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There is no question that Stonehenge allows a magnificent step into ancient times.
The unsolved mystery of exactly how and why this monument was created is palpable and fascinating.
However, despite knowing this, it took having this England based travel channel
to finally force me to visit in person. And that’s because I’ve always had a small voice in my mind
repeating one simple question: “Yeah, but isn’t it just a big pile of rocks?”
For me, there are 3 different ways you could visit Stonehenge and we’ll start with my own personal
experience first. Then I’ll weigh up the other 2 options, and answer pretty much every question
you might have about visiting. What else there is to do in the area, different ways to get there,
the best affordable options, how to get inside the stone circle, and then
finishing with the ultimate question: “Is Stonehenge actually worth the trip”?
If you’re new here then welcome,
we make travel movies from around the world as well as our homeland of England.
This is Suitcase Monkey finding out if a day at Stonehenge is actually worth it.
Following a 90 minute direct train from Waterloo, I arrived in Salisbury, the closest
city to Stonehenge. If you’re making the trip via public transport, this will be your arrival point.
Situated 8 miles south of Stonehenge, it certainly has a picturesque side,
and there are still a number of landmarks reveal its medieval history. But still,
largely speaking, it does have all the typical English city centre staples: There’s a Cafe Nero,
a Nandos, a Specsavers, but you can also join the army which I thought was incredibly convenient.
Salisburys biggest attraction is without question its Cathedral. Built in the 13th century, it took
38 years to build and still stands as Britains tallest spire, rising to an impressive 400 feet.
But it’s once you step inside, that you are really treated to its majesty.
One of the first things that caught my eye here was the worlds oldest working mechanical clock,
made in 1386. Unlike modern clocks, it doesn’t have a clock face, but would tell Priests when to
pray by striking a bell every hour. But it is what lies in this last room that is the cathedrals most
important artefact: The Magna Carta. There are only 4 surviving Magna Carta in the world
and 1 of them is here, well preserved written in Latin on sheep skin.
The Magna Carta was a series of documents from the 1200s, which were the first to create laws
that all free men should follow and be judged by, including the King. It lay the foundation
for modern law, including the process of a trial by public jury and the right to protest.
It was later echoed by the Declaration of Independence 500 years later.
All of this makes Salisbury Cathedral a must visit if you’re following this
route. But it was time to get back on track with why I was here in the first place.
From the city centre, there’s a 30 minute shuttle bus, running every hour, which I’d just missed.
So a quick coffee and pastry was in order before I’d finally arrive at Stonehenge.
But as I’m enjoying this quick coffee break, I wanted to thank this videos sponsor,
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As Stonehenge came into view, I must admit, there is something undeniably magical about it.
This is about as far back into history as you can personally see, and its hard to
stop the imagination from conjuring up the what, why and how this was even possible.
4,500 years ago, these stones, some weighing 25 tonnes were transported up to 150 miles, to
where they stand today. Taking around 100 people, they would have each been rolled cross country,
some by boat along rivers, and then somehow brought upright into their standing position.
The larger stones, known as Sarsons are 7 meters in height, with almost a third of this
buried in the ground. Levering the top horizontal stones this high was a masterpiece of architecture
and engineering. This is the only stone circle in the world to have this design.
The absolute meaning and purpose of all this, is however lost to us, and will always be up
for debate. Built by farmers and pastoralists, they are perfectly aligned to the suns movement.
Practically speaking, it could have been a form of calendar
or celebration of the changing seasons. Every 6 months, the suns movement would be
precisely framed between the upright stones and align with this bump, or Tenon as its called.
From above, you can actually see the faint outline of a road, thought to be
a Processional route that would have led from the River Avon, and acted as a grand entrance.
But it also seemed to be a place of sacrifice, ritual and sanctuary. Human
bones of around 150 people were buried here and apparently one of them was Liam Neeson.
All of this information, I mostly gleaned from the excellent audio guide. This was actually
an app I could download and then just use my own headphones. There are numbers scattered around the
site and I liked how after each section, it gave you options to choose a follow on topic or you
could skip to the next chapter, allowing you to easily control the level of detail you received.
Now, there’s loads of information I’m leaving out here, such as druids,
Paganism, these 56 pits known as Aubrey Holes, the mounds that surround the site,
this Heel Stone, so there’s still lots more to discover if you plan on visiting.
Once leaving the stones, you of course exit through the gift shop, returning back to the
visitors centre. The centre itself, although having a bit of a Jurassic Park vibe to it,
is fairly small in size. Enough for tickets sales, a cafe and accompanying exhibition
which is definitely worth a look in. There’s a 360 degree cinema room that is probably the closest
I’m going to get to actually being inside the circle. But also some other artefacts and
interesting stories, some of which I’ve touched on already. The whole experience from arrival
to leaving was about 3 hours. But admittedly, a third of that was spent getting this thumbnail.
And if you’re wondering what I had for lunch, it was the classic combination of sausage roll,
cheese and onion crisps and a cappuccino cake. Oh and the ketchup of course.
So before doing this trip, I asked you all what questions you’d have for visiting Stonehenge
so I’ve grouped them all up here and give you my thoughts.
The first main topic was around transport and just getting there in general, which for the
purpose of this video is coming from London. I mentioned at the start of the video, that there
are 3 ways to visit Stonehenge. You’ve just seen option 1 which is the public transport option.
The direct 90 minute return train cost £42, from London Waterloo to Salisbury
and I booked it through the app Trainline which we usually use for train travel around the UK.
You can book it from the station itself but it might be more expensive on the day.
I could have got it for slightly less but I decided to book it as an open return ticket
so I wasn’t tied down to a specific train on my return, which gave me some flexibility.
I bought the bus ticket from Salisbury Information Centre but you can also purchase it direct from
Stonehenge Tours Bus company itself, as you board. The bus departs every hour from Salisbury
Station and also from the city centre, on New Canal St, outside Mountain Warehouse.
Here are the prices for everything you’ve just seen, as booked separately and direct.
I later realised it would’ve been cheaper to book a package ticket from the information
centre or bus company, for £38. I’ll link all websites in the description,
just below the like button, so you can take a look for yourself.
So along with the train and food, it was around £100 and took up the whole day,
albeit at a very relaxed rate with filming, etc and then returning to London around 5pm.
Option 2 is to book an all in day packaged trip, just to see Stonehenge. I’ve added an affiliate
link below, which gives you a return coach trip and Stonehenge entry for £57. This is easily the
best option if you just want to see the stones, in the most time efficient, cost efficient way.
An extension of this is to book a larger packaged tour. These
would typically add stops such as Windsor and Bath, the latter of which you can see
a vlog about on this channel. Both are great places to visit and this option is ideal if
you really want to make the most of your time but it certainly would be a whirlwind day.
And the third option would be if you’re renting a car. If this is the case, Windsor,
Stonehenge and Bath is an easy drive in one direction, that could even be spread out over a
couple of days. I’ll also link some accommodation options for the area in the description. And,
if you are driving along this route, be aware that Stonehenge is literally just
at the side of the road so you can still actually see it, without buying a ticket.
In terms of other things to do in the area, not already mentioned, you could spend a full
day around Salisbury if you wanted. It also has its own Museum, as well as The Old Sarum,
which is also included in the bus ticket I used. This is another famous historical
site that once housed the original Salisbury Cathedral and castle of William the Conqueror.
Another common topic I was asked about, was whether you can be inside the circle
and how close you can just generally get. Well, for the most part, it is a roped off experience,
with the closest you’ll get being about 20/30 feet away, which for me, was fine.
It certainly didn’t feel like a barrier for appreciation.
Back at the visitors centre, it was strange to learn that Stonehenge has only been cordoned
off like this since the 1970s. Photos of tourists just chilling out amongst the rocks
are really at odds with how we treat them today. I mean, this guy is killing it for the thumbnail.
I visited in October at a point where the UK was just starting to see tourists so it was definitely
at the very low end of capacity. Maybe it can get really crowded at peak times but there is such a
large perimeter around the site, you’ll always be able to get an unobscured view at some point,
I’d guess, so I wouldn’t worry about that but let me know if you’ve had a different experience.
In terms of when to go, early or late would always be best I’d imagine, with last entry being 2:30pm.
In terms of months to visit, the only thing I would say is to avoid is the rain if possible.
So maybe booking a few days in advance when the weather is more certain?
In terms of actually getting inside the stone circle, this is possible but at a price and
with a bit of luck. Tickets are outside the regular opening times, at sunset and sunrise,
during the equinox or solstice but are limited, to around 30 people.
While preparing for this trip, I did see the official English Heritage site offering tickets
for these events so they do pop up but at a much higher cost. If anyone watching this,
has ever visited Stonehenge in this way, please comment below and let us know your experience.
But overall, the biggest question I received was what I questioned for myself.
Is Stonehenge actually worth the trip?
Well, just speaking personally, the short answer is no and the long answer is yes.
One of the main reasons why this was my first visit is that ultimately, on its own, it is a
bit out of the way and requires some investment. For public transport day trips from the capital,
I’d personally recommend Cambridge or Windsor as having a bit more bang for your buck.
Or sizzle for your Sterling. And that’s because seeing Stonehenge itself can take
as little as 40 minutes so unless you’re happy with the other 5 surrounding hours,
it might not be worth all of your time.
So if you’re visiting London specifically, and
tight on time, either it’s an easy skip or I’d strongly suggest the direct coach trip.
A better option perhaps is to make Stonehenge the dessert, rather than the main course. This
means adding Windsor, or Bath to the mix, again by coach trip. If you do have a car, then also
throw in the Cotswolds, and you’ve got yourself a hell of a varied, easy, compact road trip.
There are already vlogs featuring our trip to Bath and The Cotswolds on this channel and there will
eventually be a Windsor one, so do check those out while you’re here or come back in the future.
If however, time is on your side, or even that you live in the UK, or you’re just well into your
history, then I would absolutely suggest a day trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge, as depicted in
this video. There is only one Stonehenge after all, and if you can get to it, then why not?
In terms of your actual enjoyment once you are here and is this trip for you? I’ll say this:
The space is undoubtedly a unique experience, seeped in history and mythology. But I think
it does depend on whether you’re the sort of person who’s happy to fill in some blanks,
and be impressed with whatever your imagination can add,
which ultimately takes all this, beyond, just a pile of rocks.
Now, I want to finish this video with some quick fire answers to some of the more
lets say quirky questions I received from you folks. But before I answer those,
please comment below to let me know whether this video has made you want to visit Stonehenge more
or made you cool off on the idea and feel free to share any other tips you might have.
Please give the video a like, subscribe if you aren’t already or if you think you are, when
you actually aren’t. Looking at my analytics most of you aren’t so please double check that button.
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As ever, thanks for watching Suitcase Monkey and now,
lets finish, with 3 quick fire questions from you lovely, weird people:
When the aliens coming?
Is it really possible to travel through time through the stone henge?!
Do the rocks smell?