The Stones of Wiltshire
Jocelyn’s take:
I have wanted to visit Stonehenge for a very long time. I was lucky enough to explore another set of standing stones in Scotland, which only made me want to get to Stonehenge more! Seeing as how we didn’t rent a car this trip, we booked with a group tour called “The English Bus” to transport us to and from Stonehenge. After traveling to a “Secret Location” and Bath, we finally came up to the Visitor Center for the stones.
To help with overcrowding at the site, the Visitor Center acts as a waystation for visitors by providing bathrooms, a cafe, a gift shop, and buses to travel to and from the stones. It helps to have a guide taking care of getting the audioguides, tickets, and queuing in line since they know the staff and proceedures at the site. A quick two minute bus ride brought us to the stones and from then on, we were on our own.
Walking around the stones, you would have thought that people would be talking or making a lot of noise, but it was rather quiet. The only talking we really heard was from people asking others to take their photos.
Seeing the stones was awesome in the original sense of the word. Their giant size dwarfed us even from 60 yards away, and being in the same field gave us some perspective of just how far they had to travel – who knew they had to go uphill! It was a bit sad to see the damage wrought over the years. We could see concrete holding up one of the stones and chiseled graffiti on another, but I appreciated that English Heritage thought to preserve and display these modifications. Things like this help to remind us that these stones have been used by different generations for different purposes and to hopefully be better than them. Along the way, we kept picking up wayward tickets and brochures to deposit back at the Visitor Center. Didn’t want the sheep to eat the paper.
As an aside, the gift shop was excellent. They had lots of themed items (including a sweet Stonehenge EST 3,000 BC shirt that I bought) at great price points for every budget. I walked out with 3 items for under $40 USD. Can’t wait to put my little Stonehenge next to my little Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial 🙂
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12 thoughts on “The Stones of Wiltshire”
Definitely one I want to visit, too. There are some places you just HAVE to see in person!
It is AMAZING!!! Totally do it. Next time I go, I’m going to find a way into the center of the stones for sunset or rise. Would be so epic.
I had a chance to visit Stonehenge last year. While I was excited and thankful that I had a change to see the site, I was a bit underwhelmed. I did like the city of Bath though.
I’ve seen that in a few different places…could you pinpoint what made you dissapointed? I was an archaeological student earlier so this was right up my alley. On the other hand, Bath, while beautiful, was so crowded and chaotic that I liked it but probably won’t go back again since I didn’t like feeling claustrophobic and rushed there.
Like you, I’ve wanted to visit Stonehenge since I was a child. I still haven’t gotten there yet. Every time I’m in London I just don’t seem to have enough time. I have to make it a priority next time I visit. It’s a shame that people aren’t more respectfully for these types of historical landmarks. Thanks for the tips on the gift shop!
I really enjoyed our tour company if you want someone to take care of the driving. I’m totally going back…so amazing
It sounds like you really enjoyed your time there! I agree, having a tour guide can be really helpful in sorting out the nitty gritty of a trip. Helps you enjoy it a bit more!
Thanks for this post! Certainly a place I would like to see if I have a chance, it’s a shame that travellers go and make their mark with graffiti 🙁 I’ve heard that Stonehedge does have quite a bit; especially during the summer solstice. If you had the opportunity, would you return?
I think the latest graffiti on the stones was from the 1900s, sho luckily not recent but there have been people disrespecting the stones definitely
I want to visit Stonehenge, I have heard mixed reviews about it. Great photos!
We were also able to visit this hallowed place last June 2014! Were you able to go to Avebury, the other one nearby that they say is better and less commercialized?
I wasn’t! The initial plan was to take a guided sunset tour that would start at Avebury and then go to Stonehenge, but it cost well over $250 per person! So that was right out. Next time, I’m going to try my hardest to get inside the inner circle. Would be epic.