Old Sarum Ruins

Address: Old Sarum, Salisbury, Wiltshire (approx. 2 miles north of Salisbury city centre)

Website: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/old-sarum/

Hours: Daily dawn-dusk (seasonal); check English Heritage for winter closures

Admission: English Heritage members free; non-member adult admission varies (check website)

Old Sarum is an archaeological hilltop site in Wiltshire that combines an Iron Age hillfort with later Norman and medieval remains. It is an important visible example of sequential settlement and fortification on the same summit.

The hill was first fortified in the Iron Age and subsequently reused in Roman and early medieval periods. After the Norman conquest a motte-and-bailey castle and a cathedral were established on the site; the cathedral chapter was relocated to the new city of Salisbury in the early 13th century and Old Sarum declined thereafter.

Perched on a chalk ridge about 3 km north of Salisbury in southern England, the site overlooks the surrounding plain and is approached from the modern A345 and nearby parking and visitor facilities.

• Proximity to Salisbury: Located about 3 kilometres north of Salisbury town centre and managed as a heritage site accessible to the public.

What to See#

• Motte and earthworks: Extensive earthworks of an Iron Age hillfort topped by a Norman motte and bailey castle; the motte and surrounding banks are clearly visible on the summit.
• Cathedral ruins: Remains of the medieval cathedral and associated foundations from the 11th and 12th centuries, now visible as low stone footings within the hillfort enclosure.

Old Sarum is about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Salisbury Cathedral. From Salisbury city centre walk north along the River Avon towpath (approximately 30-40 minutes) or take the occasional local bus toward Old Sarum; there is a small car park directly adjacent to the site (signposted off the A345).

• Walk from Salisbury through the grounds of Salisbury Cathedral - the 2-2.5 km stroll follows the River Avon and is far more pleasant than driving.
• Use the small car park at Old Sarum (signposted off the A345) - it puts visitors on the outer bailey within a minute's walk of the earthworks.
• Bring a windproof layer: the summit catches every gust and there's little shelter.
• Spend five minutes tracing the faint stone foundation ring in the inner ward; it is easy to miss but reveals the cathedral's footprint.