Salisbury Scrutineer

The walk from Salisbury to Odstock via the beautiful footpaths through fields of oil seed rape and wheat is thoroughly recommended. It doesn’t take long to be on your own as you leave Harnham. At Harnham, stop off for picnic supplies at the excellent East Harnham Deli (the shop’s hoarding says A. Hand and Sons Grocers, 1 Harnham Road). We armed ourselves with a home-made scotch egg (one of the best I’ve had), a broccoli and cheese pasty, two slices of lemon drizzle cake and two bottles of proper Dandelion and Burdock. In a very civilised way they are open from 10 – 3.30 on Sundays, ideal for anyone wanting to take a Sunday lunchtime walk. The round trip is about 8 miles. The highlight is meeting the River Ebble (and its cows). Odstock is nice ok though our impression was slightly marred by our hopes of getting a nice cool pint dashed. When we arrived at the village pub, the Yew Tree (about 2.30pm) it was closing and we were turned away. Not very good for hot and thirsty walkers!

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St Thomas Square, opp. St Thomas’s and St Edmund’s church
Monday – Friday – 8.30 – 5.00, Saturday – 8.00 – 5.00

Last Saturday afternoon, after a hard day’s wandering, we finally managed to go into Polly Tearooms rather than walk past wistfully. I ordered a traditional cream tea, consisting of a pot of tea (enough for at least two cups), a sizeable fruit scone (choice of fruit or plain), strawberry jam (choice of strawberry, raspberry, apricot) and clotted cream (or whipped if preferred but why would you?), while my partner-in-tea went for a cream slice (slice is far too diminuative for what it was). As you enter, you can’t stop coveting the array of beautiful cakes and confectionery to choose from: gateaux, meringues, eclairs like you’ve never seen such things. Which one? Which one shall I have?? (Read the article)

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30 Salt Lane

Open Monday to Saturday – 8am – 7pm

There is so much to say about Abbey Stores that I can hardly contain myself to write properly. This has been my fourth attempt to write a review and every time it makes me so desirous to just dash down there to see what new things they might have in, that I never finish what I want to say. Abbey Stores deserves more than one review anyway so for now I shall be content in just saying a fraction of the amazing things I wanted to.

Abbey Stores is everything a good shop should be. In fact, it’s not just a good shop, it’s a magnificent emporium of first-rate food and drink and other useful household things. How is it possible that we can go in and take so long choosing which cider we want to drink and whether to go for bottled or draught take-out (choices in both) with our free-range local sausages and craft cheeses? Is it possible that we will ever get through the range of condiments, sauces and chutneys called (as it should be) Tracklements (made locally in Sherston, Wilts), or ever do without them again? (Read the article)

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According to a friend, there are nearly 60 public houses in Salisbury. So far, we’ve managed to sample about 18 of them. The pubs vary from plush modern bars, to large chain pubs serving lager and football, to real ale pubs with beams and tankards. There’s a pub for all tastes.

This page will be updated as we visit more.

In our minds, we have some basic requirements that a pub has to meet if we will go back to it for another drink. The may well not be the same as yours, but they go as follows: (Read the article)

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If you’re visiting Salisbury between 26th May and 11th June, you might want to have a quick peep at the Salisbury International Arts Festival website. Even if you’re not planning to come here, but aren’t too far away, it’s certainly worth a look.

There’s everything from Aboriginal dancing at Stonehenge (no, really!), fireworks over the cathedral, folk music, theatre, street shows, famous people reading books, and probably quite a lot of fluttering silk flags. And that’s just a taster for what’s on the full programme.

We’ll be heading to a few gigs and events, since it’s on our doorstep and quite hard to ignore! Photos will probably wend their way on here afterwards…

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When we started living in this place in which we were previously just tourists, it took some time to realise that we were not on a prolonged bed and breakfast holiday. As the novelty of a new home and geography wore off, and the realities of unpacking boxes and starting to conduct a daily life took over, we felt an overriding sense of loss for that automation to which we were accustomed. For us, the creation of new daily realities was, and is, only possible through exploration, observation and serendipity. We want to live this place, not merely exist in it.

On his way from Kensington (London) to East Everley (Wiltshire) in 1826, William Cobbett rode to a place called Tangley. There he approached a woman at a cottage to ask for directions to Ludgershall which he reckoned was only about four miles away. The woman said she did not know. Cobbett recounts this incident like this: (Read the article)

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