Stonehenge! Can you believe it? We actually went to Stonehenge. It’s somewhere you see on the telly, not somewhere I’d go, and I’ve never had any reason to be anywhere nearby to even visit in passing. Until now. We were passing nearby!
Heading away from the morning’s visit to Salisbury Cathedral to see the Magna Carta, we drove though Salisbury, passing what seemed like a lot of military bases, barracks and tank testing areas on our way to the Stonehenge site. With lots of open fields to see on the way, we were expecting to see it from the road, but we didn’t. We arrived and parked up (the website says parking chargeable to non-members who haven’t booked, but was free on the day for us, so check when you get there) and I still couldn’t see the stones. I could, however, see a large modern-looking building and a lot of people.
We’d decided to come to Stonehenge early in our trip planning once we’d realised that it was on the way home from our last stop at Paulton’s Park in Southampton, but we weren’t sure on a time due to our side quest to Salisbury Cathedral earlier that day. With that, we didn’t book in advance, which is always advisable for a busy destination like Stonehenge, but I’d been constantly checking availability up to the night before and all of the slots were showing as bookable, so we thought we’d risk it.
How much does Stonehenge cost?
For a family of four, entry to the stones and visitors centre was £74 (or £81 with donation) for the day we were going. Checking the available options, it showed that National Trust members could access the site free of charge, so we decided to get annual National Trust passes (costing £159 for a family membership) as we could use them there and at a number of sites across the country. And for the difference between the cost of one day at Stonehenge and the annual National Trust pass, we’d only have to visit a few more places to make our money back, and there’s a few nice places on our doorstep in North Wales too.
Staff here were friendly and helpful, checking where you were heading and making sure you were in the right queue – National Trust passes go to the prebook queue. We hadn’t prebooked, but National Trust, CADW and Historic Scotland members can also book online in advance if needed.
We entered the main visitors centre area, containing a large room with videos across the wall showing Stonehenge and its history in a 360 degree cinematic experience and displays in the main room showcasing the many things they’d discovered over the years, including animal bones, tools, pottery, jewellery and other materials, with boards describing each item.
For those who like me are unfamiliar with the site, the reason you can’t see the stones from the visitor’s centre, car park or road in is because they are hidden away behind some trees and over a hill away from the visitors centre. The team member at the ticket booth informed us that to get to the site we could either:
- Take a 5-minute bus ride
- Take a 30-minute walk.
Elliott was already fed up and moaning for a carry in the visitor’s centre, so a walk was out of the question. That, plus we’d had 3 days in theme parks and a walk around Salisbury Cathedral, so bus it was!
The bus runs back and forth regularly from just outside the visitors centre up to the stones, so we jumped on and headed over.
To the stones!!!
There were a fair few people making the 30-minute trip by foot up to the site and I’d like to think if we were here on a sunny day (and probably without Elliott) we might have done the same. As we approached, Evan spotted the stones from the bus window and was excited to see them even at that range. I was sitting in the middle of the back seat, and I couldn’t see though the crowded bus.
We arrived. At the top of the path stood this world famous, amazing UK monolith. Stonehenge. It’s smaller in person. They say that TV adds 10lbs, but I thought that was to people not massive rocks! It is an impressive thing though, and I’m glad I got to come and see it. It’s definitely a thing that should be on your ‘to see’ bucket list, even if you’re not a history buff, it’s just an amazing landmark to see in the flesh.
There is a road – googled it – it’s called ‘The Drove’ – that has campervans, cars, fruit stalls and such parked along, which anyone can access, so you can get close to the stones without paying. Just not into the actual area. Though we did see some people walking by and taking pictures from an adjacent field.
We walked the path that leads up to and around the monument. Now, don’t be thinking you can just pop over and have your picture taken sitting on the stones. You can’t. The entire stone circle is cordoned off as you’d probably expect it to be, but the closest you’ll be is on this initial approach from the bus (unless you really want to risk jumping the barrier for a close up , but I wouldn’t advise it). Here’s your best selfie/photo op and we obviously joined in with the masses taking photos galore. Whilst it’s not somewhere I’d never come to again, it’s not somewhere I’d rush back to, so why not load the camera with pictures of us with the stones?
Adult vs child perspective.
On first look, it’s “Wow! Stonehenge! Amazing!”, but to my eyes it looked smaller than I’d expected it to be. Not height-wise, but closer together, a tighter circle. Now I’ve seen pictures of Stonehenge and footage on TV for 40+ years, so I kind of knew what to expect, whereas Evan, who’s 10 and has had limited visual interaction with them thought they were bigger that he’d expected. He thought they’d be the height of an average adult, which I’d guess if you’d never seen them with a point of reference, like a person, you could think that. But, like the Magna Carta earlier in the day, he was still excited to see this piece of British history.
As you go around the stones, there are plenty of signs encouraging you to take photos of yourself pretending to hold or lean on the stones, like the ones everyone does at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We tried several of these, but we sucked at it. Good bit of fun though!
Not enough to do here for Elliott, or any small children really. Not that I’m expecting them to put a park in or a rope bridge between the stones. He was bored and cranky and wouldn’t take any pictures with us but chilled out when he got to take some photos of us and the stones. The area around the stones is plenty big enough for you to sit and have a picnic or run around and play games away from the crowds.
After a full lap of the stone circle, seeing the Aubrey hole markers, the Heel Stone and the Solstitial Arrows, we caught the bus back to the visitors’ centre.
Outside the visitor’s centre, there is a display of replica Neolithic dwellings that the people who lived and worked here may have used. Some of the chalk walled huts were open to explore, with thatched roofs, small beds made from branches and space for a fire inside. the area also features a giant stone atop rolling wooden logs to show how they may have transported these monolithic stones to their final home.
We ventured into the gift shop. Evan really wanted something to commemorate his day at Stonehenge. There were lots of amazing, but expensive models of the site, but he was happy with a small £2 replica of a pair of lintel topped stones. The shop was wall to wall in Stonehenge merchandise, books, tea towels, t-shirts, hoodies and other clothing – Stonehenge socks? They’ve got you covered! – a wall of magnets and badges/pins and a great selection of locally produced foods and drinks. It’d be rude not to sample a few.
With a few souvenirs bought, Elliott was getting hangry. There is a small café next to the visitors centre, with a selection of hot and cold food and drinks. None of which appealed to Elliott who’s need for a ham sandwich was overwhelming. They do have sandwiches and a kid’s lunchbox, but nothing he wanted and a bit pricey for all of us.
Ham sandwich now out of mind as we exit the café into the path of an ice cream van, so we picked up a few and they were all very nice. That took the edge off the hunger for a while as we walked back towards the car. The remaining crisps and sausage rolls were in the car, and we could stop at the services if needs be.
And then a nice, relaxing 3-hour drive home. Ha.
