14 April 2014

Whirlwind Visit to Stonehenge

Stonehenge, England, UK, travel, expat

When I say whirlwind visit, I mean whirlwind!  We dropped the kids off at school and hit the road for a 2 hour drive to Stonehenge and had to be back to pick up the kids by 3 pm.

By the time we arrived we only had an hour and a half.  It was enough time to get out to the stones from the visitor center, which takes you by shuttle, but not enough to have a good wander through the gift shop or see the exhibition.  I plan on taking the family on our next break for a longer stay.

Stonehenge, England, UK, travel, expat

Stonehenge, England, UK, travel, expat

An audio guide comes with your ticket.  I don't have much patience to listen to those things though.

Stonehenge, England, UK, travel, expat

I'd rather wander and take photos and either know the info before coming or look it up after.  We saw a great documentary on Stonehenge recently that was really fascinating and educational.

Stonehenge, England, UK, travel, expat

Stonehenge, England, UK, travel, expat

Stonehenge, England, UK, travel, expat, sheep

Stonehenge is managed by the English Heritage.  As a member you can enter for free.  Since the grounds are maintained by National Trust, their members, which I am, can also enter for free.  Score!  Tickets are currently £13.90 per adult if you do not hold a membership to one of these organizations.

Ever been to Stonehenge or like to go some day?  I recommend giving it more than an hour and a half though!  Hee hee!

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As you know we're featuring a post each week.  This week I'm featuring Anna's post on the Yosakoi Dance Competition.  All those beautiful colors and moves must have been a sight to see!



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45 comments:

  1. It looks so strange! A huge rock formation in the middle of nowhere! And it seems to be smaller than I always imagined it to be. But still, when you think about the age and history of the formation it must be a fascinating place!

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  2. I visited on a really wet and foggy day and the burial mounds looked so creepy in my photos!! Stonehenge is a must see for sure! Have you checked into Avebury Henge and all of the other prehistorical sites in the area? Check these out...and you can walk up to them and touch! http://guntersabroad.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/stonehenge-and-avebury-henge.html

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  3. Stonehenge is definitely on my list of places to see! I'm more of a photo + wander kind of girl too :) what was the documentary you watched?

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  4. I really liked visiting Stonehenge, but when we went you walked under a little tunnel bit to get there, and didn't have to be bussed. I've heard they've changed it all around since. I'm the opposite as you, I love those audio guides!

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  5. It's smaller than I thought it was. Don't get me wrong! They are still huge, but when you see people in the background, it gives a distorted view of their true size. You're right though, it is mysteriously fascinating!

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  6. I have not been to Avebury Henge. I've been to another rock formation in the Lake District (the name has left me) that you could touch and climb on.

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  7. I tried to look for it, but it was a special on Sky TV. Of course it could have been on any number of channels. If I figure it out I'll let you know. I only caught part of it and would really like to see the whole thing!

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  8. Yeah, I didn't realize how new this visitor centre was until after we were there! It was really nice. Just a bit far away.

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  9. Stonehenge is somewhere I've driven past many many times but only once stopped to go in, many years ago and I have to admit to being distictly underwhelmed by the whole experience. This was way before the visitor centre and being bussed etc.

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  10. Stonehenge is definitely on my bucket list for Ireland! I've always been intrigued by shows about it. Great pictures, looks like a fun little day trip!

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  11. Did the place met your expectations? I mean the photos on the web look so cool, yet I've heard from quite a few travelers that in reality the place is tiny and doesn't look that epic...

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  12. I have never been to Stonehenge but would love to visit! I am the same as you, I am not one for walking around holding an audio guide at my ear the whole time. Thank you so much for featuring me this week :) I am not taking part this week because I am busy in Tokyo but hopefully I can write a post all about it next week!

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  13. Travel with IntentApril 15, 2014 at 8:53 AM

    I haven't been there for many, many years. Time to go back I think.

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  14. I had a blast when I visited Stonehenge! It was one of those few places you build up in your mind that definitely didn't disappoint me.


    As for the linkup, I couldn't get an image to upload properly :( Has anyone else had trouble with this?

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  15. I'd love to see Stonehenge in person one day. Looks like you have beautiful weather for your quick visit!

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  16. I would absolutely love to visit Stonehenge one day!! I'm really hoping my fiancé and I will be able to do a month long trip to Europe for our honeymoon so fingers crossed we make it there!!

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  17. Haha I love how you just squeeze in a quick trip to Stonehenge while the kids are at school! I hope you made it back in time! :)

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  18. My boyfriend and I were able to visit Stonehenge last December and although it was really cold outside it was wonderful - even sunny like your visit! I gave up on the audio guide halfway around the stones in favour of taking pictures. After Stonehenge we stopped by Old Sarum since it was included in our ticket price and that site was pretty cool to explore too.

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  19. I have to be honest - Stonehenge was never a place that I have been crazy about visiting. I would probably do a step there if I happened to be in the area, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to visit. I don't know why, but it just doesn't seem to hold that much fascination for me - but if you loved it so much, I should probably let go of my preconceptions! :) I did, however, visit something fairly similar at the Outer Hebrides in Scotland a couple of years ago and it was a great experience because there were hardly any people and you could actually go close to the stones and touch them.

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  20. I've actually been to Stonehenge twice! I found the experience to be a little disappointing just because it was a) so crowded and b) so restricted. I think it would be fun to take one of those tours that actually let you walk through the stones (if those are even still available). I found the surrounding area and the other connected sites to be pretty interesting though, so I definitely recommend checking those out if you go back. My favorite part of the Stonehenge experience was actually Salisbury & the cathedral - both really lovely :)

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  21. That is a whirlwind trip, but you don't really need a whole lot of time there. I love Stonehenge! Such a mysterious place

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  22. I'd love to visit Stonehenge some day. I think that a road trip through the UK would be a lot of fun, once I got over the whole other side of the road issue. :)

    -Rachel @ With Love, Rachel

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  23. Although it was pretty crowded, I still was happy we visited Stonehenge. We were only there for about an hour which I thought was plenty!

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  24. Rosie @Eco-Gites of LenaultApril 16, 2014 at 3:13 PM

    I have driven passed Stonehenge more times than I care to remember but I have never actually been there. One day!

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  25. Thanks for sharing your brief but great visit to Stonehenge. I hope you to return with your kids some time soon!

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  26. In December they opened an exhibition with the new visitor centre, so there is more to see and do there now. That's the part I missed seeing.

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  27. Road tripping through England has been a great experience for us!! My biggest fear moving here was driving on the other side of the road. Luckily it was much easier than I expected. Now I'm a bit scared to have to drive on the other side! :)

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  28. There starting to add so much more. I wanted to see the exhibition they have and soon they'll be finishing the work on 5 neolithic home/buildings that look really neat!

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  29. Those tours are still available. I've researched it recently. They are before and after opening hours. I'd like to do it some day. I do need to research the surrounding sites. They are doing a lot to improve the Stonehenge experience with the addition of a visitor centre in December and some neolithic homes/building will be complete soon.

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  30. I think it's worth a visit. It was neat to see because it is a UNESCO world heritage site. The visitor centre with exhibitions was opened in December and some neolithic homes/buildings are almost complete really adding to the experience. We came across a similar circle in The Lake District that you could touch and get right in the middle. It was small than Stonehenge though.

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  31. I'll have to look that up. Maybe next time we are in the area!

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  32. We did make it back with plenty of time to spare (about a half hour) ;).

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  33. That'd be great to do a month long European trip!! So much to see and do!!

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  34. It seems that people either love it or don't. They are working hard on some new additions that really add to the experience. They're almost finished building some neolithic homes/buildings that look really neat!

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  35. Definitely, they are adding so many new things, so there is more to do

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  36. It was fast and furious, but glad we did it. I do want to go back soon when I can spend more time and maybe see some other sites nearby.

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  37. I think the new additions will give it much more appeal. I'm really fascinated by some neolithic homes/buildings that are almost complete.

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  38. Thanks! The mystery of it is intriguing. Some people love it, some don't. The fact that it's a UNESCO world heritage site is pretty awesome! And some new additions, like a visitor centre and neolithic homes/buildings give it much more appeal and more to see and do.

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  39. I think one reason we didn't go sooner was because it's a big rock circle, really! Although it is a UNESCO world heritage site, so that does give it appeal! It was smaller than I expected, but I wouldn't say it's tiny. I still think it's pretty epic!! The brand new visitor centre is a really nice addition and they are almost finished building some neolithic homes/buildings that look amazing and give it much more appeal.

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  40. You are so welcome!! :) Will look forward to you joining again!

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  41. With some new additions, maybe it will intrigue you to do it sooner than later. :) They are doing lots to add to it.

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  42. I don't know, an hour and a half sounds like plenty of time to look at rocks. :) Kidding...sort of.


    I'd like to see Stonehenge, but I don't know if the trip there would be worth it from London. Anything else of interest in the area?

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  43. great photos! the only time i went to stonehenge it was rainy so i would love to go back :)

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  44. Your photos are postcard worthy!
    I've seen Stonehenge twice, but both times were from the car window and I drove from London to Devon and then back, at least on the way back I was able to get a photo by hanging out the car window! :)

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