The Chaotic Campervaners go to Salisbury Camping and Caravanning Club Site

Salisbury Camping and Caravanning Club Site

Salisbury Campsite

Aeroplanes, ancient stones, cathedral city and masses of history

We arrived at the Salisbury Camping and Caravanning Club Site feeling very excited as this was going to be the first time that we had actually slept in Reo The Speedwagon, our trusty campervan.  We had a lovely flat pitch in the middle of the top field.  Once we had set up our awning we sat down to eat delicious woodfired pizzas from the pizza van that visits on Friday evenings between 5.30 and 7.30.  The Salisbury campsite has 2 fields, both of which slope. The facilities include 2 toilet blocks, a small one at the top of the campsite and the main block with toilets, showers, wash cubicles and a washing up area further down.  The site also has accessible facilities, a parent and child room and washing machines.  Although the campsite does not have a play area, it is nestled next to Hudson's Field where there is plenty of room for ball games.  It also boasts uninterrupted views of Old Sarum which was the site of the original Salisbury Cathedral.  There is a Harvester Restaurant close by, a Co-op Food store a short distance away and a Waitrose store just over a mile away.

From the campsite, you can walk or cycle into the centre of Salisbury and if you choose to drive in there are plenty of car parks.  There is so much to see and do in and around the city of Salisbury.  There are museums, independent shops, restaurants and cafes, a thriving market twice a week and of course the magnificent cathedral.  At 123 metres, the spire at Salisbury Cathedral is the tallest church spire in the UK.  The cathedral also houses what is believed to be the oldest working clock in the world and the Chapter House (which is part of the cathedral) houses the best preserved copy of the Magna Carta.  Entry tickets to Salisbury Cathedral also includes entry to the Chapter House.  It is worth booking tickets to the cathedral in advance online as there is a slight reduction for doing so.  Your ticket is valid for a year, so you can always return as there really is so much to see.

We decided that while we were staying at the Salisbury campsite we would visit Stonehenge.  This amazing and unique UNESCO World Heritage site is just under 10 miles from the campsite.  We decided to take out English Heritage membership as with EH membership you can visit Stonehenge for free as well as over 400 other EH sites.  The membership means that even at busy times (when there might be a charge for parking) you can park for free.  We also booked our entry time and decided to arrive at 9.30 when it would not be so busy.  After visiting the toilets at the visitors centre (which we would advise you to do as these are the only toilets at Stonehenge), we boarded one of the shuttle buses for the short drive up to the stones.  Stonehenge is such an amazing sight!  Although you are not able to get up close to the stones, you do still get an amazing view of them.  We enjoyed walking around the circular walk and taking lots of photos at different angles.  We then returned on the shuttle bus to the Visitors Centre.  We explored the Neolithic village reconstruction, had a snack in the cafe and then spent time in the exhibition learning all about the history of Stonehenge.  You can read our full review of Stonehenge here and our top tips for visiting Stonehenge here.  Our top tip though is to talk to the guides and ask them questions.  They really do have a wealth of knowledge!  

After visiting the gift shop (and another trip to the toilets), we left Stonehenge and drove the short distance (about 2 miles) to Woodhenge.  Woodhenge is a Neolithic monument that was only discovered in 1925.  Although it was originally built of timber, it is now marked out with concrete posts.  Woodhenge is free to enter, but please do note that there are no facilities there.   

Having seen both Stonehenge and Woodhenge, I persuaded Bakerboy and The Bunny Whisperer that it would also be worth visiting Avebury (which is about 24 miles from Stonehenge).  The site at Avebury is the largest stone circle in Britain.  Within the outer stone circle there are two smaller circles of stones.  All this is dotted around and within the village of Avebury.  There is a National Trust car park that is free for NT members and is one of the few NT car parks that also allows free parking for English Heritage members who's car is displaying their EH membership sticker.  There are facilities at Avebury including a shop, museum, toilets and a tea room.  Just by chance, we visited Avebury on the weekend of the Autumn Equinox and were treated to festivities including Molly dancers (a form of Morris dancing) and lots of people dressed up in some amazing and very interesting outfits. 

The following day, we decided to visit Old Sarum.  There is a lovely walk from the campsite directly to Old Sarum across Hudson's Field.  There is also parking available close to the fort.  Old Sarum is an Iron Age hill fort which is the site of the original Salisbury Cathedral.  The views of Salisbury from Old Sarum include the campsite and the 'new' 800 year old cathedral.  Old Sarum is an English Heritage site and is free to EH members.  As we explored Old Sarum we watched skydivers floating down to earth and small aeroplanes taking off and coming in to land at the nearby Old Sarum Airfield.

After visiting Old Sarum, we stopped at the Secret Spitfire Memorial at the entrance to the lane down to the campsite.  This stunning tribute to the people of Salisbury who secretly built Spitfires during World War II proudly dominates the sky.  Underneath, there is a Secret Spitfire Charity information board to tell you all about it.  You can also read about it by following this link.

With our short break nearing it's end, we decided to book to join in one of the Sunday inflatable fun sessions at the Five Rivers Leisure Centre.  This floating inflatable fun course is for confident swimmers aged over 8 years old who are accompanied by an adult swimmer.  The beach pool was open at the same time for younger children who were also accompanied by an adult.  You can check out the swimming timetable by following this link.

We had a fun but very busy time during our short stay at the Salisbury Campsite.  There is so much to see and do in and around Salisbury.  Stonehenge is an amazing place, Salisbury Cathedral is stunning and Avebury is definitely worth a visit.  There are thousands of years of history just waiting to be discovered!

Salisbury Campsite

Thank you for reading about our trip to the Salisbury Campsite.  If you enjoyed reading about our stay in Salisbury, why not read our reviews about the Moreton Campsite in Dorset and the Umberleigh Campsite in Devon or find out more about The Chaotic Campervaners by reading our 'Meet the Team' post.  Please also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest to hear more about the adventures of The Chaotic Campervaners.