Walking to Clarendon Palace
Clarendon Palace was one of the principal unfortified residences of medieval kings. Set in the middle of an extensive royal hunting ground, it was frequently visited by the court for the pleasure of the chase as well as a place to conduct state business. From the 16th century onwards the palace fell into disrepair, and by the time it passed out of Crown hands in the mid-17th century it was probably already in a ruinous state.
The picturesque ruins of Clarendon Palace standing today are on private land, but close to a public footpath. The Clarendon Way from Salisbury to Winchester runs beside the site, and the ruins can be visited on foot at any reasonable time. There is no vehicle access, and no facilities at the site, but its relatively remote location means that it is possible to have the entire site to oneself to explore. Interpretation boards at the site illustrate and explain how the palace would have looked in its medieval heyday. Walkers should take care, as the site has uneven ground, and some steep, unfenced drops.
Access on foot is possible from Salisbury, via Milford; a route which goes straight up to the palace site and back again. A longer, circular route is possible from the village of Pitton. Both routes are described in Clarendon: Landscape, Palace and Mansion, originally published in 2010, and reissued by Hobnob Press in 2023. This short book includes a detailed description of the landscape features encountered on the walk to the palace site, as well as a guide to the palace site itself. Since 2010, when the walk instructions were written, there have been some minor changes. In particular, the steps up to the viewpoint on the side of the track from Salisbury are now indistinct and much decayed. But this was always an optional detour on the walk; there are still splendid views to be had from the palace site itself. There are no maps for either route in the volume, but otherwise it is an ideal companion for anyone interested in the history of Clarendon Palace, and of the broader landscape in which it is situated.
Walk directions, with maps, can also be downloaded from two websites. The Salisbury-Milford-Clarendon Palace route is described on the Clarendon Way website:
https://www.hants.gov.uk/thingstodo/countryside/walking/clarendonway. The Pitton circular walk can be accessed at: https://www.pittonandfarley.co.uk/facilities/walks-around-pitton-farley/.
ROSALIND JOHNSON, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR