Salisbury is a medieval cathedral city in the southern English county of Wiltshire.

Stonehenge

2016

It had been many years since I went to Stonehenge, and it has had a significant tourist upgrade with a small model village, and a walking track half way around the henge. Smaller than people expect, it remains an impressive Neolithic site.

2022

It was almost exactly five years before when I was last at Stonehenge. It was a beautiful day when I was there last, but this time was much greyer and cloudier. It adds a certain something to the mysterious monoliths.

It remains a remarkable place. For the past thirty years, tourists must keep their distance. A walkway now fully circles the stones, giving you a chance to see the whole structure.

The site has been in some kind of use for around five thousand years, older even than Hagar Qim. Though Hagar Qim's structures are older than Stonehenge's stone structures.

Salisbury Cathederal

Visible from miles around, the tall spire of Salisbury is iconic. It has been the tallest spire in the United Kingdom for around five hundred years. Inside is a museum offering insights into the history of Salisbury, but outside, the ancient Cathedral, originally started in 1220 stands proud. Salisbury Cathedral is the home of the Magna Carta, or at least one of the surviving copies. It is a very old cathedral and the central focus of the town of Salisbury. You can see it for miles. It’s not the first time I’ve been here, but it’s always an impressive sight and lends itself to memorable photographs. I was leaning heavily on HDR for many of these shots to capture the stained glass in particular.

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New Forest Wildlife Park

Before I left the UK, I met up with a friend of mine at the New Forest Wildlife Park. A surprisingly good and often overlooked animal preserve in the New Forest and a short distance from Longdown Activity Farm.

Unlike Marwell Zoo in nearby Winchester, the animals at the New Forest Wildlife Park are all 'local' to the UK. With large open fields, you can see a pack of wolves, who are fed from roadkill in the New Forest when available. They'll warn you on entering if a carcass is visible.

There's also a good cafe with a lot of space, and at least three large outdoor climbing and activity centres for kids.

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Longdown Activity Farm

A popular place to take kids in the New Forest, Longdown Activity Farm gives people of all ages the chance to get up close to animals.

There are various information boards, lots of things to run around and a decent cafe.

There's also an excellent Farm Shop on site.