Please sign in to post.

Help with Salisbury?

We were going to do Stonehenge and Bath but now I think we'd like to slow the trip down and spend the whole day around Stonehenge and Salisbury as a day trip from our hotel in London.

1) We'd like to rent bikes in Salisbury if the weather is nice and bike to Stonehenge and Avebury. Is this realistic and are there bike rentals (approximate price for a day?) in the area?

2) We'd like to rent a punt there if the weather is nice since we have so many other things to do in cities where punt rentals are plentiful (oxford, bath and SuA). Any idea where to go for that and approximate price for a couple of hours?

Thanks to anyone who can help... and if this stuff is in the RS guidebook for England just let me know to look there because my copy should be arriving next week! In the meantime I was doing a bit of internet research to flesh out our day plans. We can take the HOHO to Stonehenge and such if necessary.
-J

Posted by
8293 posts

If you get no responses here, I suggest you google the Salisbury UK Tourist Office. Their website has a "contact us" button.

Posted by
337 posts

I think it would take about an hour by bike from Salisbury to Stonehenge, and another hour back, so it depends on how much time you have. I noticed on Google Maps that you can select "bicycle" and the map will show you the best biking route. It looks like there is a small local road you can use, and avoid the main roads.

I don't know about Salisbury, but we rented a punt outside Bath last summer: http://www.bathboating.co.uk/boats/
They have ferry-style boats that pick you up and drop you off in the center of Bath, or you can walk a short, pleasant mile or so from the city.

Have fun deciding!

Posted by
17 posts

Thanks guys. So maybe not Avebury but Stonehenge looks bikeable for us. FYI, Hayball's rents bikes for $18/day or $27/overnight.

Posted by
13800 posts

I will preface this by saying I am a chicken but I can't imagine biking those roads leading up to Stonehenge and the new Visitor Center. They seemed pretty busy with loads of coaches on narrow and sometimes hedgerow lined roads. Yikes.

Posted by
16024 posts

My son and I biked from Salisbury to Stonehenge and back about 15 years go. It was a great day! We got a late start because we were coming by train fromBath, and my college-age son was not an early riser! It was around 2:00 when we picked up the bikes--I don't remember the name of the bike shop but it was easy to find from the train station. When we told the guy we were going to Stonehenge, he gave a stern warning that they closed at 5:30 and wanted to bet us we wouldn't be back in time. But we were, and we even stopped along the way for a pub lunch at the Wheatsheaf Inn in Middle Woodford. There is a nice back road through this and other villages, and along the way we were treated to a classic car rally going the other way. I stopped counting at around 100 of the old beauties.

We did not spend a lot of time at Stonehenge itself, like 45 minutes, but that was enough time to do a few laps and sneak a photo of the guy mowing the lawn with a tractor. I had seen it before, in the days when one had free access to the stones. You may want more time there, so plan accordingly.

Posted by
1 posts

When in Salisbury, make time to take the spire tour at the cathedral. The 360 degree views from the spire are breathtaking, Also, useful to have the National Trust pass to move to the front of the line at Stonehenge.

Posted by
3057 posts

Stonehenge now has timed entry that must be booked in advance. This applies even to National Trust members who get in for free--- they still need a reservation.