Join
us on a short stroll from Salisbury Cathedral to the Old Mill Salisbury,
now a hotel and pub (see foot of page)
Your destination is a delightful place to take a well earned rest.
With a beer garden overlooking the old mill channels and weir.
The route goes across the historic water meadows giving another perspective
on Salisbury Cathedral.
The Start
Your route starts at Salisbury Cathedral, probably after a visit to
the icon of Salisbury the Cathedral and perhaps some of the other
attractions in the Close. See Salisbury
page.
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Make
your way through the city gates, (pictured below) back into the city
centre . |
Pass
through the arch of the gate. In about 50m you come to crossroad's
with traffic lights.
You turn left here, the road is called New Street. This is the dreariest
part of the whole walk being along a busy road. Stay on the left hand
side of the road.
In about 200m you cross the River Avon and the perspective brightens
up. On your left is a car park and some public toilets, (free and
well maintained). |
Salisbury
City Gate |
Once
you pass the car park, there is Queen Elizabeth Gardens on your left.
This is a spacious grass area next to the river. On a summers day
there will be a lot of people stretched out on the grass, or feeding
the ducks and similar innocent activities.
Salisbury Cathedral provides a perfect backdrop, (see picture right) |
Queen Elizabeth Gardens |
Either
follow the road around the border of the park or walk through it.
At the end of the park you will see a footbridge crossing the river.
Just by the bridge you will notice a gravel drive going into the water.
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During the summer, horse drawn carriage rides come down here and along
the River Avon.
The water is quite shallow here and its quite a sight to see the horses
in the water.
Cross over the bridge and follow the path. The path is shown on the
picture right.
Be careful as the odds are you will encounter bicycles, but now the
traffic is behind us.
You now go on autopilot, the path finishes at the Old Mill our destination.
There are no turnoffs.
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 Path
Through Salisbury Water Meadows |
| The
first known reference to the meadows at Salisbury was in 1669. There
is no known record of any owners or to whom the land may have been
leased until 1743. Then the ownership of the manor of West Harnham
(Salisbury) was in the hands of the Earl of Pembroke and his Steward
was in charge of seeing that the occupants of various sections of
the meadows were properly maintaining and operating them |
A
water meadow is a man-made pasture irrigation system operated at the
discretion of the farmer. The aim is either to increase total grass
production, or bring it forward in time during the agricultural year.
The operation of water meadows, a practice known as ‘floating’
(sometimes ‘drowning’) is based upon skilful construction
and year-round management. Water is diverted from a river or canal
to irrigate grass ridges constructed in the alluvial soils.
Water meadows cause the grass to grow by bringing production earlier
in the spring (by as much as one month) through warming the soil above
5C).
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Water
Meadows With Salisbury Cathedral as Backdrop |
| Today
it is largely cattle and sheep that are seen, historically it was
sheep that were central to the rural economy of the area. |
At
the end of the path you cross a weir and reach our destination, the
Old Mill.
The original Mill dates from 1135. The building was converted for
use as Wiltshire's first paper mill in 1550 when the river was diverted
to its present course under the building. Prior to 1550 it was used
for ecclesiastical purposes and it is believed monuments from Old
Sarum were stored here during the building of the new cathedral.
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The
Old Mill Hotel at Salisbury |
Today
the mill is a small hotel and restaurant (good) with a substantial
beer garden. You can even stay here (see below).
There is another traditional pub next door too. |
The Old Mill Hotel - 3* Hotel - Doubles From £100
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You'll
certainly remember your stay here in a historic water mill on the
River Avon. The bar and restaurant is a destination for many visitors
to Salisbury.
Paved footway across the water meadows to Salisbury City.
Breakfast included in room rate.
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| Rooms : Double Rooms |
| Position
: Historic old water mill - 15 min walk to Cathedral |
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