scottvan

I'll be in Salisbury in early March; 2 questions:

1) Has anyone taken the Stonehenge inner circle tour "on their own"? I've only seen it mentioned in the context of tour companies, who always seem to offer it only as a trip from London, but I will be in Salisbury. I've contacted English Heritage with this question, but have not yet heard back. Has anyone done this, either alone or with the help of English Heritage or a tour company?

2) I am trying to decide whether to rely on train/bus travel or rent a car; I hope to day-trip to some subset of (Bath, Winchester, Wells, Avebury, Glastonbury, Stonehenge). I generally prefer public transport, but not if it takes excessive time. Suggestions, based on experience or otherwise?

Thanks much in advance!

Anonymous

1) We did the Inner Circle tour as part of Astral Travels all-day Neolithic trip in 2001, which included Avebury, West Kennet Long Barrow, side trips past several crop circles (and the pub where they're allegedly planned), etc. The day was one of the highlights of our 3-week trip.

2) In addition to the amount of time that public transport takes, you need to consider the schedules. IIRC, the bus from Salisbury to Stonehenge runs every half-hour, but only during their open hours, so you might have trouble getting home from an after-hours Inner Circle tour, or to an early one.

kaudrey

I could be wrong, but I'm not sure that you can do the inner circle tour if you are not part of a group. I wouldn't swear to that, however.

Also, for what you want to do, I'd suggest a car. It would be much more flexible.

BTW - I LOVED Salisbury. We rented a car from London for 4 days to tour around, and we went to Stonehenge on the way to Salisbury, then Bath, Castle Combe, and Lacock before returning to London - it was great. We stayed one night in Salisbury and 2 in Bath.

Have fun,
Karen

Andrea_expat

I'm fairly confident that you can only do them with a tour. They go on and on about their "special arrangements" that they have in order to be able to offer it. That said, if you are willing to pay for the whole day, you could just meet them there & then decide whether or not you wanted to continue. From what I remember when I was looking, different companies offer different packages, so you might get a tour that includes places you want to go anyway. They are very small groups, no more than 15 people, so it's not that bad of a tour experience. On our tour, in the other stops, they would give a very short explanation and then let us explore on our own.

Well worth it, though, in order to go INSIDE Stonehenge with only 15 other people. A memorable experience.

janis

I do know groups can gain access to the inner circle directly through English Heritage w/o having to book through a commercial tour operator like Astral. But I'm not sure if individuals can.

As for car vs publis transport - of course you could get to all those places by bus. But a car would be much more comvenient. Avebury, and to a lesser extent, Glastonbury are off thebeaten track so a car will be MUCH more efficient. Plus there are so many other interesting things nearby that would be easier to visit w/ a car. Things like the West Kennet Long Burrow, Wayland Smithy, old Sarum, the white horse(s), Glastonbury Tor, Cheddar, etc would be easy detours by car.

TahitiTams

Have done the Astral Tours that goes to Avebury, Salisbury and Stonehenge.. Well worth the money...You cannot go inside the circle unless you are with the tour group that is sponsored by the English Heritage Society..You go to Stonehenge after they have closed the gate from the public.. Do not rent a car or take public transportation..It cost us 75 pounds per person and the tour was around 7 hours..You want to go before they cut the crops before mid September...Had a blast and the pub in Avebury is Haunted!! We did not like London at all but we loved the countryside of England...Lovely..A must do to have your picture taken in this neolithic site is awesome!

mohs68

If you check the Stonehenge Private Access thread on this site, it does appear that inviduals can book directly through English Heritage. Am about to check for myself.

elizabethmjones

mohs68 - please let us know what you find out!! I have been considering this option myself but was not sure it would work as there are only two of us!

Steve_James

Anyone can book for the Inner Circle visit - individuals as well as groups. But you do have to book well in advance in high season as numbers are limited.

You can book direct with English Heritage on their website. The cost is £10.00.

The visit takes place out of hours, i.e. from sunrise till opening time, and from closing time till sunset.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

scottvan

Yes; thank you! Please see my response in the "Stonehenge Private Access" thread for more details on how one can do this.