Stratford sub Castle Village Website
Salisbury, Wiltshire UK
Long Distance trails & walks that pass through (or very close to) Stratford sub Castle
There are seven long and shorter walks that pass through or near the village. Principal source for the information is the Long Distance Walkers Association
Click an image to view more information about a trail.
The Orange Way is a 340 mile Long Distance walkway from Brixham Harbour, Torbay, to St James’s Palace, London, marking the route taken by Prince William of Orange in 1688. His wife (and first cousin) Mary was in line for the throne until James II had a son that summer (James Francis Edward Stuart, the Old Pretender, and who later viewed himself as a rightful James III and VII). Protestants in England preferred a Protestant Mary over any Catholic James II or III so invited her and William to come and lead the “Glorious Revolution”.
The Orange Way comes along Mill Lane from crossing the river, turns right along the Stratford Road, then left at Dairy Cottage and up the path to Old Sarum, skirting it to its east then along the track to Shepherd’s Cottage en route to Great Durnford.
William and 15,000 Dutch troops would have taken a long time to pass through our village. Somehow the last invasion of England by foreign troops has become forgotten and the Orange Way is unmarked on the ground and on Ordnance Survey maps.
Additional Reading:Featured in the Nature section and relevant to this article, "Why are carrots orange?". Click the Wild Carrot image to view.
The Monarch’s Way is based on Charles II’s flight from Cromwell’s Troops after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. It crosses the Avon at Little Durnford to Salterton and runs north of Old Sarum to the Winterbournes.
Sarum Way runs with it for this stretch, both are waymarked. Monarch’s Way is marked on Ordnance Survey maps.
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The Sarsen Way. In 2023 new long distance path markers were erected in the village and Old Sarum for the Sarsen Way. The Long Distance Walks Association say “ The Sarsen Way effectively replaces the former Great Stones Way to better align it with these existing waymarked LDPs (long distance paths), with the former guidebook for the latter route now out of print. The Sarsen Way is almost the same as the Great Stones Way except for about 12.7 km of the Sarsen Way between Woodborough and Casterley Camp. It is part of the Great Chalk Way paths.
A new Cicerone guidebook to the Sarsen Way was published in May 2024. Details.
The route of the Sarsen Way through the village is given on pages 1 and 2 of the document left, a free download from the LDWA website.
The Wessex Heights Way takes the same course through the village, having started at Old Sarum.
Stratford sub Castle has its very own sarsen stone. Details here.
The Great Stones Way comes down the Avon Valley, through Salterton, around Old Sarum, along the Portway then the short stretch of Stratford Road between the two right angle bends and down the cycle way behind Shelley Drive.
Although this Long Distance Path has effectively been replaced by The Sarsen Way - see above - this reference to it will remain here for the time being, to assist with searches for information.
The Old Sarum Challenge (British Walking Federation Permanent Trail No 13) comes off the Stratford Road just north of the Church, runs behind the Church, up Gradidge Lane, skirts Old Sarum to the south and east then follows the track to Shepherd’s Cottage.
The Pewsey Avon Trail descends from Old Sarum emerging into Stratford Road at Dairy Cottage, turns right and north, then left down Mill Lane and left once across the river. In Salisbury it connects with the Avon Valley Pathway which ends at Christchurch.