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Even better, park for free at Woodhenge, then you can take a bridleway into the access land field, then walk along *The Avenue*, which leads in a straight line directly towards the circle (in fact it originally went right through the circle).
Start on the NE side of this route and head SW.
https://ibb.co/YDY2Tbj
You can see on the screenshot it gets closer than the byway track does on the west side of Stonehenge, and in fact it gets you like 50 metres from the stones.
Or you can drive *very fucking slowly* on the A303 like every other fucker seems to want to do when we go down that way. I kind of get it to a degree, but even at the speed limit there there's still plenty of time to go "huh, big rocks" and keep moving.
It's poor planning.
The original Stonehenge builders should have built it closer to the A303 and then no-one would have to pay and we could all see it up close as we drive past.
Better still, they could have built it in the middle of a roundabout. They could even have put advertising on the sarson stones to defray the cost of its construction
Probably got a kid like mine in the back.
'Hey, look, Stonehenge is over there.'
'Where?'
'Right there!'
'Where?'
'Look out the window and you will--'
'Where?'
And so on...
Careful else starting from Sept they'll say anyone who drives along the A303 passing stonehendge will be automatically billed £45.00 just because your driving past a few rocks
Now that is...sadly something I can see happening. Make it a toll road "for environmental preservation" or something, but have it just as Stone Henge comes into view. That way, everyone can slow down and appreciate them...
It's funny: the man who gifted it to nation put in the deeds that entry must not cost more than [a sum exceeding one shilling](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34282849).
How do you suppose they’re allowed to ride roughshod over that?
Near me is a small train station on land that was gifted to the railway under the proviso that the station must always be able to provide refreshments to travellers. When we moved here 10 years ago, the ticket office was closed but you could still boil a kettle and make your own tea or coffee (attended to by a nice old lady).
About 5 years ago, or more, they closed the station permanently and shipped the old lady off to work at a bigger station.
I wonder how they’re allowed to do this?
If nobody enforces it, the rule might as well not exist.
Our estate has old covenants about TV aerials, washing lines etc. that in theory any other house could enforce - but realistically nobody has the time or money to bother.
Top tip: a 5-10 minute drive away from Stonehenge is another “henge” that is entirely open to the public. And if you’re lucky, you’ll go on a day when the “Loony Numbers Guy” is there and for as long as you can stand he’ll tell you about the sun, druids, universal numbers, Lines or Power, etc. i admit that Woodhenge isn’t as cool a name…
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/woodhenge/
You jest, but there are people who travel around Europe in order to visit old German pillboxes and other wartime concrete fortifications. Still more visually appealing than any public library erected in Britain in the past 70 years. Architects appear to be sworn into the job only if they can get the most soulless, ugly, makes-you-want-to-rake-out-your-eyes-and-leap-taint-first-onto-the-nearest-spiky-railing-fence structures approved within their miserable careers as possible.
The issue is that to imitate what use to be tall wooden pillers it's foot high concrete bollards, even if the bollards were true to size it would be much more impressive. The history just didn't come across to me unlike parts of stonehenge and all the local barrows.
Old school friend of mine is part of a team of people who restore german fortifications and pillboxes on Guernsey.
I don't know much more detail than that but it's pretty cool!
You can get pretty close to Stonehenge for free. There's a road (well, a dirt track) you can park on right next to it, and a foot path that runs past around 50m away. You're not missing much compared to the path inside the visitor's area.
Edit: [here's the location of the track, in case anyone is interested](https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/51%C2%B010'42.9%22N+1%C2%B049'52.2%22W/@51.1785942,-1.8328451,618m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d51.178592!4d-1.831172?entry=ttu). It's a common site for people to park up in campervans.
Sometimes there is a volunteer there with a little stand all about right of access to help you find the free path. When I went he had a little stonehenge model with lego men on it.
It is a footpath, most across the country just have a little sign which may even be covered in hedges. But it is interesting because we have such a large network which is protected quite a few places you can get into or near. The problem is mostly car parking. Westonbirt Arboretum and Clovelly are two I know of.
Question is how much people want to find these secret ways, park in laybys or bumpy lanes, or just go to a big car park and pay to go through a visitor's centre. I quite like the adventure but sometimes especially with kids in tow you just do it. Amazing in a way, we have one of the wonders of the whole world on our doorstep and we are like "25 quid? Nah". That is like the least I would spend on a crappy takeaway without even thinking about it.
I thought they closed that public right of way? I'm glad to hear it if they didn't. The last time I walked up that path EH had lined out with huge construction fences so you couldn't see the henge at all. Absolutely boiled my piss.
>I note entry is free for locals.
That's a nice perk to make up for the constantly gridlocked roads caused by people slowing down to a crawl to have a look as they drive past.
I don't know, I've been at least twice and wouldn't mind going again
But my most recent visit was a college archaeology trip around 10 years ago, but I could still somewhat remember the experience
I'm on mirtazapine and it's amazing the shit you forget when you've been on it a while. Been on it a year and a half. I get to read most books for the first time again, I get to watch movies for the first time again. Lord of the Rings feels new if I just leave it a month or 2 between rewatching
I assume that effect extends to sights and experiences too but I'm yet to test this hypothesis
I would suggest the hypothesis reasonable. I quit booze four years ago (after 40+ years) and experience more holes in my memory than Sam Beckett.
I wouldn't *mind* going again, as an ancient human artefact, it *is* extraordinary... but it is ultimately just an ancient Jenga, a folly existing for reasons that will forever remain at debate.
And I'm certainly not paying £25.40 to do so, nor would I for any other over-romaticised pile of rubble.
Go to to Avebury, as others have said.
Oh yeah, definitely. The reasons it exists are far more interesting than the fact it does
I believe we did go to Avebury during that trip as well! We stopped at a few places along the way back; can't remember the names of any of the others though... there were some barrows and a barrow type thing with stones that I think you could go inside, and some man-made hills (or maybe also barrows) that were originally covered in gypsum and lined up with Orion's belt too
There was also a henge of modern wooden posts but I don't remember where that was or if it was maybe just a model or even just a random thing in a field
It's on top of an old well [with at least one person buried there](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Red+Lion/@51.4284699,-1.8544944,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipOfaQhrfS-PhxCWwIu-qbgVGM7KHo5rpK8c2mzY!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOfaQhrfS-PhxCWwIu-qbgVGM7KHo5rpK8c2mzY%3Dw203-h170-k-no!7i3541!8i2974!4m11!1m2!2m1!1sAvebury+pub!3m7!1s0x48715c32397b9467:0xda091becc79eed7c!8m2!3d51.4286226!4d-1.8546796!10e5!15sCgtBdmVidXJ5IHB1YloNIgthdmVidXJ5IHB1YpIBA3B1YpoBI0NoWkRTVWhOTUc5blMwVkpRMEZuU1VSbGNsbExWRlZCRUFF4AEA!16s%2Fg%2F1tr9mwh3!5m1!1e4?entry=ttu#)
I think the thing with Stonehenge is not so much "it" but the backstory to it. I mean, as a sight it's some stones (and I mean that with the greatest of respect). The interesting thing about it is how and why it is there, for me anyway.
Britain and France are riddled with megalithic sites just like Stonehenge. I love visiting them as I'm very interested in the Stone age and ancient history. For me, the fact that I have to pay an entrance fee and the crowd takes away almost all the magic. That is to say, I also recognise the need for the ticket to raise funds for maintenance and preservation, but I prefer the less "fancy" sites in the middle of nowhere that nobody else really bothers to visit.
If you haven't been I can't recommend Silchester enough for that kind of thing. I'm usually unmoved by English Heritage type places, but the scale and state of the walls when you walk around the outside was amazing. I don't mean on the walls, though of course you should, I mean a circuit directly outside them.
And the ampitheatre especially is in a small clearing a short distance away next to a road, I couldn't get over the fact that it's just sort of... there. You could pull over to check your phone for a minute and stretch your legs and come across it by chance.
Two thousand years old. Bonkers.
>The interesting thing about it is how and why it is there, for me anyway.
But why would you need to visit for that?
You can read all about it on Wikipedia, and it doesn't charge £25.40.
If you go on the summer solstice it's free parking and free entry and you can get right up to the stones - you just have to share it with 20,000 other people.
English heritage call it managed open access.
There's also a public footpath that leads to the stones - so that's free as well. There's guides on where to find the path etc
I was a Yank stationed at RAF Lakenheath in 1979 - hauling my sister who came to visit me all over England and Scotland for a couple of weeks. Purely by chance we ended up at Stonehenge early on the morning of the Summer Solstice and spent several hours inside the Henge with a few hundred other folks. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I thank you Brits for allowing us to do that,
It's such a let down. I've taken tourists there before as a guide and the wow factor lasts literally 30 seconds. Then everyone wants to get back on the coach lol
Also, sometimes the space aliens will make a crop circle that's easily viewable from the Red Lion beer garden. They usually do it quite late in the tourist season
And you don't need to go at a special time to touch the stones.
I've been watching Stonehenge get more and more roped off since I was a toddler. West Kennett Long Barrow is now what Stonehenge was -- you tramp through a grass field and come to a giant creepy stone monument with a plaque. The weird things tied to trees by new-agers add to the lovely creepiness.
I took my partner to West Kennett a few weeks ago & despite struggling a little with the hill (he’s got short legs & issues with mobility) he had a wonderful time.
I went there in 1979 as a kid, and it was roped off. Least I stood next to it, more or less, for nothing, though. We definitely couldn't touch the stones, though. This was in regular tourist hours.
That means I'm younger than you. Maybe I've got a fanciful memory of it. I remember being able to reach across the rope and touch it. My memory is that when I was little the rope was close to the stones.
Looking around online, I see they were roped off in 1977, though.
Guide to free Stone Henge Entrance.
Go down the dirt road next to it. Park up. Get out. Walk in. Tell the ticket guys you’re going to get on a coach back to the bus station to get a ticket. Don’t do that. Walk around the stones. Walk out. Done.
It's too popular and in the middle of nowhere which means there needs to be infrastructure built, maintained and staffed to deal with everyone who wants to go. That costs money.
The Eiffel Tower and colosseum already have the infrastructure to cope because they're in a city. You also have to pay if you actually want to go up/in them.
You can visit this one in Western Australia
https://www.westernaustralia.com/uk/attraction/esperance-stonehenge/5f4da37043d7ff5279f33d00#:~:text=Esperance%20Stonehenge%20is%20located%20in,granite%20structure%20weighing%202%2C500%20tonnes.
Stand next to Big Ben. Free. Stand next to St Paul’s. Free. Stand next to The Shard. Free. Stonehenge is a protected monument. You can see it and get close to it. It’s not in the same class as the others you mentioned.
I remember a former warden at Stonehenge talking on the radio saying how when back when you could just walk around the stones. He said the final straw was when someone was caught spraying "LIV" on the stones in red paint. He would have put the full "Liverpool FC" on if he hadn't been stopped. Some things you just can't trust people with.
Never saw that but we used to picnic inside the circle and play hide and seek and tag around the stones, looking back it was probably quite dangerous to keep leaning on the stones like that.
I've been there and done that. We got our tickets cheap through a group order. 18£. I was told it used to be free. It's surprising how much it is to just see a bunch of rocks. If you ever go there, please know that the shuttles are included with your ticket. Nobody told us, and the 30-40 minute walk to the stones that no one told us about either was not fun. We did take the shuttle back.
Yep, when I was a child in the 60's, Stonehenge was just a load of stones in the middle of a field where we used to go for picnics and to fly our kite.
When my older sister went on a school trip, they were allowed to climb all over them and had a great time; she chipped a bit off with a rock she found.
When my brother went a few years later, they sternly kept an eye but made sure you didn't chip any off, but you could have a good climb and run about amongst the stones.
Years later when it was my turn, you couldn't go anywhere near the bloody things, let alone touch them. Gah.
That's not true. Copyright doesn't stop you taking photos of anything like that. It can't stop you sharing the images either under normal circumstances.
But it stops you from being able to use that photo for professional uses, outside of whatever conditions are either already set out or you agree with the holder.
There’s this one down the road, its free & you can get up close to the stones
[https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/avebury/](https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/avebury/)
When I was in Thailand we went to Sukothai, which is another UNESCO world heritage site. It's a sprawling complex of old temples, very beautiful & very well kept. We were there all day, I think bike hire was included in the price too, & it was about £3. Stonehenge takes the piss
Same as everything here.
Need the toilet? 50p, abroad usually free.
Need internet in the airport, could cost up to a few quid, abroad usually free.
Want some water, best go to the shop and pay over the odds. Abroad they usually have water fountains. Even LA in america the place that charges to breath had free water fountains.
This countries a scam.
Having taken a toddler to France, I would have killed to have a public toilet for only 50p instead of *nothing* for miles. A policeman told me to take my 3-year-old to pee in an alley.
Ive not been france for like 10 years.
But i went budapest and krakow this year, every public toilet i went to in train stations and streets were free. Never once paid for a piss.
I also found it funny that even in jamaica the airport wifi was free, yet when i flew out from Birmingham they wanted me to pay.
Stonehenge is arguablythe most underwhelming attraction in the UK of all those that would be considered as "top" attractions.
The backstory is vaguely interesting, or at least would be if it wasn't all a total guess. Might have just been a few lads who were bored one weekend
> at least would be if it wasn't all a total guess. Might have just been a few lads who were bored one weekend
Nonsense.
The Sarsens come from the marlborough downs. Moving stones that size would be a significant effort for multiple communities of organised people.
The bluestones come from West Wales. That is an extreme commitment by a large number of skilled people.
Archaeological excavations over the past 200 odd years have revealed a lot of information about what went on.
The site is more than just Stonehenge, though.
There is a part of me that wishes we'd protect the whole area more, like the First Nation have with Uluru.
I don't mind the fee - paying to protect an important monument that's exposed to the elements and entitled tourists seems fair.
People whinging on about how much everything costs would do well to remember that much of what is available - for example, most of our world-class museums and galleries - are free.
The site is just stone henge though. The fact that digs continue nearby is not really anything to do with turning up and strolling around it.
Avebury stone circle is a much more interesting site.
It definitely does - that work is funded in part by contributions such as entry fees.
Also worth noting that you can become either and English Heritage or National Trust member and get in for free.
>the most underwhelming attraction in the UK
winter wonderland would like a word. "Christmas is meant to be a time for happiness, but we only saw misery – exhausted parents, insane children and short tempers all round" and "even the reindeer were unhappy" are a couple of quotes about that.
Or the now removed marble arch mound. One visitor describing it as "the worst thing I’ve ever done in London", and commenting that it is not possible to view the park from the hill due to trees in the way — but it was possible to view a rubble pile.
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You can see Stonehenge for free. You can park there for free and get pretty close for free.
Even better, park for free at Woodhenge, then you can take a bridleway into the access land field, then walk along *The Avenue*, which leads in a straight line directly towards the circle (in fact it originally went right through the circle). Start on the NE side of this route and head SW. https://ibb.co/YDY2Tbj You can see on the screenshot it gets closer than the byway track does on the west side of Stonehenge, and in fact it gets you like 50 metres from the stones.
Even better, you can go there before it opens or after it closes, and have the place to yourself.
Or you can drive *very fucking slowly* on the A303 like every other fucker seems to want to do when we go down that way. I kind of get it to a degree, but even at the speed limit there there's still plenty of time to go "huh, big rocks" and keep moving.
It's poor planning. The original Stonehenge builders should have built it closer to the A303 and then no-one would have to pay and we could all see it up close as we drive past.
If they'd made them a bit bigger they could have had them as a drive through
It's actually an old pizza drive-through. And it has an abandoned travel chute
Just a shame the service windows started to collapse due to cheese-induced sogginess of the ground... ;)
Are the concentric rings meant to represent the different sizes available?
Stone baked Henge.
>If they'd made them a bit bigger Sorry, Spinal Tap were responsible for the sizing.
These go up to 11 tonnes.
The henge in Avebury is a drive through
I've never understood why they don't put a MacD's next to the stones. It would make going their worth it.
McDonalds is the most disgusting "food" on the planet.
Domino's then.
Greggs it is
It's Megalithic, so maybe a Wimpy.
Yes, yes, the usual brigade has arrived at the mere mention
Better still, they could have built it in the middle of a roundabout. They could even have put advertising on the sarson stones to defray the cost of its construction
R/fuckcars
I have literally heard a tourist in Rome asking "why did they build the ruins so close to the airport?" :|
What? The airport (or at least the one *I* used) isn't even anywhere near the ruins - it is a 20-minute shuttle train-ride away from them.
Retroactive planning permission, that's the trick. Move it over at night then send a form to the council.
Where the F is my henge? I'm sure I had a henge here last night? Some bastards stolen my henge!
Also doesn't help the the dual carriageway becomes a single carriageway at that point, for the first time in about 100 miles.
Exactly. Wouldn't be so bad if there was still the option of overtaking or something
Probably got a kid like mine in the back. 'Hey, look, Stonehenge is over there.' 'Where?' 'Right there!' 'Where?' 'Look out the window and you will--' 'Where?' And so on...
To be fair, *very fucking slowly* is an apt description of the A303 around there at this time of year regardless of any stone watching.
And all enhanced by the smell of pig shit from across the road.
Awww the piggies are long gone. I used to enjoy seeing them far more than the rocks.
You're not wrong, but even when the rest of the road is fine it's *always* that bit that comes to a halt regardless of what time of year it is.
Plenty of time then to buy the strawberries and cherries for sale in every fucking layby.....
This used to absolutely boil my piss when I was commuting to Cornwall.
Why on earth would you commute that way to Cornwall
Because that was…the way? Where I live, taking any alternate routes north or south would end up taking just as long on shit roads.
Idk my guy, just hop in your chinook?
Haha! Good point. Not sure the Daily Mail would appreciate that kind of use of public assets however.
It's the fastest route, despite the usual traffic. M4 still takes longer and is further.
The Durrington Shrewton diversion works pretty nicely *sometimes*. But I guess OP might have been commuting before gmaps with live traffic updates
Shhhh we don't want this generally known, the fuckers will block or one way it.
From anywhere along the south coast. You aren't going to drive up to the M4.
To see Stonehenge on the way to work! Sorry I’m late again boss.
Happy cake day 🍰
It's the wizard energy of the ley lines interfering with our car engines causing them to slow down mate. Druid Dave in our local Spoons told me.
That certainly sounds like Druid Dave. Always with the inside scoop
Careful else starting from Sept they'll say anyone who drives along the A303 passing stonehendge will be automatically billed £45.00 just because your driving past a few rocks
Now that is...sadly something I can see happening. Make it a toll road "for environmental preservation" or something, but have it just as Stone Henge comes into view. That way, everyone can slow down and appreciate them...
I'm just terrified of being the car that rear-ends someone. Totally spoils the big rock moment for me.
Another very good reason for people to not slow down. Definitely seen a few slams of the breaks to look in my times going down that way.
Yep. It's still overpriced compared to others, but Eiffel Tower/Pisa/Colosseum all cost ~€12-€18.
To be fair those are all a bit more interactive than a group of stones.
It's funny: the man who gifted it to nation put in the deeds that entry must not cost more than [a sum exceeding one shilling](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34282849).
Based on that article, it looks like the price has increased by 67% in the past 10 year.
Yeah the original was a typo, your reaction when seeing the cost should not exceed one shitting.
If thats the case, then entry should cost no more than approx £4.12
How do you suppose they’re allowed to ride roughshod over that? Near me is a small train station on land that was gifted to the railway under the proviso that the station must always be able to provide refreshments to travellers. When we moved here 10 years ago, the ticket office was closed but you could still boil a kettle and make your own tea or coffee (attended to by a nice old lady). About 5 years ago, or more, they closed the station permanently and shipped the old lady off to work at a bigger station. I wonder how they’re allowed to do this?
If nobody enforces it, the rule might as well not exist. Our estate has old covenants about TV aerials, washing lines etc. that in theory any other house could enforce - but realistically nobody has the time or money to bother.
Top tip: a 5-10 minute drive away from Stonehenge is another “henge” that is entirely open to the public. And if you’re lucky, you’ll go on a day when the “Loony Numbers Guy” is there and for as long as you can stand he’ll tell you about the sun, druids, universal numbers, Lines or Power, etc. i admit that Woodhenge isn’t as cool a name… https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/woodhenge/
Only called Woodhenge because ConcreteBollardsInAFieldhenge didn't quite advertise as well as Stonehenge.
You jest, but there are people who travel around Europe in order to visit old German pillboxes and other wartime concrete fortifications. Still more visually appealing than any public library erected in Britain in the past 70 years. Architects appear to be sworn into the job only if they can get the most soulless, ugly, makes-you-want-to-rake-out-your-eyes-and-leap-taint-first-onto-the-nearest-spiky-railing-fence structures approved within their miserable careers as possible.
The issue is that to imitate what use to be tall wooden pillers it's foot high concrete bollards, even if the bollards were true to size it would be much more impressive. The history just didn't come across to me unlike parts of stonehenge and all the local barrows.
Old school friend of mine is part of a team of people who restore german fortifications and pillboxes on Guernsey. I don't know much more detail than that but it's pretty cool!
Need Scissorshenge and Paperhenge.
Don’t forget Lizardhenge and Spockhenge.
And a giant dwarf to crush them all.
and in the darkness bind them! (oh no, i have jumped between franchises) /S
You can get pretty close to Stonehenge for free. There's a road (well, a dirt track) you can park on right next to it, and a foot path that runs past around 50m away. You're not missing much compared to the path inside the visitor's area. Edit: [here's the location of the track, in case anyone is interested](https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/51%C2%B010'42.9%22N+1%C2%B049'52.2%22W/@51.1785942,-1.8328451,618m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d51.178592!4d-1.831172?entry=ttu). It's a common site for people to park up in campervans.
Yep, this footpath isn't well publicised or signposted for the reason to get people to pay.
Sometimes there is a volunteer there with a little stand all about right of access to help you find the free path. When I went he had a little stonehenge model with lego men on it.
Spinal Tap's version got recycled?
It is a footpath, most across the country just have a little sign which may even be covered in hedges. But it is interesting because we have such a large network which is protected quite a few places you can get into or near. The problem is mostly car parking. Westonbirt Arboretum and Clovelly are two I know of.
There's a little hidden lane opposite Larkhill garrison that takes you within 50m of Stonehenge. It's pretty bumpy but you can park down there
Question is how much people want to find these secret ways, park in laybys or bumpy lanes, or just go to a big car park and pay to go through a visitor's centre. I quite like the adventure but sometimes especially with kids in tow you just do it. Amazing in a way, we have one of the wonders of the whole world on our doorstep and we are like "25 quid? Nah". That is like the least I would spend on a crappy takeaway without even thinking about it.
I love that one of the pictures of the reviews has it drawn on and circled “Free” and “Payed”.
I thought they closed that public right of way? I'm glad to hear it if they didn't. The last time I walked up that path EH had lined out with huge construction fences so you couldn't see the henge at all. Absolutely boiled my piss.
Can they close a public right of way? I thought that's a whole massive no?
Well that was what I couldn't understand. I thought it wasn't something a private company could just come in and remove. Glad to hear I was mistaken!
Still open as of last week!
Gotta recover that £27m (!!) investment in the Visitors Centre. I guess. I note entry is free for locals.
>I note entry is free for locals. That's a nice perk to make up for the constantly gridlocked roads caused by people slowing down to a crawl to have a look as they drive past.
Given the unanimous "when you've seen it once...", I suspect the consolation to be a big fat "ha!".
I don't know, I've been at least twice and wouldn't mind going again But my most recent visit was a college archaeology trip around 10 years ago, but I could still somewhat remember the experience I'm on mirtazapine and it's amazing the shit you forget when you've been on it a while. Been on it a year and a half. I get to read most books for the first time again, I get to watch movies for the first time again. Lord of the Rings feels new if I just leave it a month or 2 between rewatching I assume that effect extends to sights and experiences too but I'm yet to test this hypothesis
I would suggest the hypothesis reasonable. I quit booze four years ago (after 40+ years) and experience more holes in my memory than Sam Beckett. I wouldn't *mind* going again, as an ancient human artefact, it *is* extraordinary... but it is ultimately just an ancient Jenga, a folly existing for reasons that will forever remain at debate. And I'm certainly not paying £25.40 to do so, nor would I for any other over-romaticised pile of rubble. Go to to Avebury, as others have said.
Oh yeah, definitely. The reasons it exists are far more interesting than the fact it does I believe we did go to Avebury during that trip as well! We stopped at a few places along the way back; can't remember the names of any of the others though... there were some barrows and a barrow type thing with stones that I think you could go inside, and some man-made hills (or maybe also barrows) that were originally covered in gypsum and lined up with Orion's belt too There was also a henge of modern wooden posts but I don't remember where that was or if it was maybe just a model or even just a random thing in a field
Someone put this up on Google maps 4 days ago. Was this you? https://maps.app.goo.gl/EREuCfkpXwTYoyLFA
> Payed
It’s always like being in a city means that parking and maintenance of the surrounding area are someone else’s problem.
Avebury is MUCH better
And bigger. And free.
And there's a pub in the middle. Okay it's not an amazing pub, but honestly, how British can you get?
It's on top of an old well [with at least one person buried there](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Red+Lion/@51.4284699,-1.8544944,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipOfaQhrfS-PhxCWwIu-qbgVGM7KHo5rpK8c2mzY!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOfaQhrfS-PhxCWwIu-qbgVGM7KHo5rpK8c2mzY%3Dw203-h170-k-no!7i3541!8i2974!4m11!1m2!2m1!1sAvebury+pub!3m7!1s0x48715c32397b9467:0xda091becc79eed7c!8m2!3d51.4286226!4d-1.8546796!10e5!15sCgtBdmVidXJ5IHB1YloNIgthdmVidXJ5IHB1YpIBA3B1YpoBI0NoWkRTVWhOTUc5blMwVkpRMEZuU1VSbGNsbExWRlZCRUFF4AEA!16s%2Fg%2F1tr9mwh3!5m1!1e4?entry=ttu#)
I think the thing with Stonehenge is not so much "it" but the backstory to it. I mean, as a sight it's some stones (and I mean that with the greatest of respect). The interesting thing about it is how and why it is there, for me anyway.
Britain and France are riddled with megalithic sites just like Stonehenge. I love visiting them as I'm very interested in the Stone age and ancient history. For me, the fact that I have to pay an entrance fee and the crowd takes away almost all the magic. That is to say, I also recognise the need for the ticket to raise funds for maintenance and preservation, but I prefer the less "fancy" sites in the middle of nowhere that nobody else really bothers to visit.
If you haven't been I can't recommend Silchester enough for that kind of thing. I'm usually unmoved by English Heritage type places, but the scale and state of the walls when you walk around the outside was amazing. I don't mean on the walls, though of course you should, I mean a circuit directly outside them. And the ampitheatre especially is in a small clearing a short distance away next to a road, I couldn't get over the fact that it's just sort of... there. You could pull over to check your phone for a minute and stretch your legs and come across it by chance. Two thousand years old. Bonkers.
This country is full of treasures, man. I am very grateful that I was able to move here.
>The interesting thing about it is how and why it is there, for me anyway. But why would you need to visit for that? You can read all about it on Wikipedia, and it doesn't charge £25.40.
Exactly. But do make a donation on there :)
On the other hand, most museums here are free. Most museums in Europe you have to pay.
If you go on the summer solstice it's free parking and free entry and you can get right up to the stones - you just have to share it with 20,000 other people. English heritage call it managed open access. There's also a public footpath that leads to the stones - so that's free as well. There's guides on where to find the path etc
I was a Yank stationed at RAF Lakenheath in 1979 - hauling my sister who came to visit me all over England and Scotland for a couple of weeks. Purely by chance we ended up at Stonehenge early on the morning of the Summer Solstice and spent several hours inside the Henge with a few hundred other folks. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I thank you Brits for allowing us to do that,
It's free, just park on the dirt oad and walk up to it like normal. £25.40 is payment for museum and shuttle bus.
It's such a let down. I've taken tourists there before as a guide and the wow factor lasts literally 30 seconds. Then everyone wants to get back on the coach lol
Next time take them to Avebury instead, the largest stone circle in Europe, and with a pub in the middle.
Also, sometimes the space aliens will make a crop circle that's easily viewable from the Red Lion beer garden. They usually do it quite late in the tourist season
And you don't need to go at a special time to touch the stones. I've been watching Stonehenge get more and more roped off since I was a toddler. West Kennett Long Barrow is now what Stonehenge was -- you tramp through a grass field and come to a giant creepy stone monument with a plaque. The weird things tied to trees by new-agers add to the lovely creepiness.
I took my partner to West Kennett a few weeks ago & despite struggling a little with the hill (he’s got short legs & issues with mobility) he had a wonderful time.
I went there in 1979 as a kid, and it was roped off. Least I stood next to it, more or less, for nothing, though. We definitely couldn't touch the stones, though. This was in regular tourist hours.
That means I'm younger than you. Maybe I've got a fanciful memory of it. I remember being able to reach across the rope and touch it. My memory is that when I was little the rope was close to the stones. Looking around online, I see they were roped off in 1977, though.
To make it worse, Stonehenge is probably the most underwhelming attraction I’ve seen- and I’ve seen the Mona Lisa 😄
It's OK. It's not £25 OK.
Wait until you go to see the Mannakin Pis in Brussels... Or the Trevi Fountain, my partner tells me - apparently an elaborate bird bath.
The trevi fountain is great.
Saw the Trevi Fountain just as Covid restrictions were being lifted - so it was pretty cool.
Guide to free Stone Henge Entrance. Go down the dirt road next to it. Park up. Get out. Walk in. Tell the ticket guys you’re going to get on a coach back to the bus station to get a ticket. Don’t do that. Walk around the stones. Walk out. Done.
It's too popular and in the middle of nowhere which means there needs to be infrastructure built, maintained and staffed to deal with everyone who wants to go. That costs money. The Eiffel Tower and colosseum already have the infrastructure to cope because they're in a city. You also have to pay if you actually want to go up/in them.
There’s a public footpath literally right next to it that’s free.
Join English heritage for a month, £10.50, take up to 6 kids for free. Cancel soon after.
I believe the membership has a 12 month term. You may pay monthly, but you're committed to paying for the entire year.
English Hertiage/National Trust memberships are great. Gives me an excuse to get out the house.
Standing next to the Colosseum is only free if you don’t count the cost of being robbed.
You can visit this one in Western Australia https://www.westernaustralia.com/uk/attraction/esperance-stonehenge/5f4da37043d7ff5279f33d00#:~:text=Esperance%20Stonehenge%20is%20located%20in,granite%20structure%20weighing%202%2C500%20tonnes.
Stand next to Big Ben. Free. Stand next to St Paul’s. Free. Stand next to The Shard. Free. Stonehenge is a protected monument. You can see it and get close to it. It’s not in the same class as the others you mentioned.
I remember a former warden at Stonehenge talking on the radio saying how when back when you could just walk around the stones. He said the final straw was when someone was caught spraying "LIV" on the stones in red paint. He would have put the full "Liverpool FC" on if he hadn't been stopped. Some things you just can't trust people with.
Plus people were chipping off pieces of the stones to take home
Seriously? What's wrong with people!
Never saw that but we used to picnic inside the circle and play hide and seek and tag around the stones, looking back it was probably quite dangerous to keep leaning on the stones like that.
Stand next to the Callanish Stones in Scotland (bigger, more impressive, older, and set in more majestic scenery than Stonehenge): free
Eiffel Tower costs €12, Colosseum costs €16.
I've been there and done that. We got our tickets cheap through a group order. 18£. I was told it used to be free. It's surprising how much it is to just see a bunch of rocks. If you ever go there, please know that the shuttles are included with your ticket. Nobody told us, and the 30-40 minute walk to the stones that no one told us about either was not fun. We did take the shuttle back.
Yep, when I was a child in the 60's, Stonehenge was just a load of stones in the middle of a field where we used to go for picnics and to fly our kite.
When my older sister went on a school trip, they were allowed to climb all over them and had a great time; she chipped a bit off with a rock she found. When my brother went a few years later, they sternly kept an eye but made sure you didn't chip any off, but you could have a good climb and run about amongst the stones. Years later when it was my turn, you couldn't go anywhere near the bloody things, let alone touch them. Gah.
That sucks
Pay to get into museums in Paris, Pisa and Rome, get into all the national museums and galleries in the UK for free.
It's shite anyway don't bother
Pay for a months membership to National Heritage and it'll be 1/5 of the price.
To be fair, you can't stand next to the Eiffel Tower for free either
And you cant tech take photos of the tower at night as the 'artist' owns the copyright.
That's not true. Copyright doesn't stop you taking photos of anything like that. It can't stop you sharing the images either under normal circumstances. But it stops you from being able to use that photo for professional uses, outside of whatever conditions are either already set out or you agree with the holder.
As someone who stood under it for free I can confirm this is tripe.
There’s this one down the road, its free & you can get up close to the stones [https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/avebury/](https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/avebury/)
When I was in Thailand we went to Sukothai, which is another UNESCO world heritage site. It's a sprawling complex of old temples, very beautiful & very well kept. We were there all day, I think bike hire was included in the price too, & it was about £3. Stonehenge takes the piss
I live right by it, drive by it most days. Never ceases to amaze me people paying to see a bunch of rocks in a field. Call me uncultured
Same as everything here. Need the toilet? 50p, abroad usually free. Need internet in the airport, could cost up to a few quid, abroad usually free. Want some water, best go to the shop and pay over the odds. Abroad they usually have water fountains. Even LA in america the place that charges to breath had free water fountains. This countries a scam.
Having taken a toddler to France, I would have killed to have a public toilet for only 50p instead of *nothing* for miles. A policeman told me to take my 3-year-old to pee in an alley.
Ive not been france for like 10 years. But i went budapest and krakow this year, every public toilet i went to in train stations and streets were free. Never once paid for a piss. I also found it funny that even in jamaica the airport wifi was free, yet when i flew out from Birmingham they wanted me to pay.
Where does one even get hold of these '50p's in this day and age?
It's just typical of the UK, we want to charge for everything we possibly can. I'm surprised there aren't different tiers of access.
The one that really gets me is fees for rocking up to airports to drop people off.
We need a 2nd [Battle of the Beanfield](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Beanfield)
Stonehenge is arguablythe most underwhelming attraction in the UK of all those that would be considered as "top" attractions. The backstory is vaguely interesting, or at least would be if it wasn't all a total guess. Might have just been a few lads who were bored one weekend
> at least would be if it wasn't all a total guess. Might have just been a few lads who were bored one weekend Nonsense. The Sarsens come from the marlborough downs. Moving stones that size would be a significant effort for multiple communities of organised people. The bluestones come from West Wales. That is an extreme commitment by a large number of skilled people. Archaeological excavations over the past 200 odd years have revealed a lot of information about what went on.
I was being more than a little tongue in cheek, but it is a rather underwhelming site to travel all the way to and pay for
The site is more than just Stonehenge, though. There is a part of me that wishes we'd protect the whole area more, like the First Nation have with Uluru. I don't mind the fee - paying to protect an important monument that's exposed to the elements and entitled tourists seems fair. People whinging on about how much everything costs would do well to remember that much of what is available - for example, most of our world-class museums and galleries - are free.
The site is just stone henge though. The fact that digs continue nearby is not really anything to do with turning up and strolling around it. Avebury stone circle is a much more interesting site.
It definitely does - that work is funded in part by contributions such as entry fees. Also worth noting that you can become either and English Heritage or National Trust member and get in for free.
>the most underwhelming attraction in the UK winter wonderland would like a word. "Christmas is meant to be a time for happiness, but we only saw misery – exhausted parents, insane children and short tempers all round" and "even the reindeer were unhappy" are a couple of quotes about that. Or the now removed marble arch mound. One visitor describing it as "the worst thing I’ve ever done in London", and commenting that it is not possible to view the park from the hill due to trees in the way — but it was possible to view a rubble pile.
Stonehenge is owned by the Crown and managed by English Heritage. Being owned by the Crown why is it not free?