An ancient wonder of the world, Stonehenge. I remember as a kid having a book on ancient wonders including the Pyramids of Giza. Maybe Stonehenge isn’t quite as big or as famous, but it’s an equally big mystery as to how the enormous stones were set by people with such basic tools.
Getting in and where we stayed
We drove to Stonehenge from Bath and found the cosy Stonehenge campsite just a few miles from the actual site.
The owners there were very friendly and the site was fairly new, but pricey at £19 for two. There’s a paid WiFi system, but you can also hook into the modern universe at a nearby pub or at Stonehenge itself.
Yes, Stonehenge has WiFi now.
The Ancient Wonder
Surprisingly, I think that English Heritage have managed the Stonehenge site very well. Thousands of people come through here every day, many on enormous tour buses, but at the same time it’s possible to find a bit of solitude at Stonehenge still.
The £15.50 entry fee comes with an alotted entry time too, so make sure you book in advance during the busier summer period. We booked the day before and there seemed to be plenty of space in September.
Since I was last here six years ago, they have developed a museum, some mock houses for the ancient people and included many of the peripheral Stonehenge sites as well.
Last time we did a behind the scenes sort of private tour that went into the details of other nearby archeological sites like the cursus and the many surrounding barrows. These are now all fully acknowledged and available for exploration by the general public.
The only downside is that you now have to catch minibuses out to the Stonehenge site (or walk a mile or two).
When you approach though, it is still a marvel. How on earth did such simple people lift such enormous stones upright and stack them on top of each other?!
The walking loop seems to deliberately rise and dip so that there is at least one angle where you cannot see the road or swarms of people.
Stonehenge looking surprisingly quiet
There’s also plenty of space to spread out too so that you can enjoy a bit of peace as you admire the stones.
Some of the huge upright sarsen stones
Sadly there was no real sunset on yet another dull weather day in the UK. After spending almost a month here now I can see why it’s notorious for bad weather. At least I seem to have avoided most of the rain.
Us at Stonehenge
One last luncheon with the Doctor
The next day on our way out of Stonehenge we drove to the middle of nowhere to catch up with Adam for one last time. It was his birthday in a few days after all.
One last English pub experience! A wild boar burger and one last pint of British cider! Hopefully it will only be as little as 8 months ’til our next reunion.
One last catch up with Dr Berlie
Getting out
After catching up again with Adam we drove on to drop the car off in Crawley and fly out from London’s Gatwick airport.
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