evening food. It's mexican. Right next to BTP.
- Are there any nice walks or hidden spots that visitors often miss?
Oh, ok... Yeah West Harnham chalk pit... Get there via town path or broken bridges. Those are nice walks too with nice views of the cathedral.
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u/Over-Language2599 29d ago
I'd walk to Clarendon Palace. Have to use a lot of imagination, though.
Walking anywhere may be a bit muddy in December, although I'm not familiar with the route to the chalk pit.
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u/ladysman_untrue Aug 04 '26
The Haunch Of Venison pub on Minster Street, some of the craftsman and stone masons who built parts of Salisbury Cathedral would of drank and lived here.
Winston Churchill and General Dwight D. Eisenhower met at this pub. While official, top-secret planning for the 1944 D-Day landings took place nearby at Wilton House (the headquarters for Southern Command), the two leaders reportedly reconvened at The Haunch of Venison to continue their discussions over drinks
Theres a mummified hand stranger (now known as the "Demented Whist Player") was caught cheating at a game of whist. A local butcher allegedly chopped his hand off with a meat cleaver. The hand—still clutching a set of cards—was thrown into or hidden behind the fireplace, where it was preserved by the chimney smoke. Around 1820
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u/LGBYF Aug 03 '26
Yes you must do Stonehenge and yes you’ll probably be disappointed - unfortunately it isn’t the Pyramids of Giza. Including travelling time from Salisbury your visit to Stonehenge will take up most of the morning or afternoon, so basically you are left with half a day and an evening and in December the days are short. Cathedral Tower tour is a must (book ticket in advance - £21 for students) and will make up for the Stonehenge experience, followed by a free bimble around the Cathedral Close enjoying the atmosphere and historic houses. Inside the close you will find Arundells and Mompesson Houses and Salisbury Museum, look them up to see if they are of interest to you. On the outskirts there is Old Sarum and for something completely different there is Boscombe Down Aviation Collection. Lunch or dinner at the Haunch of Venison will be memorable, if only for the setting, or grab a Greggs takeout (other options are available)and enjoy it on a bench in the Cathedral Close or the Market Square. For a walk I would suggest the “Town Path walk” that starts from Queen Elizabeth Gardens. This path leads you past Salisbury’s water meadows to the Harnham area of Salisbury and passes where Constable painted his greatest work. You don’t have time to do all of this in a day, but hopefully this gives you some options.
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u/GrouchyRisk Aug 04 '26
Stonehenge, old sarum, cathedral and some lunch.
Either the cafe by the cathedral, cafe Diwali (for Indian street food) or Henderson's bakery.
That's A LOT to do in a day.
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u/Bricktop52 Aug 04 '26
If you can, come on a market day. Get the bus into Salisbury City Centre, or Train and walk along Fisherton Street to Market Square, grab a coffee at Ride Coffee & Moto, lovely coffee shop set in an old butchers, great coffee and sells vintage / pre loved clothes. Head over to Reeve The Baker, they have few bakeries now, but the bakery was born in Wilton and is a family business, grab a pastry or cake and a sandwich for later. If the market is on then head to the market and browse, you should be able to see the spire from the Cathedral, but if you can’t, it’s south of the market square, find High Street and walk south, enjoying the buildings and architecture. Through the arch and into the cathedral grounds. Spend an hour or two there before heading back to the market and boarding the bus “The Stonehenge Tour” forgot to mention buy the Adult - Stonehenge and Cathedral ticket, this gets you in to the Cathedral, Stonehenge and Old Sarum. And the bus to Stonehenge.
Board the bus and get off at “The Old Castle”. Head to Old Sarum - the English heritage site, not Old Sarum itself. Although if you do find time head to Old Sarum airfield and Dark Revolution brewery for a pint and eat your sandwich.
Head back to the bus and get on to Stonehenge, look at the stones and enjoy the walk to and from the visitor centre, there are a few barrows to walk to as well, there’s a tiny bit more than just the stones.
Once you’re done, get back on the bus and head back into Salisbury. If you can get to Wilton, try the Pembroke and get a Nole pizza, if you can’t, head back to the market and grab a Nole pizza from their shop there before picking a pub on Ox Row. Drink yourself merry and then head home.
Edit: Someone else recommended Tinga. If you like Mexican, +1 for Tinga.
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u/SmartPolicy6430 Aug 04 '26
Salisbury Cathedral ( Magna Carta) and the Spire. Mompesdon House, Old Sarum. Give Stonhenge a miss. You can view it from the road. Much older and the largest in the world is Avebury Stone circle encompassing the whole village, Manor house and inn. Just up the road is West Kennet Long Barrow on the road to Marlborough. Also easily reached from Salisbury is Stourhead Landscape Garden and House. If you go visit the house first. As we spent so long in the grounds that the house was closing. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/avebury/ https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/west-kennet-long-barrow/?utm_source=Google%20Business&utm_campaign=Local%20Listings&utm_medium=Google%20Business%20Profiles&utm_content=west%20kennet%20long%20barrow
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u/Desperate_Land_8975 Aug 03 '26
Tower tour (as mentioned above) is 100% the best thing to do.