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&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, "Well, surely you have a map." "No," I said. "Then you have a navigation system in your car," she said. "No," I said. "Well, then, surely there's someone with you who knows where you are going.' "No," I said, "No map, no one who knows how to get to where we're going (a motel a few towns over). "Bernard!" she said, motioning to the security guard nearby. "Come here! These people don't have a MAP!" 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