When I decided to visit England, I knew I had a lot of places to see. Being born and raised in Malaysia, a member of the Commonwealth, we were once a British colony and many influential parts of the British remained. Hence, there were lots to relate!
One of the main reasons we included Salisbury in our itinerary was to visit the Stonehenge. Prior to that, we did some research and got to know of the English Heritage Pass. It’s a pass you can purchase online that will give you access to over 400 historical sites, parks and old castles. The membership is valid for a year so it makes a really good deal especially if you’re in for a long stay. I also found it to be cheaper if you’re planning to visit up to at least 3 sites, rather than paying per entry, per site.
England is really huge to begin with. For this trip, we made sure to do less city, more country. That only means I’ll be back for more of the city. Our entire England route looked a little bit something like this:
Renting a car in England was okay for us because we drive on the same side of the road. Also, because we were doing a few cities that were not exactly close to each other, we made sure we spent a night in each. Having our own car made it easier and added a little more excitement to the trip. I gotta say, doing a road trip in a country that is foreign to you really takes your whole trip to a different level. Road signs and exits are generally the same but they do have their subtle differences.
I will walk through each town, but this post is about Salisbury and its surroundings.
Salisbury
Salisbury is a beautiful, quiet and quaint city. We stayed in Cathedral Hotel and had one of the best English experience of our entire England trip. They have a really cosy pub which serves local brews and delicious English food. This includes your classic fish and chips and good ol’ bangers and mash. We also had the best English breakfast; it is a complete package (bacons, beans, hash, sausage, eggs and black pudding!) The pub is well equipped with TV screens, playing all the live football matches which made the English experience even better!
When you’re inside an English pub, not ordering a beer is like committing a serious crime! And I know we’re not in Ireland, but you definitely need to try the Guinness. It really isn’t the same as the ones you get in Asia. Trust me, you will immediately fall in love, even though you’re not a avid beer drinker.
Mayfield Lavender Farm
Coming from South East Asia where flower farms are rare, I’d highly recommend to visit Mayfield Lavender Farm. It is on the way to Salisbury and a doable day trip if you’re coming from London city. Thousands of rows of beautiful lavender making a sea of purple is definitely a sight to behold.
Besides being picturesque, this farm harvest the lavenders for its fragrance oil and commercialises them into lavender flavoured/infused products.
Stonehenge
Who’d thought one day I’d be seeing these? For the longest time I’ve heard about the Stonehenge and finally I was right there, within 1km of touching it. With the English Heritage pass, the audio-guided tour was already included upon entry, so that was a plus! These giant rocks were erected since 2500BC during the Neothilic period. They are considered a prehistoric monument and many theories have been developed on the significance of these stones.
As I was standing there, planted firmly to the ground, I looked at these stones with much thoughts running in my head. The beauty remains that something so natural and simplistic as these stones can tell a story about the past. And that still leaves me in absolute awe every time I think about it.
Although not much, Salisbury is surrounded by many interesting things to poke your nose about. If you’re ever planning to stay in England for a while and love abit of history, I’d highly recommend you to get the English Heritage Pass and make Salisbury one of the towns to spend a night in.
Honestly, I really enjoyed my England experience in Salisbury. It was such a pleasant stay in a beautiful city. It is not exactly popular with tourists, which is what I loved most about the trip.
THINGS TO DO
- Spend a few nights in Salisbury to visit around. There is an extensive history on how Salisbury was part of Old Sarum, turned into new Sarum and now into Salisbury.
- While in Salisbury, you definitely do not want to miss a trip to the Salisbury cathedral, a beautiful old English architecture built in 1200’s.
- I’ve mentioned a few times in this post to get your English Heritage Pass. With it, you can visit Old Sarum. Interestingly, Old Sarum is the earliest settlement of Salisbury in England. Although mostly flat grass everywhere, you could easily place yourself on one spot and start to re-imagine the entire settlement.
- The Stonehenge in my opinion, is a must visit. There is a lot to take in so I’d recommend you take your time and commit at least half a day for this visit
- With your English Heritage Pass, you may opt to visit some of the old castles around. Each unique, with their own history. My advice is to always go with the guided audio-book. It is a great way to explore at your own leisure.
- Probably one of the most English things you can do is have a scone. If you need to, try the ones in Mayfield Lavender farm. They do great lavender scones!
- Have a meal at the Cathedral hotel’s pub. Great atmosphere, delicious food and really friendly staffs. Ask for a local brew
- What better way to immerse yourself in all things England than to be part of an English Medieval festival. One most popular is the St George’s festival. It is a day of English culture expression and appreciation.
Eat, Sleep, Travel, Repeat 
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