On Saturday December 5th, we are arranging a coach trip to Salisbury to visit the Christmas Markets, the Cathedral and to take a walk through the city.
On Saturday, 5th December there will be a coach trip to Salisbury, widely regarded as one of the most attractive medieval cities in the country. The coach will pick up in Sonning Common at 8.15 am and Pangbourne at 8.45 am. We will return from Salisbury at 5.00pm.The route out will take us past Stonehenge where it will be possible to drop off for one hour those interested in seeing the new visitor centre (free to National Trust and English Heritage members, £14.40 concession). We will need to book timed tickets for those who wish to do this. The coach will return at 11.00am to take these on to Salisbury, arriving there about 11.30am. For those not visiting Stonehenge, the coach will continue to Old Sarum, 10.20am arrival, where those wishing to walk the 2-3 miles into Salisbury will get off. Old Sarum is an Iron Age hillfort with a ruined 11/12C castle and a magnificent view over Salisbury from the outer bailey (free to all). The inner castle is owned by English Heritage (concessions £3.80). From here we will walk for an hour along footpaths and the River Avon to Salisbury. Those remaining on the coach will be dropped off near the Christmas market in the centre of Salisbury, at about 10.30am. The market has a range of good quality products, tempting food, and is said to be one of the top Christmas markets in the UK. Nearby is the cathedral, where a new interactive display houses one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta on its 800th anniversary. A tower tour is possible if you have a head for heights! The Salisbury museum is nearby as is St Thomas’ church, with a medieval “Doom” painting of the Last Judgement. Salisbury has many good shops, hotels, pubs and cafes to find some lunch. Those who chose may wish to walk across Harnham meadows to see the view painted by John Constable in 1831.
If you would like to go on this coach trip to Salisbury please complete the booking form as soon as you can.
This trip is open to Pang Valley Ramblers and their friends. We need 33 people to make this trip viable; please give us your support and return your completed form by end of October at the latest.
