Anything to do between Heathrow and Stonehenge?
 

My husband and I (late 20's) will be arriving at Heathrow around 6am next Thursday. We are picking up a car and heading to Stonehenge (then on to Bath). However, Stonehenge doesn't open until 9:30am. I know we have to get through customs, get our bags, deal with rush hour traffic, etc, but I think we'll end up with a bit of time to kill before Stonehenge opens. We may not, but in case we do, I'd like to have a plan as to something to do between Heathrow and Stonehenge early in the morning? Any suggestions? Scenic drive? We don't have to be at Stonehenge right when it opens, so it's not like we are time limited for this additional "excursion". We like to hit the ground running, so please no "take a nap in the car" suggestions!

Thanks!

YOu can visit Runnymede - lots of history there, from King John's signing of Magna Carta, to JFK memorial.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main...s/w-runnymede/

Even Flanner should know that you are heading west and therefore away from London and although you will have to do some motorway driving (the M25 will be busy from 6.00am) I think that as long as you are sensible you will be fine.
You could drive through Runnymede (15 minutes max from the airport) but the car park won't be open until 9.00am at least. You could also go to Windsor.
Having said that by the time you have dealt with customs & immigration and sorted the car out out it could well be 8.00am which would put you at Stonehenge around 9.15 - 9.30.

You could stop at Avebury on the way to Stonehenge. The stones there are more impressive to me than the Stonehenge circle; you can walk among them. And they are always accessible (just watch out for the sheep poo.)

Also bear in mind that it will likely be quite dark this time of year until at least 7:30 am or so.

1) you will not be to Stonehenge before 9:30 AM. None of the car rental locations are on the airport. So you have to shuttle to the rental depot which could be 2 or 6 miles away. Then you have to deal w/ the paperwork. Yo will be lucky to be on the road before about 8:30 at the earliest

2) While I <i>might</i> word it a bit gentler the flanner - he is basically right. You have no idea when condition you will be in after an over night flight. If it was me I'd visit Windsor that AM (only 7 miles away) and then stay the night there. You can drive to Avebury/Stonehenge and Bath the next day when hopefully you will be over the jet lag.

OR another option would be to take the express bus to Bath on arrival day. Then the next morning pick up a rental car in Bath and pop over to Stonehenge/Salisbury.

Last time it tooks us 90 minutes to get the rental car from the Hertz station at Heathrow - the queue was incredible (on a Saturday morning!).

Since you are leaving London, traffic won't be too bad - but everybody is right, you will not be before 9:00 or 9:30 in Stonehenge. In case you will arrive before opening hours indeed, you might walk the archeological path which leads you to many other tombs and mounds.

BTW, paying the entrance fee for Stonehenge is wasted money IMO, the view from the fence is good enough.

In order to take pictures, it is even a good idea to be there BEFORE opening - you have the chance to take photos without crowds of visitors.

Wow, flanneruk, a little aggressive!

My husband and I both are well travelled and always sleep well on red-eyes. We have taken many of them and then gone on our way as soon as we have landed, having a full productive day wherever we are. Additionally, we live in the metro NYC area and are very familiar with city driving in heavy traffic (here and an many other cities around the world). If we couldn't handle it, we wouldn't travel this way.

Thanks to everyone else for your info and advice. I guess I am underestimating the amount of time it will take to get the car. I also didn't realize the fence where you can take pictures of the stones at Stonehenge was outside the entrance fee area. We may just do that as we really are going just to take some pictures, say we were there, and move on to other things.

azzure - I have heard that about Avebury, but for some reason my husband is set on Stonehenge. Otherwise, we would just do that!

I found the audio guide at Stonehenge very informative and well worth the entry fee - plus you help to support and maintain this historic site.

Even if you don't need to kill time, I would suggest a stop at Avebury on the way to Stonehenge. It's not as immediately visually impressive because the stones are more spread out. But because there are no crowds of people you get a much different experience. There's a cute little town, you walk through some fields, especially early in the morning I would think it would be a very good experience. And it need not take much time. Here's a photo of some of the stone (you can't get all of them in one photo because they are so spread out) - www.pbase.com/annforcier/image/56411889.

The following photo is of Stonehenge and was taken through the fence. We weren't even going to go to Stonehenge because everyone told us how much a tourist trap it felt. But we were so close we decided to drive by, I had also heard you could see it from the road. We went in the early evening (summer) after it &quot;closed&quot;, the sun just started peaking through the rain clouds, it was just us and two other cars of people parked by the side of the road. It was magical.

So if you are staying in the area for a few days and could drive over when it's still day light but not during official open hours I recommend that.

I have spend a considerable share of my lifetime in museums and on historic and prehistoric sites - so I am anything but ignorant.

But regarding Stonehenge, I must say: a glance is sufficient.

Stonehenge is most impressive, absolutely breathtaking, when you see it for the first time from your car, just when you are coming over the hill on A303. It is an aerial view and nothing beats that.

Otherwise, you see it and that is that. No need to walk around the stones. You can comfortably peep over the fence and take pictures.

Audioguide: Well, but reading the wikipedia article is also quite informative.

My tip: Enter &quot;Stonehenge&quot; in Google Earth - you get a good impression of the site and the area around it (even better than on foot).

Maybe you are lucky to get your rental car faster than we did (a priority card may help and maybe other rental stations are faster than Hertz). The bus ride to the rental car stations is just 10 minutes.

I agree with the others that you will be lucky to get through customs, car rental, and London traffic and get to Stonehenge by 9:30.

Having been to both Stonehenge and Avebury this past summer, I highly suggest going to Avebury in addition to passing by Stonehenge. Avebury is an excellent experience because you can actually walk around the stones (with sheep wandering the area), and it's much larger than Stonehenge.

@ traveller1959: I hope you didn't interpret my post as calling you ignorant - because that wasn't my intent at all.

I visited Stonehenge with family and wasn't expecting to be impressed. All I can say is that I'm glad to have walked around the stones and had the opportunity to see them from many perspectives. Some photos:
http://acrossthebridgebandb.ca/stonehenge/index.html

And to demonstrate that you'll get opposing views on almost any question posed on Fodors, we also went to Avebury and I was all like &quot;meh&quot; (to use the Internet vernacular). ;-)

A post was removed from this thread.

gdh-- would love to hear more about your itinerary.. I spent some time in Somerset and I always like seeing which towns people include in their trip. I'm partial to Glastonbury which is not too far from Bath---probably 30-40 minutes or so...

I too found Stonehenge to be a worthwhile experience. The &quot;surprise&quot; of seeing it as you first come over the hill is probably the experience's high point as mentioned by traveller1959. Definitely worth seeing--just good to keep your expectations in check (it sounds like you are).

ghd,my partner and I returned from England in September and our Stonehenge visit was one of the highlights of our trip. We were able reserve spots on the Private Access tour, walked inside the circle, touched the stones, and experienced this site from the inside. It was awesome. I suggest trying to get one of these reservations which are available before the actual opening of Stonehenge for the general public. Google for more information. I will never forget the sunset shining between the stones.

<i>I was all like &quot;meh&quot; (to use the Internet vernacular)</i>

No longer just Internet vernacular. It's one of the words added to the Collins English Dictionary:

&quot;The expression of indifference or boredom has gained a place in the Collins English Dictionary after generating a surprising amount of enthusiasm among lexicographers.&quot;

I've often picked up cars after an overnight flight and driven down to Bournemouth on the south coast.

My advice would be to do all the things you have to do (Immigration, baggage claim, Customs, bus to car rental) and then see how you feel when you get on the road. As others have said, it could well be 8:00 am by then.

On my drives down to Bournemouth, an extreme need to nod off would often hit me after about 30-40 minutes. I pull into one of the &quot;break&quot; stops on the motorway, deliberately pull up close to the entrance to the food service, check the doors are locked and crash for usually 20 minutes, then go inside and get a large coffee. Usually then I'm good to go for the rest of the day.

By the time you get to Stonehenge it should be open. You will see it as you drive up and then you can decide for yourselves whether or not you want to go in.

After you've done Stonehenge, snooze in their car park if you need to. Just stay off the road if you're feeling really tried and you will be okay.

hi gdh,

i just had a look at the english heritage website to see if there are any chances to get up close to the stones at the moment, but they don't restart until December - too soon for you, I think.

so far as your car-hire is concerned, how about getting a train [or maybe a bus, according to the train timetables I just looked up!] to Reading and picking it up there? - it's in the right direction and it should be a lot quicker to collect your car there.

regards, ann

Anyone save Flanner's post? I always get a kick out of them, the more savage the better.

I'm surprised no one has suggested visiting the lovely city of Salisbury, with its fine cathedral and famous spire.


If you have a chance while you're in the area, make time to visit Stourhead. The gardens are beautifully landscaped, and a walk around the lake is a great way to shake off jet lag.

Ann,

I think the aggravation and cost of getting to Reading to pick up a car is far greater than getting on the free car rental bus outside the terminal and dealing with a queue at the rental agency. Just my opinion.

We really liked the small village of Lacock.

Lacock
Lacock is one of England's most picturesque villages, dating back to the Saxon era. The village has provided the setting for many movies and television dramas, including Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Sorry my posting should have been for places between Heathrow and Stonehenge.
We rented a car and drove right to Windsor. We stayed that night at a b&amp;b in Windsor. From there we went on to Stonehenge. our second visit and we did not go inside either time. The first time we were too late and it had closed and the second time it was cold, windy and some rain. We could see very well from the fence. We parked in the parking lot and crossed the road to the fence.

Well, we got lost on the way from Heathrow to Stonehenge because we didn't have a map. We had just spent two weeks in Ireland, where we drove all over the place using several maps, and didn't plan our two days in London at all. But we finally got there, and paid the entrance fee, and listened to the audio tapes as we walked around, and I'm glad we did. It's nice to see Stonehenge from different angles, and we learned a lot, too. And after all, you're going that far...

Then we went to Sailsbury, and walked all over the Cathedral, and the little town (though it was a Sunday, and mostly closed), and it was just so funky and wonderful. Asked a lady at the Cathedral for directions, and she said, &quot;Well, surely you have a map.&quot; &quot;No,&quot; I said. &quot;Then you have a navigation system in your car,&quot; she said. &quot;No,&quot; I said. &quot;Well, then, surely there's someone with you who knows where you are going.' &quot;No,&quot; I said, &quot;No map, no one who knows how to get to where we're going (a motel a few towns over). &quot;Bernard!&quot; she said, motioning to the security guard nearby. &quot;Come here! These people don't have a MAP!&quot; Then once she got over the shock of our unpreparedness, she gave me the best directions ever. All of this in her wonderful British accent. Good memories!

&quot;<i>All of this in her wonderful British accent.</i>&quot; On that day in Salisbury, the helpful lady did not have an accent, you did :)

Actually Flanner had a point.
It is grossly irresponsible to get straight off a plane and drive, especially if you are unaccustomed to driving on the left.
You have a responsibility to other road users. Tired drivers cause accidents

I agree! And, there are times when people need more that a kind request to prevent stupid actions.

&quot;<i>It is grossly irresponsible to get straight off a plane and drive, </i>&quot; Amen brother!

And just because some have done it &quot;successfully&quot; doesn't mean it wasn't irresponsible.

Its too bad the editors have seen fit to nuke some of flanner's more pointed/useful posts

Ignoring the H&amp;S thing I think there are two things worth stopping at Salisbury or Winchester. Of these Salisbury cathedral is work a swing by if all you do is photo it from the south.

Maybe go via Oxford (although any trip to Stonehenge really needs the best part of the day and Oxford does have traffic issues). Remember the daylight hours are short and Stonehenge closes at 4 pm this time of year. The idea of a trip via Avebury is probably the best option; you could get lunch at the ‘Red Lion’ and be at Stonehenge within the hour.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/s...show/nav.16472
http://sarsen56.wordpress.com/

Is Flanner having to do a Dr. Who reincarnation?
I agree with other people who say that this forum operates a system of &quot;one man can steal a horse while another is not allowed to look over the hedge&quot;.

There is a notorious troll who searches through news agencies to find anti-British stories. He is allowed to get away with it and in fact the resident Britons treat him with good humoured mockery.
A Briton points out that in our quaint British way, we prefer not to be killed by irresponsible jet-lagged idiots and the thread is pulled.

Is that the one who popped out from under the rickety rackety bridge and accused me of being a notorious American hater? ;-)

Seriously, travel allows one to see different national attitudes and a travel forum can do the same.
I notice that people get very upset when a Briton points out that in the UK, we find it strange when Americans treat their adult offspring as children.
I personally purse my lips when people ask about planning trips for their &quot;elderly&quot; parents, but then I am about to reach my three score and ten and reckon that I am perfectly capable of doing my own planning, thank you very much.

I too am a Flannerphile.
He is great fun and has excellent taste in literature.

I disagree with those who say your first sight of Stonehenge is the most impressive. I first visited it as part of a field trip by coach tour for archaeology students and nobody even noticed it until we were almost driving past, when someone said &quot;oh, is that it ?&quot;. We were however lucky enough to be able to go right up to the stones in those days, and they seemed a lot more impressive closer up.

I also prefer Avebury, though, and like West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill even better.

&quot;like West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill even better&quot;

The first time I visited the area (1971) I climbed Silbury Hill, from the top of which a wide range of neolithic monuments are visible, and the relationship between them can be discerned. Last time I was there, about nine years ago, the hill was fenced off. Has it been opened again?

Also share your affection for the West Kennet Long Barrow.

A couple of points: Bath Christmas Market starts this week (27th) - I am not sure how much this will effect traffic in the area.

Secondly, I agree with the other posters who think that it is unlikely that the OP will be at Stonehenge much before 9:30. I quite like the White horse at Uffington near Swindon, but a trip there first would mean doubling back on yourself to Stonehenge.

Thirdly, despite the tone of Flanner's post, he was absolutly correct. Were the OP to be involved in an accident in the UK on the morning of their arrival, they may well be looking at a jail sentance - particularly having revealed a &quot;Cavalier&quot; attitude in response to a warning.

Is there some quantifiable data that people arriving in the UK off overnight flights have more accidents than the average?

I lived there for five years and never read or heard anything to back-up this belief.

Fra_Diavolo, it's a long time since I was in that part of the world too, so I don't know if Silbury Hill is now fenced off or not. I am not sure whether as trainee archaeologists we were encouraged to climb on it anyway ! I just found the whole mystery of it fascinating, though - nobody really knowing why it was built, just snippets of information like the fact it was started in July, as at the bottom they found the wing cases of beetles which shed their wing cases in July. (Or was it June ? :-) )

There is quanitifiable data that lorry drivers after crossing mainland europe get here so tired they kill people in the UK. Equally missue of the clocking systems in cabs allows a tired european to get out of one cab and back into to another to drive and kill in Europe.

The similar quantifiable data for flyers from US is less well known but going the other way I have caught myself confused by driving an automatic with everything the wrong way round on the big hole under Boston when traffic was light.

I believe that we should not take the attitude that it will probably be ok but rather it might not be and therefore what are our strategies for safety. UK roads are very tightly packed and move pretty fast with everything the wrong way around apart from for the Japs and ????? UK has very low levels of accidents, why because we have invested heavily in understanding the dangers of our roads. Lets not start a holiday by ruining a life

Bilbo,

You must have been off on your adventures for so long that you missed the point where &quot;Japs&quot; became a pejorative term.

Hmm . . . &quot;blilboburglar&quot; and &quot;Underhill&quot; one after the other -- is there a secret Tolkien Society here on Fodor's?

&gt;&gt;Hmm . . . &quot;blilboburglar&quot; and &quot;Underhill&quot; one after the other -- is there a secret Tolkien Society here on Fodor's?&lt;&lt;

Yes. ;-)

Lee Ann