Salisbury, England

In Salisbury, our campsite provided this view of Old Sarum Hill, an ancient Iron Age fort where the original cathedral was built. We easily walked via a public footpath from the campsite that was located in a nice neighborhood to the old town of Salisbury. This swan family swimming along a canal felt like a warm welcome.

Cathedral towns in England are well-equipped for tourists. Lots of shops, restaurants, and interesting streets to explore.

Salisbury Cathedral coming into view below. Not only does it feature the tallest church spire in Britain, its Chapter House holds the best preserved of the four original Magna Cartas in existence. Written in 1215, it had great influence on the United States Declaration and Bill of Rights as well as the constitutions of many other democratic countries. Several interactive exhibits explain its significance. To view the document, we had to enter a dark tent-like structure because light is damaging to the ancient paper and ink. No photos were allowed.

View of the nave toward the altar.

Below, view of the font that is used for baptisms. Designed for the cathedral's 750th anniversary in 2008. You can see by the decorations that we visited at Christmas time.

View of the nave toward the west front of the cathedral with a huge Christmas tree.

Designed for processions, this is the largest cloisters in any British cathedral.

A view through Gothic arches to the cloisters.

We had a delicious lunch in the cafe, nestled between the cloisters and the cathedral's south side.

One last view as we say goodbye to Salisbury Cathedral.

We stopped for a few provisions at a grocery store and then passed this waterside home. The walk back to our campsite was about 1.5 miles. We met this friendly cat on the public footpath, who took a liking to Brian. Although it was a chilly, gray day, we were so glad we made time for Salisbury.