Wassail at Wilton Road allotments.

What happens, in plain order

14.30 · Gather at the Wilton Road allotments entrance, off Wilton Road, Salisbury SP2 7EQ. The Clerk will be at the gate with a hand-drawn map of the orchard.

14.45 · Slow walk along the central path to plot 27, where the oldest Bramley apple tree on the site — planted, the allotment society believe, around 1924 — has its annual wassail. Two minutes' walk at a very gentle pace; firm gravel underfoot.

15.00 · Apple-tree blessing in three short verses, by the Revd Thomas Bagshawe of St Edmund's, who will arrive with a tin pail of mulled cider and a small loaf of fruit bread for the branches (an old tradition; the bread is for the robins).

15.10 · Mulled cider, hot from the trestle, and Battenburg slices contributed by the Vestry Pantry. The conversation tends to go on until about 16.15.

16.30 · Pack up. We are usually walking home by 16.45.

What to bring

• A mug, if you have one — we have a small reserve of chipped enamel mugs on the trestle, but they tend to run out.
• Warm layers. The orchard is exposed and there is no shelter.
• Sturdy shoes. The gravel paths are firm but uneven in places after rain.
• An ID, only if you would like Gift Aid claimed on any donation (none required).

Accessibility

The site is reached through a single gate of standard width on Wilton Road, with no step. The route to plot 27 is along a level gravel path, approximately 80 metres. We have an accessible portable WC arriving at 14.00, sited at the front of the orchard for ease of approach.

If you have any access need not addressed above — a request for a quiet space mid-event, a particular dietary requirement, a need for the Clerk's mobile number on the day — please write to [email protected] at least 48 hours before the event, and we will reply with a plan. The Clerk's mobile on the day is also available on request.

Children, dogs, weather

Children very welcome, particularly any small enough to feed the bread to the tree themselves. Well-behaved dogs on leads welcome (the allotment society asks that dogs are kept out of plots and on the central path). In the case of heavy rain we will wassail under the open-sided polytunnel at the orchard's east end; we will not cancel for rain. In the unlikely case of red weather warning, we will postpone to the following Saturday and write to anyone who has booked.

How to find Wilton Road allotments

The allotments are on the south side of Wilton Road, approximately a fifteen-minute walk west of Salisbury railway station. Bus: the X3 from London Road stops on Wilton Road itself (alight at 'Bemerton Heath turning'). On-street parking is available on side roads off Wilton Road; please park considerately for neighbours. The postcode is SP2 7EQ.