Stonehenge England Great Britain

Stonehenge England Great Britain

Wayne & Pat - Stonehenge, Great Britain

World famous Stonehenge is one of Great Britain’s most iconic archaeological sites.

Overview of Stonehenge

Stonehenge is amazing because it was constructed 4,500 years ago. Its allure is magnified by the fact that experts remain mystified about why it was build. Theories range from celestial timepiece to sacred religious center. Many of its 4-ton stones were bought here from South Wales over 250 miles away using ancient technology of the simplest of tools. This almost inexplicable accomplishment demonstrates the importance these prehistoric Britains gave to Stonehenge.

Stonehenge in Spring

Stonehenge was constructed over centuries starting in 3000 BC with the outer bank. A thousand years later, the inner circle of granite stone known as the bluestones were bought from Wales. Around 1500 BC, Stonehenge’s main 50-ton stones were dragged to the site and topped with massive lintels that are so famous today.

The inner horseshoe of stones is aligned to coincide with the midsummer solstice sunrise supporting the theory of Stonehenge being an astronomical calendar. Evidence of pilgrims coming to Stonehenge indicates it was much more to them.

Stonehenge Visitor's Center

Stonehenge has a new visitor’s center located about 1.5 miles from the site of the stones with parking available. A shuttle bus takes you the 10-minute ride to Stonehenge or you can choose to walk. With its interesting audiovisual displays, the visitor center is a great place to start your visit.

Map of Stonehenge

Travel tip: Do rent the audio guide to take with you to the site for good description of Stonehenge. Also, if you are planning to visit Stonehenge during the peak summer period, you may want to book well in advance to guarantee entry. In addition, for most of the year to avoid the large crowds, plan your visit early or later in the day when the tour buses have gone through.

Location of Stonehenge, Great Britain

Due to vandalism to the stones and the large number of visitors, they have installed a restricted path around the stones at Stonehenge. You can get very close but not walk among them. If you book months in advance, there is a special tour (Stone Circle Access Visit) that you can do so. Also, a larger and less restricted site is north of Stonehenge at Avebury Henge and is available free of charge to those who want to better soak up the unique atmosphere with less crowds.

Important driving tip: Because many of the roads in England are smaller country roads with many confusing roundabouts, getting lost is not hard. In fact, it can be fun if you can get back on track. 

Here is a wonderful tip... Make sure you have GPS - if from your rental company ask for a lesson. The postal code in Great Britain typically has enough information to direct you to your hotel or destination. So, look up postal codes for your hotels and destinations so you can enter them in as you go through your day of explorations. We used a centrally located church or hotel for the villages. Sometimes the GPS asks to confirm the street name and number, so also having an address helps. Also, often just putting in the town/village name will take you to the right direction and you can follow signs to the town center.

Please see our other 12 travel blog posts on Great Britain:

York, England

Beautiful COTWOLDS Bilbury Burton Stow Slaugher Woodstock Burford Minster Lovell Oxford England

Lake District (England's Most Visited National Park)

Stratford-Upon-Avon, England (Birthplace of Shakespere)

England's Southern Coast Canterbury Rye Sandwich Salisbury, England 

Hadrian's Wall, England

Beamish Museum, England 

Highclere Castle (Downton Abby), England

Chester, England

Magnificent Castle Howard, England 

Alnwick Castle (Harry Potter), England  

 

 

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