Salisbury - see it, live it, love it! (Salisbury in General)

Member Name: JHWilts

Product:	Salisbury in General
Date:	18/06/09 (12 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Huge variety of architecture, things to do

Disadvantages: Traffic into the town and expensive parking

I have lived near Salisbury for ten years now and I never fail to get excited by the city.

It is a city that has stunning architecture, lovely Cathedral and amazing views. There are fabulous walks all around the city - try Elizabeth Gardens where you can walk around to the Mill Hotel and along the way visit the exact stop where Turner painted his iconic view of Salisbury Cathedral.

There are lots of places to eat and drink in Salisbury including pubs, coffee bars, fast food take outlets and hotels with restaurants.

The accommodation is varied from B&Bs in the way into Salisbury to hotels such as The red Lion, The White Hart (part of the Mercer hotel chain) and on the outskirts of Salisbury a Premier Travel Inn. Personally if my friends decide not to stay with me they often choose a B&B probably closer to Stonehenge which gives them access to Salisbury but the option to enjoy the countryside.

The cathedral grounds are divine in summer and spring and it is nice to get a take away sandwich or such and go and sit in the grounds and watch the world go by. Unfortunately the Cathedral seems to be perpetually in
scaffolding at some point so choose a view where this is obscured.

The Salisbury Museum which is in Salisbury Close is am amazing place and well worth a visit. Allow for a few hours though as there is so much crammed into the medieval building that you don't want to miss a thing. It is truly a treasure trove of exhibits.

Stonehenge is about 14 miles from the Centre of Salisbury with the best route being the A345 from Salisbury to Amesbury. It is worth it whether you decide to go into the Stones (which costs around £6 on average per person) or just drive past it. You can also walk to the outside of the stones following the old ancient route of the Valley of the Kings. You can access this from countess Roundabout by using the underpass then cutting through using the Byway which is on the left hand side. This is well worth it, takes about 2-3 miles but is a stunning way to approach the stones.

There are a variety of shops including all the main chains and key supermarkets. The speciality shops are the best and you can find them tucked away from the main drag. The bookshop in the Cross Keys is well worth visiting. They offer superb service and a great range particularly of local history books.

The local home brewers shop is worth a visit even if you don't plan to. Great stories and chats with the locals can be found in there.

There is a local market every Tuesday and Saturday which is where you can find almost anything you need or want. This is a historic market that has been around for more than 800 years although the traders have changed - slightly.

The biggest drawback with Salisbury is the traffic especially on a Saturday or early and late weekdays with people trying to get home.

You could try and avoid this by using one of the many Park and Ride services placed at all main arteries into Salisbury.

Salisbury has a fairly efficient train line which makes it only an hour and a half to London Waterloo. There is also roughly the same time to get to Exeter if you get the Express train.

House prices are fairly high for what you get however this is probably reflected in the fact the population is not very transient so there is not much option to move and has an older population. It is also indicative of the fact that people travel for their work.

Wages are variable depending on what you want or can do. Temporary and Administrator work is plentiful due to some key organisations such as Friends Provident and Capita based there.

Overall, I would be hard pressed to move from Salisbury. There are always events on with the annual Arts Festival, the Playhouse and City Hall host some key names in entertainment. The outlying countryside has filled many a weekend for my family with walks, fishing and trekking.

Salisbury has major issues with the traffic and the fact there is no bypass road makes it unappealing for people to stop and visit often however please persevere. You will love it when you see it and will definitely want to come back again.

Summary: Fabulous city that deserves more than a drive through on the way somewhere else