Opinions on Stonehenge?
Feb 3rd, 2003, 09:52 AM
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Opinions on Stonehenge?
Is it worthwhile to visit Stonehenge? It takes a full day to see and come back from London.<BR><BR>Can you walk close to it? I'm considering a visit in a few days.
Feb 3rd, 2003, 10:04 AM
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Visiting Stonehenge is a must if you are historically interested, or at all spiritual. However, there are tours put on by a company called Astral that you can get in and touch the stones, in small groups, usually around dusk. I would recommend this rather than the normal visit, as you are kept from the stones by a distance.
Feb 3rd, 2003, 10:27 AM
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Hiroshi!<BR>Stonehenge is only worth visiting to say you've been there. Go, have your photo taken next to it and move on. Because so many want to visit Hi Stonehenge, it is a mega tourist attraction. Because Stonehenge is a mega tourist attraction, it has lost its mystique and aura of ancient history.<BR>Happy Travels<BR>Rick
Feb 3rd, 2003, 10:39 AM
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Yes, I'd go. There are no crowds now, I was just there last week. It only takes an hour to see the stones and listen to the audioguide, then I'd spend a few hours in Salisbury (where the train takes you) - it has a wonderful cathedral and is a great little town! It's a great day trip.
Feb 3rd, 2003, 10:43 AM
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I think Stonehenge was put together in the first place to be a "tourist attraction" albeit an ancient one, probably many people made the pilgrimage to see it and participate in whatever it was used for in it's heyday.<BR><BR>It is a personal decision to visit it, if you are at all interested in the history or even just saying or knowing you have seen it, makes the trip worthy. Otherwise just skip it.
Feb 3rd, 2003, 10:48 AM
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I loved Stonehenge. I don't think it has lost its mystique and didn't feel any need to touch the stones. Even seeing them from afar would be worth it to me. But to each their own. Some people think of them as just a pile of rocks.
Feb 3rd, 2003, 11:37 AM
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Hi Hiroshi,<BR>Personally I think Stonehenge is a dreadful windswept tourist trap.<BR>There is nothing really worth taking a special trip from London to see.<BR>Now if you were en route, and passing anyway,it may be worth stopping for an hour just to satisfy your curiosity, but I guarantee you won't bother going again.There are so many fantastic places to visit in this area of the UK.<BR>There really is more to UK than London and stonehenge.<BR>If its medieval mystery and castles you like go to Wales, stay in Cardiff as it has several and is a truly lovely City to visit.<BR>This is just my humble opinion but then I live here and am not a tourist (thankfully)<BR><BR>Good luck<BR><BR>Mucky
Feb 3rd, 2003, 12:41 PM
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If you have to ask "is it worth it?" then it probably isn't. The first time I visited, you could walk right up and chip off a piece if you wanted. Last time I was there, 1999, you parked across the road and went under a tunnel to get there and you were kept back by fencing. We were on our way to Salisbury and stopped just to stretch.
Feb 3rd, 2003, 02:21 PM
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Hiroshi - your "Is it worth it?" question really can't be answered by anyone but you. As you see from the responses so far - opinions are ALL over the place. For some, Stonehenge is THE highlight of their entire trip, for others it is a stupid tourist trap. Only you can decide if it is worth it.<BR><BR>If you are interested in neolithic sites or are a little "new agey" you won't want to miss it. If you have limited time and are only considering it because it is so famous - skip it.
Feb 4th, 2003, 07:14 AM
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I enjoyed Stonehenge, it was great to walk around, close enough view for great pictures. We did a bus trip from London which also included a stop in Bath. We walked through the Roman Baths without rushing but wished we had a bit more time to explore the town. I would make it a combo trip and do both. Go for it.
Feb 4th, 2003, 09:09 PM
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Horoshi: I agree with Janis; only you can decide if it is worthwhile for you to visit Stonehenge. In my opinion, Stonehenge is everything you will want it to be.<BR><BR>Stonehenge was built in several stages from about 3000 BC, and is Europe's most famous prehistoric monument. <BR><BR>In 2000, two Brits and I drove to The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, which is outstanding. On our drive back to London, they asked if I wanted to visit Stonehenge, which was on our way. It was something I had always wanted to do, so of course I said yes. The Brits had no interest in seeing it again, and asked if I would mind if they stayed in the car park, and listened to the radio. <BR><BR>Going solo, I had a wonderful time, listening to the audio tour (I believe it was include in admission). Some of my best memories and some of my best photos of that entire holiday was of visiting Stonehenge.<BR>
Feb 5th, 2003, 09:17 AM
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We went to see Stonehedge and Bath and enjoyed it.We took a day bus trip. We also took a trip by boat to Greenwich which was great and took the train to Hampton Court. The gardens there were amazing and the maze of hedges was fun.
Feb 5th, 2003, 09:30 AM
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Room for one more opinion? IF you are planning to travel anywhere near the site, Stonehenge is very worthwhile. It is only one of hundreds of stone circles in Britain, but it the most massive (and, of course, the best known).<BR><BR>Downsides: <BR><BR>The site can be overrun by tour groups, especially during the middle of the day in the summer months. Try to arrive in the early part of the morning, or late in the afternoon, to avoid some of the crowds.<BR><BR>The noise of cars going by on the (very) nearby road is disconcerting. In fact, there is a proposal being discussed to put the road in a tunnel and generally improve the experience of visiting Stonehenge. That's still years away though.<BR><BR>David White<BR>http://www.KidsToLondon.com
Feb 5th, 2003, 01:38 PM
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I had read many negative posts (and info in guide books) before my first trip to England and thus decided NOT to go to Stonehenge - went to Avebury instead. Avebury was OK, pleasant. But then we found ourselves only a few miles from Stonehenge. It was 7:30 in the evening in July. So Stonehenge was officially "closed" but as it was still light out we decided to drive by. It was the most amazing thing. Even having seen hundreds of pictures of it, it was still immensely immpressive. I am so glad I went. I am also so glad I went when it was "closed" - you can see fine from the road (although you have to look through or over a chain link fence). There were only about 5 other people there, like us, parked by the side of road. I do not think it would be the same with hords of crowds and tourist buses. As the poster above said, the road (two lane) goes very close to the stones, but with hardly any cars around it was great.
Feb 5th, 2003, 01:50 PM
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Agree that it is worth a detour, but not a single day-trip. On the other hand I am reminded of what we were told whilst descending the crown of the Statue of Liberty by an employee - "What did you expect up there, McDonalds?". Quite.
Feb 5th, 2003, 07:43 PM
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My take on this.<BR>Stonehenge has been a destination for 5000 years. Would you let a few naysayers tell you it is too touristy turn you off?<BR><BR>Since it was built, England has had many invading armies, all of whom had too much respect for it to demolish it.<BR><BR>Other than some 'locals' looting it for stone, it remains largely untouched since it was built.<BR><BR>Could you return to Japan and say you did not bother to see Englands oldest/biggest monument?
Feb 5th, 2003, 09:41 PM
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Sorry, ici, but actually Avebury Circle is older and MUCH bigger. : )<BR><BR>In case anyone is interested in the website for the Stonehenge Inner Circle Tour, it's http://www.astraltravels.co.uk/.<BR><BR>When I FINALLY get to take my kids to the UK, we are definitely going to do this tour.
Feb 6th, 2003, 03:32 AM
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We thought the Astral Travels Inner Circle tour was loads of fun -- a full Neolithic day, with side trips to see crop circles, something that just can't be included in guidebooks.<BR><BR>It's true that Avebury is much larger (though the stones are smaller). But much of it has been reconstructed -- the very size of the stones made it more vulnerable over the centuries to vandalism for construction materials and by religious fanatics. One of the two excellent museums onsite has a fascinating film with footage from the 1930s (or thereabouts) showing the excavation and describing the calculations that went into re-placing the stones. With with the reconstruction, people sitting on the stones, and the pub that's sited within the circle (!) it just doesn't have the same effect as Stonehenge.
Feb 6th, 2003, 04:15 AM
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Went to Stonehenge in a light rain early in the morning paid the fee and really enjoyed the expeience. Well worth while. <BR> I also agree Salisburg is a charming town. We also toured a rug factoey in the area.
