What is Stonehenge?
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument and World Heritage site in the UK. The monument consists of huge slabs of stone arranged in a circle. There is no known reason why the monument was constructed, however there are many theories that exist. Some believe that the monument was built to study the sun and the moon while others think it was a place for healing. Whilst we’ll never know the real answer, it’s fascinating to learn about the history and marvel at the giant stones in the middle of the Salisbury plains.
Where is Stonehenge and how to get there?
Stonehenge is located on the Salisbury Plains in Wiltshire. It is great for a day trip from London as it only takes around 2 hours to get there.
Drive: From London it takes around 2 hours to drive here and there is parking on site. If you haven’t pre-booked your ticket you’ll need to pay for parking, which will be refunded once you buy your ticket.
Public Transport: You can take a train from Waterloo to Salisbury and the take a bus towards Stonehenge, this will take around 2 hours 15 minutes. I’d recommend using Google Maps to plan your journey as there may be a shorter route.
What to see?
It goes without saying that the main attraction at Stonehenge is the Stone Circle monument. To make the most of your trip there are several other things to see there too. Have a read below for more details on what to see.
Stone Circle:
There is a 2.6 mile loop that you can walk along to get to the famous stone circle. Once there you can walk around the circle, sadly you’re not able to go right up to the monument unless you’ve purchased the stone circle experience ticket. However you are still able to have a great experience without being up close to the stones. Take your time as you walk around, sit on the grass, relax a little bit then make your way back when you’re ready. If you’re unable to walk or are feeling tired, there is a visitors bus you can hop on to go to the stone circle/visitors centre, this takes about 10 minutes.
Summer solstice is a very popular time to visit the Stone Circle. At this time of year, thousands of people gather at the site to watch the sunrise. It’s popular because the monument aligns to the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset. To understand more about Solistice at Stonehenge have a look at the English Heritage website here.
Visitors Centre: After visiting the stone circle, wonder around the visitors centre reading and looking at the interactive archaeological exhibits.
Neolithic huts: Outside the visitors centre, you’ll see constructed Neolithic huts. It doesn’t take too long to have a look inside and imagine what life would’ve been like.
How much is it?
If you’re a member of English Heritage it is free to visit to Stonehenge.
For adults it costs £21.10 and there are other tickets for children, concessions and families. Remember your student card as you’ll be able to get a concession ticket which is a few pounds cheaper. You can see latest prices and information on the English Heritage website here.
Stonehenge is a great day trip from London and one to tick off the UK bucket list!
