@bazooka Travels to Salisbury, England (Stonehenge? Woodhenge? Old Sarum!) 2300 BC! 4000+ years old

The past few days I found myself in Salisbury for a wedding an decided to do some sight seeing at the same time. Now, most people immediately suggest Stonehenge but a little pre-research indicated that the expensive entrance fee was not worth it so we skipped it! We stayed at a decent little Inn called The Stonehenge Inn and Carvery:

Supposedly the location had free wifi but 2g 40kb/s doesn't really qualify so the whole family wasn't super happy with my choice. But hey! It did include free breakfast so...

The next morning after the wedding we visited the close by Woodhenge. Woodhenge, according to The English Heritage Site:

Woodhenge is an atmospheric Neolithic site, probably built about 2300 BC. It was originally believed to be the remains of a large burial mound, surrounded by a bank and ditch almost completely destroyed by ploughing, but aerial photography detected rings of dark spots in a crop of wheat.

Lots of human remains have been found in the area and we found a burial site of one of them. Someone had left a note, some garlic and a small pendant - maybe some kind of ritual?

I was really impressed by the placards and information available for Woodhenge. It gave lots of information to visitors to help truly get an understanding the area.

What's great about about Woodhenge is that there is no entrance fee and you can go right into the ancient site. Nice!

Next on the itinerary was to visit a place called Old Sarum. Old Sarum is an incredibly old settlement originally dating back to around 3000BC and is the oldest remnants of Salisbury. From Wikipedia:

The great monoliths of Stonehenge and Avebury were erected nearby and indications of prehistoric settlement have been discovered from as early as 3000 BC. An Iron Age hillfort was erected around 400 BC, controlling the intersection of two native trade paths and the Hampshire Avon. The site continued to be occupied during the Roman period, when the paths became roads. The Saxons took the British fort in the 6th century and later used it as a stronghold against marauding Vikings. The Normans constructed a motte and bailey castle, a stone curtain wall, and a great cathedral. A royal palace was built within the castle for King Henry I and was subsequently used by Plantagenet monarchs. This heyday of the settlement lasted for around 300 years until disputes between the Wiltshire sheriff and the Salisbury bishop finally led to the removal of the church into the nearby plain. As New Salisbury grew up around the construction site for the new cathedral in the early 13th century, the buildings of Old Sarum were dismantled for stone and the old town dwindled. Its long-neglected castle was abandoned by Edward II in 1322 and sold by Henry VIII in 1514. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Sarum

The views were absolutely breathtaking across the British countryside. We were very lucky to have gone on a great weather day! Especially in December.

Here is a view of the whole settlement (or what remains of it to this day):

Located on the site was a Royal Residence which, while not used that much, served as a place that Kings could entertain their guests. Kings would entertain them in spacious courtyards with fires and tables set around for dining on.

I sat here on these steps which were built around 1310 or so for the Royal residence. There is a true sense of reverence to the whole experience. Just imagining the feet that have traversed these steps over the years is incredible.

We found some Royal toilets that King Henry I would have used. When he wasn't in the Castle, someone would have to be lowered in to clean it out. What a job!

The kids love taking photos and insisted on taking this one. It was very windy up there so would recommend bundling up nicely and skip the t-shirt shorts combo!

I felt truly in awe of the amazing history to be found within these walls.

What an incredible experience we had in Salisbury. By heading off the beaten path we discovered some truly unique English treasures. Where should we visit next in the UK?