The weather really had turned autumnal by this last day. Our destination was Old Sarum, an exposed hilltop turned into a defensible hillfort about 400AD and occupied until the Roman’s dismantled its defences and turfed the residents out when they arrived.
This site was of course a very old friend. When we moved to Salisbury in 1955, we lived just a stone’s throw away and it was a regular Sunday afternoon family destination with our good friends the Bryants. Us kids used to just love doing roly-polys down what we called the moat – I now understand it to be a huge defensive outer ditch, although there is another more moat-like ditch in the middle surrounding the motte and bailey castle added by the Normans after 1066. Marked out on the grass in stones is also the ground plan of the original Salisbury Cathedral, before its 1220 move down into the town. I think in the 50s everything had been kept trim and tidy through mowing – there was no way anyone could have rolled down that fenced off and overgrown ditch today.
There were some great views of Salisbury and some very dramatic autumnal trees.
Battered by winds and driving rain, it was good to be finally back on the coach and heading off to lunch before the final drive home.
Delivered safely back to Madam Tussaud’s by late afternoon, it was time for quick thank yous and goodbyes, and a welcome mini-cab back to Battersea. What a great trip.
