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Bike rides with a view

Whether you’re looking for a gentle family ride or a more adventurous off-road challenge, Salisbury and the surrounding countryside offer some of the best cycling routes on our patch. See historic landmarks like Stonehenge and Old Sarum or bike through peaceful woodland trails and riverside paths.

Here’s four of our favourite routes to explore.

Salisbury Golden Way

The Salisbury Golden Way is a 7-mile circular route around the city that is marked by the Golden Way logo and direction arrows. Old Sarum, Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury High Street, Laverstock and Avon Valley Nature Reserve are linked by this route so there’s plenty of places to stop off and relax, enjoy lunch and the local scenery. This is a good option for a family bike ride, as it’s easy to navigate and doesn’t take you far away from local shops and amenities!

Find the route and PDF here.

Woodford Valley circuit – Old Sarum, Amesbury and Stonehenge

Explore some of Wiltshire’s finest villages, River Avon, Old Sarum and the world-famous Stonehenge. This 16-mile route could take you anywhere from 50 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, depending on how long you stop to admire the sites!

You start at the Old Sarum car park, taking the bridleway and following the signs to the pretty village of Great Durnford. After cycling through the village you will pass the old water mill and follow signs for Amesbury. This is a good place to stop for a refreshment if you need it – you’ll pass several cafés, pubs and a bakery in the town centre. Hills Cycles in Smithfield St supply cycling equipment if you suffer a puncture.

You’ll pick the route back up again over the River Avon. Follow valley road through Normanton and Wilsford – you’ll eventually see a stunning view of Stonehenge.

At around 11 and ¾ miles you’ll pass Heale Gardens, a beautiful privately owned estate that is open to the public from March to October. There’s also a tearoom if you fancy a detour for cake. Enter Upper Woodford, then cross over the river following Wiltshire Cycleway signs through to Netton and onto Little Durnford. Just before the end there’s a hill to climb to reach Old Sarum castle.

The full route is on Visit Wiltshire’s website here.

Grovely Wood and Wylye Valley

This peaceful route takes you from Wilton, through the picturesque Grovely Wood and through the tranquil Wylye Valley. You can choose between the long or short route.

Park in South Street Car Park in Wilton, then turn right at the Bell Inn towards Great Wishford. Around three miles in you’ll hit a long steep hill, part of which is uneven, so be careful as you go down. You pass over a railway crossing into Wylye village, and cycle through to Hanging Langford. Here there is an opportunity to turn off towards Steeple Langford and visit Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Langford Lakes, and use the facilities if needed.

Salisbury Plain

This is an off road 30 miler that loops around the perimeter of the Ministry of Defence’s Imber Range – a route that has only recently been open to cyclers. Surfaces vary from tarmac and gravel tracks to grassy (sometimes muddy) byways, and the views stretch for miles!

Starting near Warminster train station at Elm Hill, you’ll cycle around Battlesbury Hill and Scratchbury Hill – two Iron Age hill forts. You’ll also see Copehill Down village, an eerie replica village built during the Cold war for military training. The Rose and Crown in Tilshead is the nearest refreshment stop on route. The Westbury White Horse can also be seen, it’s a lovely viewpoint on a sunny day.

More details about the starting point is available here. The entire route can be found on the Ordnance Survey App.