Old Sarum

This is a treat for any history enthusiast. Old Sarum offers some nice walks, perfect for dogs and offers great views of Salisbury. Legend says that when they were looking for a new location for the cathedral, they fired an arrow from Old Sarum and where it landed, they built the present day Cathedral. The ruins are nice to wonder around although they've been built up with flint in Victorian times but there are still original parts exposed. There are interest information boards situated all around the site with artists impressions of what it used to look like. Toilets available and parking. You can also park for free on the road in Stratford Subcastle and walk up.

Old Saram was well worth the visit. After a full day of on and off heavy rain, it was quite slippery and I did make a face plant in the mud. So do watch your footing! We loved how the old cathedral foundations are augmented with crushed granite path to show the floor plan and excellent explanatory pillars are throughout the site, giving brief, but very helpful explanations of the remaining evidence of the castle and the cathedral. All the staff are lovely exactly as you experience in any National Trust property. And the gift shop sells replica British swords! What’s not to love?❤️

We parked withput charge, in a small layby next to the lane off the main road opposite the Harvester. We didn't pay to go into the central area but thoroughly enjoyed exploring and finding out more about this fascinating ancient monument. Excellent interpretation panels and fantastic views. Photos don't do the size, scale and magnitude of the earthworks justice.

There isn't much to see inside. The exterior is very beautiful, there are some ruins you can see and the view is stunning. You don't have to pay anything to visit outside.

Interesting place to visit. Cadw free entry. Has toilets and visitirs centre/shop does hot and cold drinks. Friendly staff. Car park free. Original cathedral foundations on the outer ward. Inside the inner castle is well described on info plaques. Stunning views of Salisbury.

Old Sarum was beautiful and fascinating. Went in January and had the whole grounds to ourselves. The volunteers/employees were extremely knowledgeable and eager to share the history of the place with us.

Worth a visit, especially if you have the English Heritage membership and have been to nearby Stonehenge. There isn't a lot left of the old castle, but it is in a nice, elevated position overlooking the "new" Salisbury Cathedral. We spent an hour or so looking around the ruins and admiring the lovely autumnal colours in the surrounding countryside. There is a small shop on site, it sells the usual memorabilia and EH stuff (always seems to be a new mead variation to buy). The staff members were friendly and helpful, we had a pleasant conversation. About 25 car parking places, the road up to it is quite steep and narrow, but there are passing points on every corner.

Incredible, eerie, lovely place to take an autumn walk. Literally layers upon layers of history. Hiking around the perimeter of the hillfort is a must for the beautiful views across Salisbury and the Wiltshire countryside.

A site that goes back nearly 5,000 years old. That's crazy. There are some ruins of the old castle. The views from the top are incredible. It was so peaceful walking around up there today. We took the local bus from Blue Boar Road to Old Sarum. Just tell the bus driver how many people you're paying for, and tap your contactless payment card.

A great historical site. If you are a history and military buff then you should visit. Walls and castle is broken down so you need to use your imagination and feel what it would be like to get a good sensation of the life. You can see great 360 degree views of the area and grounds.

If you get one of the bus tours, one of the stops is Old Sarum. Looking at the remnants of a formidable castle, I guess was exciting? I think the sheep on the way to OS was actually more fun to observe. The most interesting thing that I found out about OS was where the loo was located. I wished I had taken a picture of the sign because there was a picture of a king sitting on the hole with his pants around his legs. Great place to bring your pooch. Several locals had brought their dog to run the open fields.

A View of Old History Our tour group guide narrated the story of Old Sarum as we toured the site. The views are spectacular as is the story of this ancient Roman fortress. Of particular interest is the link between the Old Sarum site and the Salisbury Cathedral down in the town. The stone work of the Old Sarum site was skillfully taken apart, transported down to the town and used as the foundation of the Salisbury Cathedral. This shortcut allowed the construction of the cathedral in only thirty years. The views are spectacular here, but, the historical story is just as compelling.

In my opinion, it's Old Sarum, not Stonehenge, that is the best historical site in the area. Formerly a seat of England's kings and the original site of Salisbury cathedral. As well as the Royal connection there has been a fortified settlement here since the Iron Age c. 400 BC. The Romans called it Sorviodunum and William the Conqueror transformed the old earthworks by building a royal castle on the site c.1070 AD. Views are amazing and there is a great walk around the ridge of the outer fortifications.

the good: - a must-see attraction for the military historian - a truly historic site - well preserved and tended - very scenic - museum staff are personable and informative - convenient and easy access via the bus line to and from stonehenge to salisbury (or vice versa) - an old celtic hill fort the not so good: - this line item left intentionally blank

After checking out Stonehenge in the morning, we decided to check out Old Sarum due to favorable reviews that mentioned a lack of people and beautiful grounds. I ended up having a great time! I'm sure part of that was due to this being my first ruins while on the trip, and I was just super excited about that. The grounds are beautiful, sweeping greenery with the castle's ancient stone walls peeking out. You can see the ruins of some interesting things here, my "favorite" being the royal privy. Built off of the king's private suite around the thirteenth century, there were deep wells dug into the ground that were filled with straw and bark-clippings. There went perhaps... 15 or so feet down. How were these cleaned? Well I'm glad you asked! A poor sap, likely someone who lost a bet (this is me pontificating and there is no historical precedence of this), would be lowered down there into the pit to clean the feces. Originating around 400 BC when it was believed to have been an Iron Age hillfort, it was occupied by the Romans around AD 43, when it became known as Sorviodunum. It's believed that in its earlier stages, it was a Roman military fort with a civilian settlement nearby. A lot of history of the this place is unknown, and there are swatches of questionable occupation in-between brief periods of suspected use. An Anglo-Saxon settlement was purported to have been founded outside the ramparts around 1003, so life was still happening there before the Conquest. William the Conqueror (and you will see this man's name pop up everywhere) left the greatest mark on Old Sarum. An inner set of fornications, with a huge bailey wrapped around the inner core. Earlier buildings were made of timber, and the earlier surviving structure was the keep, due to its stone construction (from 1100-35). Anyways, the castle and grounds went through several bouts of upkeep and rebuilding, and of course tearing down, replacing, etc. THE VERDICT: These ruins were one of my favorite sights the entire time I was in GB, actually. There was just something about them... The history, being surrounded by a once great castle that has sense fallen into ruins, yet it somehow remains almost startlingly beautiful, and also the lack of people. I got some amazing shots here, of the crumbling walls and the green hillside, without a single person in them. I'm not arrogant enough to assume that writing a review will bring more people there, but if I thought it would matter in the grand scheme, I wouldn't even mention it. You have this amazing visceral, hands on experience here, with ancient walls you can touch. To me, that made the experience more "magical" than Stonehenge, because I was able to actually imagine a king with his cloak brushing against the wall, or a busy kitchen filled with cooks helping to prepare a meal for someone. Since it originated around the time of Roman occupation, you can really feel the hundreds of feet that have walked there. MY TIME: I spent a little over an hour and a half here, which was honestly longer than I stayed at Stonehenge. There were no lines, limited people, and free parking available, so you can count out egregious wait times if you're planning a day of visiting a few sights. TIPS/SUGGESTIONS: -Since you're walking in grass and mud, it can very wet! I suggest some water-resistent/proof shoes when walking around. -Buy the booklet! It's only like 3.50 quid, and has a lot of interesting information.

Old Sarum is of particular importance to me. My father in law took me on a walk to Old Sarum the day that I asked him for permission to marry his daughter, and since then I've gone back several times. There is something majestic about the imagination that is stirred up seeing the foundations of a once great castle. The heritage site is not awe inspiring in itself, but the history brings a deep sense of reverence and awe that surpasses the bare foundations you see. They have done a wonderful job providing bits of history and trivia at each point of the site, so much so that even young children remain interested. They've also done a really good job letting children (and adults) experience the site by walking amongst the ruins. If you're in Salisbury Old Sarum should be #3 on your list, after Stonehenge and the Carhedral.

We took a bus tour out to Stonehedge and stopped here in the afternoon. The castle remains are minimal; walls are mostly broken down. There are nice views of the surrounding countryside from the top level.

Fun place. We came over for a living history show. I can not imagine having to attack it 400 years ago

This is a great place to visit for anybody interested in Wiltshire's long and varied history. the site dates back to almost 500BC and has been invaded, inhabited, razed to the ground and built back up many times over the last couple of millennia. With the aid of graphic representations littered throughout the site you can imagine the conflicts and disputes that have marred and evolved the site over the years. At many times it is difficult to fully envision the barbarous and bloody feuds that took place so long ago, but the information given to you gives an intelligent insight into its past. Perhaps not for the younger kids but well worth a visit.

Originally built as Williams power base in the West it is based on an old hill fort . It is powerfully based above Salisbury and this is the location of the original town and catherdral . The ruins are all low walls and interpretation is aided by many information boards .

This was a great sight connected with my tour of Stonehenge. You can really walk here and get up close, which is a neat change from being prevented from touching everything at other historical places. There is a guidebook you can purchase and get to know what you are actually standing on, which is an old cathedral and castle that was abandoned because there was not fresh water easily available. It's fun to just tromp around and feel the history that you're standing on.

If like me you thought that Old Sarum was just a 5000 year old old Iron Age hill fort in Salisbury, built on layers of earth to tower above the local countryside, you would be very much mistaken. It is fact full of historical significance and the home of a once very splendoured Royal residence. William the Conqueror inherited the place from the last Saxon King of England. Already defended and lying beside an important road junction, it was the ideal place to site a Royal Palace. The great outer defences provided him with a ready-made arena for mustering troops, and it was here in 1070 that he paid off his army after a long and bitter campaign in Northern England. It was here to, in August 1086, that he called together all the major land owners in England so that they could swear their allegiance to him. The castle went through many improvements over the years, including greater defences, more grandeur residences and the building of a large cathedral in the grounds. When the monarchy an the church fell out with each other, the local bishop decided to build a new cathedral (which can be seen from the walls of the castle), in the nearby vicinity of Salisbury, and hence the city was born. In later years the castle fell into disrepair and ruin and the order was finally given by Henry VIII to dismantle the castle and use the stone to build other structures. Visiting in the cold biting wind of February is probably not the best time to view this national treasure, but it certainly gives you a feel for what it must have been like to try and keep warm here in days of yore. The site is very impressive now, so must have been a terrifying site for anyone trying to attack it a thousand years ago. A must see place if visiting the area.