When you think of travelling to the UK, you think of the bright lights of London, catching a comedy show in Edinburgh and maybe taking a sneaky trip over to Paris on the Eurostar.
Those are all great things to do, and tips for these will be covered in later reviews but this week we are going to look at what I call 3 for 3 – that is three lesser known places in the Greats of Britain that are all less than three hours by train from London with a lot to offer for a weekend away.
Destination 1 – Salisbury
First up is Salisbury in the county of Wiltshire. Easily accessible by train, the 2 hour trip will see you land at the station in the heart of this countryside town which makes you think you’ve stepped into a set of ‘To the Manor Born’ or one of those other 80s British sitcoms .
Salisbury Cathedral – Magna Carta
Magna Carta. Need I say more. Incase I do, here it goes. Magna Carta.
Salisbury Cathedral is a short walk from the train station. Funnily enough ask any local what you should see in Salisbury and they will mention the Cathedral but no one told us the Cathedral houses only one of the four original 1215 Magna Carta still in existence and the most legible one (its in even better condition than the one in the British Museum). We had the pleasure of stumbling across that fact after paying the modest entry fee (GBP7.50pp at the time of visit). There is an interactive exhibition surrounding it and guides who are happy to tell you everything they know about it. Photos aren’t allowed (to preserve the document) which is housed in its own curtained off section.
The Cathedral itself is also magnificent. It contains the world’s oldest working mechanical clock and enormous stained glass windows. There’s a restaurant that overlooks Britain’s tallest spire and tearooms (open during certain months of the year) with a relaxing view of the Cathedral lawns.
We just wandered around by ourselves but there are Tower Tours you can book into. Unfortunately due to other time commitments we couldn’t do the tour but if you time your trip right and do a tour, you can climb the tower and enjoy a behind the scene experience of the Cathedral.
Verdict: do not miss this seeing the Magna Carta. It only takes 1 hour (not including the tower tour) and you’ll feel as tingly as we did about seeing it (or at least we hope you will and that you haven’t got ringworm). The Cathedral and Magna Carta are wheelchair accessible. Tower tour is not due to the many stairs to climb. It’s a close walk to the centre of town so leave the car behind and enjoy the short stroll to get there.
City centre
When I say ‘city’, I mean town. Its quintessential and delightful. Modern day Salisbury sits on the site of New Sarum with the new grand Cathedral at its centre. Two miles north of the city centre is Old Sarum, the original site of Salisbury and home to the ruins of the original cathedral. During school holidays, regular family-friendly events are held here. We weren’t there at the right time but were told this can include recreations of the Roman invasion, jousting and more.
Still stunned after stumbling across the Magna Carta, after seeing the new Cathedral, we were happy to wander around and enjoy the beautiful tow and its architecture. We bought some pasties and sausage rolls from one of the bakeries in town – my mouth is still watering at the memory of the warm, flaky pastry. It was just what we needed to warm ourselves up on a cold UK day. (I was going to say ‘wintery’ day but the UK is just cold in general regardless of the season to us seasoned, beach-loving Aussies).
Vintage market
Amongst the little shops, plenty of which provide options for afternoon tea with scones, jam and cream of course, you might be lucky enough to stumble upon the Vintage Market if you are there on the last Friday of the month between March and October. Hunt through the stalls for unique finds and antiques while listening to retro music. Once you’ve hunted all you can, replenish your energy with food and drink from one of the many stalls.
Festivals
Depending on the timing of your trip you may be lucky to catch one of Salisbury’s many festivals. In late May to early June the Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival bursts with an eclectic mix of theatre, concerts and exhibitions. In September there is a one week food and drink festival.
Verdict: a great easy-to-get-to weekend from London full of history and good fashioned English charm.
Stonehenge
Salisbury is conveniently located 20 mins drive from Stonehenge. For those of you that have been living under a rock and don’t know what Stonehenge is, you should get out from under it and go and see some seriously more impressive rocks. You can pre-purchase tickets online for Stonehenge or buy them at the door. We booked ours online but probably didn’t need to in the end as we visited on a weekday morning and it was just us and a bunch of schoolkids when we arrived. We purchased both the guide book (unintentionally – we somehow did this online when we booked our tickets). The guide book is not a must, but would make a good souvenir if you wanted to gift it at the end of your trip but definitely get the audioguide.
Like with many attractions in the UK, you may be asked if you want to purchase your ticket ‘with gift aid’ or ‘without’. Gift Aid is a scheme where if you elect to pay it, the attraction can reclaim tax on the whole of the ticket price. This extra money helps them maintain the attraction. It seems to only work if you pay UK income tax (so not relevant for most travellers) but we did it anyway because, hey, if the attraction gets more money then everyone wins. There are some attractions that, if you elect for the Gift Aid, will convert your ticket to a 12-month entry pass. That makes it a really good deal if you are travelling for a little while or intend to return soon.
So to sum up Stonehenge: no one really knows why it is there or what it does (or did). The audioguide takes you around the structure showing particular structural feats and rock placements, discussing many theories and ultimately letting you decide its purpose.
Stonehenge is a significant site – its World Heritage listed – so for that reason you have to stick to the designated paths. In the past, visitors were allowed to walk amongst the large stone but this had to be stopped due to the thousands of trampling the ground and threatening structural damage to the site. You are taken to the circle of stones via a shuttle bus which runs frequently.
A little way from the site, but still within walking distance, there are other mounds you can wander past which form part of the whole area.
Verdict: The Henge is a definite must see on your English itinerary. Allow 2 hours. There’s a little café, gift shop and free car parking. Paths and shuttle bus are wheelchair accessible and you can take a carer for free if you need (just advise the people at the time of buying your ticket).
Next up: Exeter and then we complete the trifecta with a nice Bath.