Places to stay in Wiltshire - Salisbury and Stonehenge
Visit two World Heritage Sites, shrouded in mystery, and feel dizzy looking up at England’s tallest cathedral spire. Find fascinating historic houses and glorious gardens or discover huge white horses carved on the hillsides. Walk through gentle green landscapes and across open countryside. A heady cocktail for any visitor.
You’ll spot the cathedral spire long before you reach the historic heart of Salisbury – at 123 metres (404 feet) it’s England’s tallest. The Close around the cathedral is the biggest too. Take tea with home-made cakes in 18th-century Mompesson House and watch a fascinating film on the city’s heritage in the nearby Medieval Hall. Stroll along ancient streets browsing antique shops, investigating historic inns and jostling with the crowds among the multi-coloured stalls on market days.
Beyond the city, clamber up to Old Sarum Iron Age hill-fort for splendid views and to brush up on Old Wardour Castle’s bloodthirsty past. Then prepare yourself for one of the world’s greatest ancient sites – Stonehenge. It’s 5,000 years since the striking stone structure was erected, but we still don’t really know why. A similar sense of awe and mystery surrounds the great stone circle at Avebury, Wiltshire’s other World Heritage Site, where around a hundred stones form a huge ring, a quarter of a mile across.