Stonehenge

100 Places To See (and take a selfie at) Before You Die:

Stonehenge

Wiltshire, England

Stonehenge is one of the most interesting, and mysterious, prehistoric sites in the world. It dates back to over 3000 BC, and to this day very little is known about its origins or purpose. Everyone is familiar with it and it's on most lists like this one. My wife and I visited last fall so here is a practical account of our experience - as always I'm not going to hit you with a Wikipedia history lesson.

I imagine that most tourists will see Stonehenge on a day trip out of London. It's located out in the middle of what seems like farmland about 90 miles west of the city. It's not a bad drive, but it will take nearly two hours, most of which is getting out of London because it's just a congested mess. There are all sorts of tours that go there and many combine other locations as well. We took one of these day tours that visited Stonehenge first followed by Bath and then Windsor Castle. I recommend it. You don't need a ton of time at Stonehenge, unless it's just a very special location for you and then by all means make a day of it. You could drive yourself, or take a train, but for us the tour was perfect.

They opened this new visitor center in 2013. You park conveniently a hundred yards or so from here and then walk. It's a nice facility with a neat gift shop and a rather underwhelming cafe. You buy your tickets here as well and then board a tram out back that drives you right up to the site. If you find a pair of carbon Ray Bans, let me know - I left mine here.

They don't let you just walk amongst the stones anymore on regular visits. They have a roped trail that circles the site and they give you an audio guide that will explain all the points of interest on your lap. They do allow a small number of people on certain days at dawn and dusk to walk in and around the stones. We wanted to do it but nothing was available during our visit. 

I'm not sure exactly what the guy on the tractor was doing, but he was just going around in circles. The new visitors center location is designed to make the stones seem isolated. I think they even moved a highway to help with that as well. It kind of works. You don't really notice much when you're looking at the stones themselves other than fields. That said, you can see them clearly from the highway when you're driving up so it's not like they're in the middle of nowhere.

As you lap around you actually do get fairly close to the stones and you can get a feel for their size - some are over 20 feet high. The lap can take as long as you want it to, but honestly it's really something you only need to spend about 30 minutes up close with. 

So should you go? I have friends that have told me they found it to be a disappointment, but I would say you should go. It's really unique, and I always like the feeling of visiting such an iconic location - kind of like I'm in the club now. I would have liked to do the up close and personal tour, but our standard tourist visit was great. I wouldn't fly to England just to visit Stonehenge, and there's certainly no shortage of things to see and do in London, but if you're visiting and have time for a day trip out of the city make sure Stonehenge is on the itinerary. 

Some practical notes:

• We enjoyed perfect fall weather, but England isn't know for those kind of days. The lap is mostly gravel and it's completely exposed so come prepared.
• There are tons of tours so shop around. I didn't really care for Bath, but Windsor Castle was interesting. 
• I think it's accessible for just about anyone. There is some walking, but it's not that bad or lengthy. 
• We were there off-season (as always by design). As is almost always the case, crowds would make this place less enjoyable. If you can afford to go places when other people can't, do it.