Knights Medieval Castle

Knights Medieval Castle Independent (self-guided) walking holiday Taster Break – Short Break Staying in One Place

“Very relaxing knowing all the planning & research has been done for you. Foot trails is a company where you can just pick your destination & that's all you have to do. They have a standard & stick to it, keep up the good work!�

Fleur & friends, UK

Welcome & trail story from Alison Howell It is a real pleasure to introduce this trail to you, a heady mix of centuries old castle, immense medieval villages and atmospheric rural countryside.

Wiltshire is a county with a big heart, big landscapes and a human history that spans back 6000 years. This makes it fascinating to explore on foot.

Foot Trails began close by to this trail and I grew up in the county of Wiltshire, so we’ve used our local knowhow, which has come from over 2 decades walking Wiltshire’s paths, to create this short break in the English countryside.

The trail can be enjoyed as a 3 or 4 night stay. Add in a day trip to the nearby medieval city of Salisbury, you can follow our trail across the water meadows to arrive to The Cathedral, voted England’s best view in Country Living magazine.

Read on to learn more about our Knights Medieval Castle trail.

Warm Regards Alison Howell Founder & CEO 3

About your Foot Trail This taster break is where you stay in one place - each day enjoy a different and varied walking trail and return to your host inn at the end of the day. The trail is great for a short relaxing break or those new to walking & hiking on multiple days.

There are few places where you can get a sense of escape but this area is one. Idyllic countryside, beautiful and peaceful, stunning walks filled with adventure and discovery and a dose of the medieval. Character cottages and villages, ancient churches, tales of knights and a 14th century castle ruin.

The trail can be enjoyed as a 3 or 4 night stay. We do highly recommend the 4th day trip to the nearby medieval city of Salisbury, where you can follow our walking trail to the city or make your own adventures.

Read on for a pick of the highlights.

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Contents Our pick of the highlights

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Where & getting here

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Sample daily itinerary

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Where you stay

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Trail details & prices

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Booking your trail

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Our pick of the highlights * Explore England’s only hexagonal castle and take a picnic in the grounds while you marvel at the splendour of the architecture. * Enjoy the silence of the Wiltshire countryside. Take time to reflect, recharge and rejuvenate your body and mind. * Discover and explore the City of Salisbury. Visit the cathedral and learn about the Magna Carta, a significant piece of British history, which has a permanent home here. * Enjoy our West Country hospitality. You will be well nourished with wonderful food, and well rested after a great sleep in our personally chosen accommodation. *Admire moss covered thatched stone cottages *Appreciate the view over the water meadows in Salisbury, painted by John Constable

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Where & getting here Knights Medieval Castle is the South Wiltshire region. In this part of England we are blessed with seemingly never-ending green fields and sparsely populated countryside. Amongst the serenity we have an abundance of beautiful cities and architecture.

How to get here?

The trail begins to the west of Salisbury, Wiltshire.

The nearest train station for arrivals is at Tisbury, Wiltshire. Travel is approximately 100 minutes from London Waterloo. The journey time by car, about 2 hours from London.

The suggested international airport is London Heathrow which offers an easy transfer and around two hours to the start of the trail. There is also a regional airport at Southampton International with trains to Salisbury.

Airport cars often make the most convenient transfer and we can arrange this for you.

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Sample daily itinerary...

We have created this itinerary as an outline for the optimum Knights Medieval Castle trail.

You will find the mileages & prices for this itinerary in the ‘Trail details & prices’.

Custom Itinerary Service If the suggested itinerary; lengths of stay, arrival day, daily mileages are not right for your plans, we can customise an itinerary to you. You can choose your preferred dates - start on any day of the week - stay for how long you wish - include rest days - change the daily walk distances.

Day 1 - Arrive and Relax Arrive in Wiltshire, ancient village and your Foot Trails adventure! Take a little time to settle in and for those that wish take today's short introductory trail to get to know the local area.

Day 2 - To The Castle!

(Transport to and from the trail can be included or use your own car) A glimpse into old England with a rare peaceful feel. Stride through charming hamlets with old manor houses and thatched cottages before arriving at two ‘castles’. The older castle was built in the 14th century, partly destroyed during the English civil war it stands as quite possibly the most romantic ruin in Southern England. Then a short walk to a picturesque Wiltshire village, the pond and ancient manor house a joy. There’s time for exploring Old Wardour Castle.

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Day 3 - Old England (Drop off service included) Explore this wonderful corner of countryside, the Saxons named it 'The Knuckle'. It has a wonderful old feel of moss covered thatched and stone cottages.

There's tales of royal wives (think Henry VIII), architects (think Christopher Wren) and high fashion, big house style. So much for a small corner of the countryside. Return to the inn on foot.

Day 4 - Salisbury & Wilton (Transport to and from Salisbury can be included or take the little village bus) Starting just outside the city, walk over the water meadows with views to the Cathedral spire, a view captured by the artist John Constable and very much unchanged. Explore the Cathedral (exceptional), the close with its many wonderful buildings and into the wider city.

Mompesson House is an example of the many places you can visit.

Day 5 - Depart at your leisure At the end of your Foot Trail it's time for your onward travel, full of memories and tales of your adventures.

Walks / hikes lengths?

Our approach to walking is very much about enjoyment, something achieved but not too much that you are not excited to do it again! When we put together the trails we plan them with a day out in mind, a few hours walking a nice place to pause for lunch such as a pub or cafe, then a couple of hours walk in the afternoon.

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Where you stay personally chosen Where you stay is a key part of your Foot Trail & experience. One of the reasons guests choose Foot Trails is for our choice and quality of accommodation.

The country inns and country pubs where you stay are small, personal and friendly with excellent hospitality. Each one is in an English village with comfortable bedrooms and delicious local food and drinks to enjoy with dinner after your walk.

Alison, Foot Trails founder, chooses each inn personally. Centuries old, each building provides a relaxing and authentic setting in which you can kick off your boots and eat dinner at the end of an inspiring day on the trail.

Your accommodation will be in a 17th century, former coaching inn which welcomed horses and carriages making their way from London to the West Country delivering post. They often had to contend with highwaymen first!

You will find lots of character and an historic building with wooden beams, a huge real fireplace and traditional bars. There is also a lovely garden here and plenty of outdoor space in which to relax.

You will receive full details and website addresses of our suggested accommodation with your itinerary when we confirm availability of your trip.

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Trail details & prices Details for the sample 4 night itinerary Best start day: Daily miles: Grade: Arrival train station:

Monday, staying for 4 nights 4.5 - 10 (or 7.5) - 9 - 9.5 – depart Easy to moderate, walking with some ascents & descents Tisbury, Wiltshire

April & October: May & September: June to August: Winter:

Standard - £355 p/person // Superior - £425 p/person Standard - £395 p/person // Superior - £480 p/person Standard - £380 p/person // Superior - £460 p/person Standard - £295 p/person // Superior - £360 p/person

Weekend supp: Standard - +£35 p/person // Superior - +£45 p/person Transport Castle day: £30 p/person Transport Salisbury: £50 p/person Prices are based on 2 persons sharing a bedroom. Twin (2 x single beds) bedroom options available. Solo's welcome (solo supplements apply). 3 night stays start from £240 per person.

Group discounts (4+) and returning guests thank you discounts offered.

Customise your itinerary If the itinerary featured, lengths of stay, arrival day, daily mileages are not right for your plans, we can customise an itinerary to you. You can choose your preferred dates - start on any day of the week - stay for how long you wish - include rest days - change the daily walk distances.

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What is included? * Our services in arranging your itinerary * Our guest support in preparing for your trip, and on call support during your trip * Accommodation for 4 nights, double bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms * Country breakfast to set you up each day * 4 days of independent walking with a tailored itinerary to suit you and the season * Transport drop off services if required for your itinerary * A comprehensive Walk and Explore box, posted to your home address Including: * Local maps with your trails clearly marked (on our fully waterproof paper) * Innovative trail cards, one for each day, with clear easy to follow directions in word (on waterproof paper) * Trail cards also include local histories and stories to enjoy and read as you explore * Suggested departure times so that you don't miss lunch, recommended lunchtime stops at hand picked country pubs or cafes (lunch not included) * Foot Trail’s famous fortifying sweets, nature guide, guest booklet, local information and more

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Booking your trail If you would like help choosing the best trail for you then call us on 01747 820626 or email us at Enquire@FootTrails.co.uk. We plan, write and create all our own walking trails and are here to offer you our expert advice.

If the trails featured, arrival days or lengths of stay are not right for you, you can choose your preferred dates and start on any day of the week. We will create a custom itinerary for you based on your preferences. Prices for custom trips are quoted per trip and vary from the prices quoted in the brochure.

You can make your booking by calling us on 01747 820626 or if you prefer you can email us at Enquire@FootTrails.co.uk.

We will ask you a few details to enable us to make a reservation for you. We will then be able to confirm the availability of your trail. Due to the crafted nature of our trails there may be a day or two's wait while we contact our inns and hosts.

We will email you with confirmation of your itinerary, accommodations and details for your deposit of ÂŁ125 per person. Payment of your deposit will confirm your booking. Balances are due 8 weeks before arrival. We accept all major credit cards, PayPal and bank transfers.

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Words from our guests “An amazing assembly of villages, inns, cities incorporating an incredible range of views, A complete change of pace from day to day life.”

Jean and Sheila “I would also like to thank you and your team for the fantastic customer support. All our questions have been answered immediately and all our wishes were included into our itinerary. Your team is very friendly and helpful! We are already looking forward to our trip and can’t wait for it to start. Greetings from Austria!”

Sabrina “Wonderful, we have been travelling for 40 years and this is one of the best trips we have been on. Your company did a fantastic job of putting the trip together and personalizing it. If we travel again in the area that you work in will definitely use you.”

Doug, USA You can read more reviews from our guests on our tripadvisor page – www.tripadvisor.com/foottrailsUK

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Why a Foot Trail?

A Foot Trail avoids the formulaic nature, crowds and predictability of mass tourism and focuses instead purely on the quality of your experience. Take a Foot Trail and you will explore deep beneath the surface.

You will walk and hike in real and authentic places. Enjoy real, not manufactured tourism moments. Shared conversations with a local person, the stillness of time spent in beautiful landscapes and the joy of encountering stories and moments from England's past.

Three words describe a Foot Trail perfectly -

Simple - Crafted – Authentic The press say: "One of the 7 Adventure Vacations you need to take in your lifetime."

JetSetter.com, 2019 Foot Trails are one of England's best loved regional walking travel companies. We work within our local community, crafting walking experiences from scratch, aiming for a positive outcome for us all.

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Bookings & contacts Call +44 (0) 1747 820 626 with your chosen date, we will then confirm your place for you upon which a £125 per person deposit will be payable. Full balances due 8 weeks before arrival. Bank transfers, PayPal & all major credit & debit cards accepted.  +44 (0) 1747 820 626 (landline)  Enquire@FootTrails.co.uk

 www.FootTrails.co.uk www.facebook.com/FootTrails www.instagram.com/FootTrailsUK

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