For those that have been there - how far is the walk to the stones from where tour busses and or cars can park? We have a family member that has some trouble walking lone distances and I am wondering if this is something we need to include for him. Thanks.

It is not too far - possible a few hundred yards, but you have to use an underpass to get from the ticket office, under the road, and up to the site of the stones. It is a gentle ramp, not stairs.

But be warned that you cannot actually get to the stones - you have to view from quite a distance. Gone are the days when you could walk up to them and touch them

Not even if you pay for a guided visit ?

We recently made an "after hours" private access visit to Stonehenge. Early morning "before hours" visits are possible, too. You have to book ahead. We were told several weeks lead time would be required, but we got our booking just a little over two weeks before our visit. Contact [email protected] for the booking. The entry fee for this was 12 pounds each person, and there were not more than 20 of us at the site. We were allowed an hour there, and unlike the day visits where visitors must remain a distance away behind the ropes, we were free to wander among the stones at will. There was no guided tour per se. You must do your own homework to get the most out of the experience.
Getting back to the op's question, though, willit's post is right on. There is a distance to walk to gain access to the stones just as he/she describes it. Visiting after or before hours, however, would allow one to proceed slowly without having to battle crowds. For one truly interested in Stonehenge, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

You are describing the "Stone Circle Access" that is arranged through English Heritage. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.878
Like you, we did this on our own, but there are also some tour groups that visit via Stone Circle Access. Astral is a company that offers these tours.

&quot;<i>you have to view from quite a distance.</i>&quot;

Well - you actually get quite close over part of the walkway -- and quite far off in other parts. It is not a circular walk that stays the same distance all the way around.

As for how far the walk is - while there are no steps - it is quite a distance from the car park, under the road and to/around the stones. All together it will be more than a quarter mile.

The inner access tours are great - and you'd end up walking less distance since you would not have to go around the whole perimeter.

Stonehenge is likely not the only place you will have lengthy walks - have you considered hiring a wheel chair?

Thanks for the info on heritage tours - First time I saw Stonehenge was on a bike. Cycled right up to it, leant ourt bikes against one of the uprights and had a picnic.

I have a photo of my ex and our airedale sitting on one of the stones (and there is a bike in the background - maybe wombat was visiting at the same time )

And you wonder why access was limited . . . .

Part of the reason was that some people were bringing hammers and chisels and collecting their own souvenirs - although this had been going on for hundreds of years.

You might also want to consider visiting Avebury. It is not too far away and is a much larger site (smaller stones though)

Isn't it Stonehedge?

Sorry,just channeling my inner schoolmarm.

guess the schoolmarm needs to study up a bit. No, it is <u>Stonehenge</u> . . . .

(no box hedges to be seen . . . . .)

I agree with going to Avebury. It is an amazing site. Walking in the stones, listening to the sheep baaa and the beautiful town. If I remember correctly, it is free.

dave

hi, applejack,

the english heritage web-site has a lot about disabled access, and about stonehenge, but nothing about disabled access AT stonehenge. poor show, IMO.

why not e-mail them and ask - it is the sort of info they ought to provide as standard.

regards, ann

Thanks so much to each of you for the information and the spelling lesson (even if it was incorrect). Ann - thanks to you and I have sent an email to see if there is any handicap access.

My recollection of Stonehenge is that the paths surrounding the stones are all grass - in some places these have been reinforced just under the soil with plastic hexagonal supports to try and prevent excessive erosion. I am not sure how difficult it would be to use a wheelchair on this surface.

Getting to the stones themselves may prove slightly trickier, as there is a shallow ditch surrounding the stones. English Heritage should be able to inform people about this.

As an aside, and a point for debate, there were extravagant plans to remove the nearby roadway, and to bury it in a tunnel. This has effectively been blocked because of the cost, but the idea was to return Stonehenge to a condition where modern encroachment was not visible.

Would the addition of facilities for the disabled impinge on these plans ?

Taking into account all distances and modes of transportation and barring any acts of God or unforeseen acts of man, if one has an 8:00am Stone Circle Access and arrives at the Salisbury train station at 8:03am subsequently taking a cab to Stonehenge, would they be amongst the stones by 8:30am?

For those who have done the Stone Circle Access, is there any specific reason that only a thirty minute visit cannot be justified?

Thanks in advance…bdj.

We took a cab from the center of Salisbury to the stones, and it was under 30 minutes, iirc. Although we stayed for our full hour, many/most people left after 30-45 minutes, so I'd say they thought that was sufficient time. The last 15 minutes we had the stones to ourselves, with just 2 other people. Made for wonderful pictures. So, going for the second half might be rewarding. I'm guessing that you could be admitted then, but I don't know.