Salisbury to Amesbury via Old Sarum and Stonehenge Walk

26.0 km (16.1 mi), with 288/268m ascent/descent. For a longer or shorter walk, see below Walk Options.

5 out of 10, with 6 hours walking time. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow at least 10 ½ hours.

This walk mostly follows the Avon Valley upstream from the quintessentially English Cathedral City of Salisbury with its many historic buildings, to Amesbury which claims to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settled around 8820 BCE. En route you rise out of the valley to the site of Salisbury’s earlier incarnation: Old Sarum, with its impressive hilltop location, banks and ditches, ruined remains of an earlier cathedral and supreme views across the Avon Valley and to the modern town.
A meandering route to the lunch pubs then crosses and recrosses the Avon while passing through several twee villages, dominated by mills, thatched walls and cottages and several impressive grand homes.

You then bear away from the Avon Valley to enter the very evocative Stonehenge World Heritage Site with its numerous pre-historic monuments: barrow cemeteries, large linear or non-linear earthworks and wooden and stone henges. All but two of the fifteen most prominent monuments in the Stonehenge area, as well as many more minor sites, are either passed on, or can at least be spotted from, the main walk or the various extensions and shortcuts.

The Amesbury to Salisbury return is covered by three bus lines, with a frequent daily service between them.

Cut out the out-and-back to Salisbury Cathedral and the nearby historic buildings: cuts 600m.
Bus Lines Activ8, X4 and X5 stop at ‘Old Sarum Estate, Old Castle’, enabling a start at Old Sarum, 5.0 km into the walk: follow the walk directions as far as the Blue Boar Row bus stops in Salisbury and from the bus stop at Old Sarum, continue in the direction of travel for about 100m to the end of a layby, and bear left along a footpath, then pick up the directions in the text at the asterisk *).
At Old Sarum, an easier route along the flank of the hill avoids the steep descent off the far side of the outer slope of the hillfort site, but also cuts out the castle site itself and the old cathedral ruins.
Occasional Bus Line 201 (Salisbury – Figheldean, late lunch Tue and Fri and mid-afternoon Mon to Fri) travels up the Avon Valley to Amesbury, with a diversion into Netton hamlet. Several bus stops are on or close to the walk route. These are shown on the route map.
Morning Shortcut (cut 2.2 km and 12m ascent): this cuts out the Little Durnford Manor estate and the first of two lunch pubs, staying up on the downs to the east of the Avon Valley.
Loops of various length through the interesting Devenish Nature Reserve are possible after 900m of road walking from near Little Durnford Manor. A suggested 2.0 km loop with 75m ascent is described. You could then either walk back along the lane to commence the Main Walk route, or continue for 650m in the other direction to Salterton Farm and pick up the Main Walk there (cutting out the Little Durnford Manor estate and the first of two lunch pubs).
Afternoon Shortcut (cut 2.3 km and 14m ascent): avoid the perilous crossing of the A303 and the core of the Stonehenge World Heritage site, from Normanton Down where the stone henge first appears into view. Initially, you have extensive views of the Normanton Down Barrow Cemetery and of Stonehenge itself, and you see more of the historic centre of Amesbury on this route than on the Main Walk.
Three Extensions/Variations are described within the core of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. Between them, they are leading to all of the important outlying monuments that can sensibly be included.
• Cursus Barrow Cemetery and Western Cursus (adds 2.5 km);
• Eastern Cursus (adds 600m);
• Woodhenge and Durrington Walls (adds 3.5 km).

OS Landranger: 184 (Salisbury & The Plain)
OS Explorer: 130 (Salisbury & Stonehenge)

Salisbury Station, map reference SU 136 301, is 125 km south west of Charing Cross and 51m above sea level. Amesbury, Library Bus Stop, map reference SU 155 414, is 11 km north east of Salisbury and 71m above sea level. Both are in Wiltshire. Salisbury Station is on the London Waterloo to Exeter St. David’s West of England Main Line. Journey times are 83 or 90 minutes Monday to Saturday (half-hourly) and 88 minutes on Sunday (hourly). Amesbury, Library Bus Stop is served by several lines going to Salisbury, Blue Boar Row: Activ8 (from Andover, hourly Mon-Sat and 8 buses on Sun), X4 (from Larkhill, half-hourly Mon-Sat and hourly Sun) and X5 (from Swindon, every 90 mins Mon-Sat). Journey time from 19 minutes.

Saturday Walkers’ Club: Take the train closest to 9.20 hours.

The Wheatsheaf Inn Lower Woodford, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 6NQ (01722 782 203). The Wheatsheaf is located 10.7 km (6.7 mi) into the walk. A Hall & Woodhouse pub.
The Bridge Inn Upper Woodford, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 6NU (01722 782 203). The Bridge is located 13.4 km (8.3 mi) into the full walk or 11.2 km (7.0 mi) if walking the Morning Shortcut.

Plenty of options in Amesbury and then in Salisbury, both around the Market Square at the bus terminus and close to the Railway Station. Check the pdf for details.

After the walk, please leave a comment, it really helps. Thanks!

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National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234

Sep-24 PeterB Thomas G