STONEHENGE
One of the most popular sites in England, Stonehenge is
a world renowned stone circle sitting in the rolling chalkland
countryside of Salisbury Plain. The surrounding landscape
is unusually rich in archaeological monuments such as the
Cursus, the Avenue, and numerous Barrows or burial mounds.
Stonehenge was declared a World Heritage Site in 1986. Much
of the area is reverting to grassland that encourages an
abundance of flora and fauna, some of which are nationally
or internationally threatened species.
The stones themselves are magnificent and a testament to
the engineering prowess of our ancestors. Stonehenge was built over 4500
years ago and has, over time, become the subject of many
myths and legends. There is more to the area though. There
is evidence of mans occupation from the Mesolithic or Middle
Stone Age through to the Bronze Age - a period
of nearly 7000 years. The other archaeological features,
help put Stonehenge into context. They are rarely seen by
most of the one million visitors each year. Some of the
finest views of the stones lie only a short distance away
and show them at their best.
ENJOY THE MAGIC OF THE STONES
Do you want to be different and see;
• The mysterious Cursus, built at the same time as the first phase of Stonehenge?
• Find out about the various types of Barrows; what
did they contain?; why were they built?; how many are there around Stonehenge?
• See the Avenue and Stonehenge disappear only to
magically reappear a short distance later a sight which which amazes all our guests.
• The site of earlier monuments which predate Stonehenge by 4-6000 years.
• A selection of tools used by contemporaries of the builders of Stonehenge
See Durrington Walls where the builders of Stonehenge lived and the subject of recent archaeological digs led by Professor Mike Parker Pearson.
We can provide a tour around or across the landscape to see all of these monuments. Our tours will show you more than just Stonehenge and you will learn how older monuments may have influenced its development. This tour is for the discerning traveller.
If you would
like a longer walk, please see our Walks page.
For prices and availability, please Contact
Us.
INNER CIRCLE TOURS 2008
Visitors have not been able to walk amongst the stones during normal opening hours since 1978. Access to the inner circle at Stonehenge is restricted to before and after it is open and only at certain times of the year.We have a very limited number of Special Access tour tickets to Stonehenge available in 2008. Please click here for further details.
*******DAY TRIPS FROM LONDON*******
If you are short of time and wish to see Stonehenge and Bath in a day we can recommend a good trip for you.This trip runs 7 days a week throughout the year. There are pickups from various central London Tube stations. Arrival back in London is around 7pm.
Tour Includes:
Return luxury coach travel
Guided tour of Bath
Entrance into the Roman Baths
Entrance into Stonehenge
This tour is available for the amazing price of £45. To book one of these tours please click here.
WHERE IS STONEHENGE?
Just paste the following co-ordinates into your favourite mapping programme and it will take you straight there;
51.1788520813N, 1.8264234066W
The distance from central London is about 87 miles or 136 kilometres and takes around 2 hours by car. The distance from Salisbury, the nearest city with a railway station, is about 9 miles or 15 kilometres. The distance to the sea is around 30 miles.
STONEHENGE OPENING TIMES 2008
Jan 2nd - March 15th 9.30am - 4pm
March 16th - May 31st 9.30am - 6pm
June 1st - August 31st 9am - 7pm
September 1st - October 15th 9.30 - 6pm
October 16th - December 31st 9.30 - 4pm
Closed 24th and 25th December.
Between 20th and 22nd June access arrangements vary for midsummer celebrations.
Allow an hour to walk around Stonehenge itself.
Stonehenge sunset at midwinter
WHAT'S THE BEST TIME TO VISIT STONEHENGE?
Either first thing in the morning as it opens or as late in the day as possible before it closes. Anytime from 4pm in summer or 2pm in winter. The first coach tours arrive quite early, but most are gone back to London/Bath (after having missed seeing the other monuments in the landscape!) by 4 pm and it starts to get more peaceful. Be careful of the last bus times if you have used public transport to get there.
The best time of year to visit is more difficult to answer. It gets very busy in late July through to mid September which are certainly the warmest months. In winter it gets very cold, but you can get some good pictures like the one above. On balance the best time to visit is April to early July or October, but anytime is good! There is usually a wind up on the plain and it is better to go with more clothes than you think you need.
CAN I BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE?
Buying tickets in advance is not necessary, but if you prefer to buy them before you visit you can do so at the following link;
 You can also buy tickets to many top London attractions often at reduced rates.
IS STONEHENGE FENCED OFF?
There is an outer perimeter fence, but once you are through the turnstiles there is a piece of thin rope about 60cm/2feet high which keeps you back from the stones. The nearest you get is around 30m/yds away, but the view is still good. You won't be looking through a fence at Stonehenge. The advantage is that you will be able to get a good photo of Stonehenge without anybody else in the shot making it look like you are there on your own. The photos taken by people showing a chain link fence are because they visited when it was closed or they didn't buy a ticket to get in! If you want to see a photo of the stones from behind the 2 foot high rope with no magnification just send us an e-mail and we'll send it to you.
IS THERE A CAFE OR RESTAURANT AT STONEHENGE?
No. The catering facilities are inadequate, though the quality of food is high. There is a coffee stall selling drinks, sandwiches, baguettes, and pie and mash. In the summer months there is an ice cream stall as well. Seating is outside so if it is raining, snowing, cold and windy there is no cover except in your car! The facilities were designed for 300,000 visitors each year and not the 1 million that actually visit. Until the much needed plans for Stonehenge go ahead English Heritage will struggle to provide facilities appropriate for a World Heritage site.If you want a recommendation on a good pub lunch please contact us.
INDEPENDENT TRAVELLERS
If you're arriving by train and you just want to visit Stonehenge, there is a bus service from Salisbury railway station. The buses run every hour on the hour from 10 am until 4pm. The journey to Stonehenge takes 33 minutes and following a huge price hike now costs £11.00 return. Return journeys from Stonehenge leave at 40 minutes past the hour starting at 10.40 am until 5.40 pm. Make sure you know the time of the last bus as it's a long walk! If there are 4 of you a taxi will almost certainly be cheaper - as well as more flexible and quicker. Agree the price with the driver before you leave the station.
If you want to travel in more style then we can recommend luxury transport for you. This will take you from the railway station to Stonehenge, give you an hour there and return you to the station or Salisbury as you prefer. The cost is £40. Upto 6 people can travel for the £40 making it far cheaper than the bus. This must be booked in advance and payment is to the driver. For further details and to make a booking before you arrive click here.
If you want to extend your stay in the area we can arrange discounted stays at one of the best hotels in Salisbury. For further information please click here.
Stonehenge in the snow
THE SUN, MOON, PLANETS AND STONEHENGE.
Much has been written about Stonehenge and its relationship to the sun, moon and the planets. Some of it very fanciful, but interesting. The more serious writings by noted astronomers are usually very complex for the lay person. In our view the best starting point is the following page; http://www.tivas.org.uk/stonehenge/stone_ast.html from Tiverton Astronomy Society. It gives a good explanation of the history of astronomical research on Stonehenge complete with clear diagrams. The references to the authors of the research may tempt you to undertake further research. Good luck!
BOOKS ON STONEHENGE.
There are lots of them and a search on the web will give you many choices. For something a bit different try a novel. Written by Bernard Cornwell, Stonehenge: A Novel of 2000 BC. It is an interesting and entertaining read. The locations are based on Avebury, Durrington Walls, Stonehenge and the Preselli Hills though they are given different names in the book. Read the Epilogue first as it will give the real locations. Bernard Cornwall makes it quite clear that it is a novel first and foremost, but he has clearly undertaken much research on the areas involved. The Epilogue also contains the best analogy on archaeology that I have ever read. Hope you enjoy it!
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