Wiltshire Tourist Guide

Walks in Salisbury - Wiltshire

With national trails and major rivers passing near or through the city country, riverside short, long or circular walks in Salisbury are on offer.


We have put together some walks that may interest you which take in the wide range of cultural historical and geographical landmarks or visiting one of the 47 Wiltshire Wildlife Trusts reserves open to the public free of charge

Starting at the centre of the city this Salisbury city circular walk can take as little as an hour and ten minutes or all day depending on the number of fascinating distractions you discover.



By far the most convenient and simple means of visiting the city is by using Salisbury’s wonderful park and ride system. This park and ride system is second to none for the size of town and you rarely need wait more than 10 minutes for an eco-friendly bus to whisk you into the town centre. All of Salisbury’s five park and ride sites are equidistant from the centre and very convenient.

Salisbury Circular Country Walk
This walk starts from Old Sarum, the original site of Salisbury 3 miles (5km) north of today’s city centre, and takes in the Woodford Valley, River Avon and the edge of Salisbury Plain.



A good choice of free parking and you will see some of the best scenery the city has to offer.

Salisbury Circular Woodland Walk
This circular woodland walk starts from Great Wishford village on the A36 Devizes road taking in the ancient woodland of Grovely Wood just north of Wilton.



Again not too ardurous and the stretch through the centre of the wood is the old Roman road and is easy walking. No matter what season the woodland is always has much to interest the visitor.

Long distance Trails
There are several walks we would recommend:

The Monarch’s Way
The national trail Monarch’s Way is 615 miles (990 km) long and weaves its way through southern England. It follows closely the route that Charles II used to flee to France after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 and passes to the north of Salisbury.

Clarendon Way
This trail links Salisbury city with Winchester starting from Salisbury Cathedral and ending at Winchester Cathedral. It passes the old ruins of Clarendon Palace, through Pitton village, WInterslow village and Broughton on the Hampshire side of the border.

The Avon Valley Trail
This follows the river Avon at Christchurch on the south coast north through Salisbury to Stonehenge but is recommended as a summer walk. Winter rainfall can make stretches of the river walk impassable.

The Sarsen Trail or Great Stones Way
This 26 mile (42km) trail links the World Heritage Stone Circle sites of Stonehenge (north of the city) and Avebury, close to Marlborough.

This is just a tiny sample of walks in Salisbury that are on offer. We think you will agree that the city and its surrounds have some of the most beautiful countryside in England along with military and social history encompassing Neolithic times through to modern times.

Walks in Salisbury