Why was Stonehenge built? Who built Stonehenge? If you are looking for concrete answers to questions like these, forget about it. However, a visit to one of Britain’s most famous landmarks is well worth the price of admission. At L17.50 for an adult ticket, this was one of the least expensive attractions during my visit to the United Kingdom. Children five through fifteen are only L10.50, while children under five are free. Stonehenge is located in Wiltshire, just over an hour drive from London, depending upon traffic. The site is accessible by bus, car or train. If you are driving, there is a large parking area across the street from the ancient historical site, with a tunnel running beneath the road so you don’t have to cross traffic. There is no charge for parking and restrooms at this attraction are free.
Stonehenge is open year round, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There are also restrictions at the solstice due to the large influx of visitors. Otherwise, the posted hours are:
Spring
1 April through 31 May
09:30 – 18:00
Summer
1 June through 31 August
09:00 – 20:00
Autumn
1 September through 15 October
09:30 – 19:00
Winter
16 October through 15 March
09:30 – 17:00
Boxing Day and New Year's Day
10:00 – 17:00
If you arrive hungry, there are some concessions at the entrance to the park. After paying for your tickets, you are provided with an audio guide that is similar to a small cell phone. The staff will provide the code for the language you speak. It is recommended that you take the audio tour. It is a self-guided tour that will bring you around the circumference of the site in less than an hour, although you can dally as long as you want. There are markers along the path that indicate a historic point. When you arrive at the markers, you type the number into your device and begin receiving a narrative on the history of Stonehenge. I learned a great deal about this historical location from the interesting and informative narration.
Among the tidbits of information revealed by the audio is instruction regarding white circles in the ground around the historical site. These markers date back 5,000 years and indicate where the original henge was located. The site was believed to be abandoned for a millennium before work on the stone structure was undertaken. The stones were carefully carved to allow the capstones to fit over nodes in the top of the vertical stones. The stones, weighing as much as 8,000 pounds, traveled 240 miles from the Preseli Mountains in Wales. That feat seems quite an accomplishment for the tools and equipment available 4,000 years ago. Sarsen stones from Avebury (25 miles away) were later added. These massive stones weighed in at a whopping 50 tons!
While there are numerous theories about this ancient site, the evidence is clear that the builders placed the structures strategically to account for the solstice. The location on a hill overlooking the beautiful pastoral surroundings of Wiltshire remains as remarkable as it must have been 5,000 years ago…although there was no highway back then. Sheep still roam the hillside just beyond the site. While there is a constant ebb and flow of visitors through the landmark, there are several vantage points that allow for great photographs with minimal interference. Among those locations is directly behind the henge looking toward the admission area. We were able to get some pictures that were able to be cropped of people, without cropping the actual stones.
There is plenty of lodging in the area around Stonehenge, although you really don’t need to spend the night. You can do the entire site in less than an hour, if you want. There is another henge at Avebury approximately 45 minutes from Stonehenge. This location does not require an admission fee. There are day trips from London that can be purchased that include transportation. I had previously booked reservations in Gloucestershire, to the North, so we stopped at the landmark on our way from London to Winchcombe. It was out of our way, but not so far that we were pressed for time. It is definitely a landmark that can be visited as part of a broader itinerary. If you plan to visit a number of historical sites, you will be offered an opportunity to join the historical society, which will include discounts to many of the locations managed by the English Heritage Organization. Membership is L48 per year. More information is available at http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/.
I am glad that we worked Stonehenge into our itinerary. While most of our trip to the United Kingdom was centered in London and Gloustershire, we still found time to dip south to Wiltshire, north to Birmingham and Stratford-Upon-Avon and further west to Wales. Everything is much closer in England, than here in the US, so we never felt pressed for time. The highways are much different than the United States, so travel times generally seemed to be double what they would seem on first shake. But getting around was fairly easy. If you can fit Stonehenge into your itinerary, you won’t be disappointed. For fifteen dollars or so, you get admission into an ancient site that dates back 5,000 years. This is among the attraction in England that I would say should not be missed.
All photos are my own. They may be reproduced with permission.