Stonehenge condition
 

I have been reading about the current condtion of the Stonehenge site, (The fence and the high speed road) and that the situation will be changing in the next few years.

Assuming I will only visit it once, should I put off visiting Stonehenge for a few years?

Keith

Don't put off doing something you want. The roads have been there for years the fence hasn't been there for a long while. See Stonehenge and if you get back to England after they do the road work then go see it again.

There are indeed long-range plans regarding the road and the fences, but as Bob advises, don't put off our visit on account of these.

Bear in mind - when they first talked about the new visitors center and tunneling the road, they thought it would be completed by 2002. But they haven't even finalized which plans or when. It could be 10 years fom now - or maybe never happen at all.

Stonehenge has been at a road crossing for years - the traffic is a little heavier now but it really doesn't intrude on a visit. And it isn't a "fence" - just a low cable - and isn't that intrusive. Never put off til tomorrow what you can do . . . . . .

Who knows what the future holds - go when you have the chance and then go again if the changes/improvements interest you.

I agree with Janis. Just went to Stonehenge and the fence (metal cable) is not obtrusive in the least. It's good for the site because people to tend to ruin the wonderful artifacts we have left to look at.

You probably haven't read that the situation will be changing in a few years.

You've probably read that there are plans to change the situation.
In England, on sensitive sites, getting agreement to, and implementing, such changes takes an untterly unpredictable time. Could be decades. Go now.

But, as many people find Stonehenge a let down,plan your trip to include either Salisbury cathedral (which is wonderful) or the prehistoric complex in the Avebury area, which is a great deal more fun and hardly ever disappoints.

Do what we did - take an "inner circle" tour - this goes in the morning or evening before or after the site is open to tourists, and you get to go INSIDE the fence and actually INSIDE the stone circles, with a knowledgeable guide. It costs (a lot) more, but IMO is well worth it - if Stonehenge is something you've been interested in seeing, it will be a once in a lifetime experience. I was interested but not overly so, but it WAS fascinating, and very unique to get to go inside in a small group (about 15 - 20 people) - we even got to drink Champange and watch the sun rise! They combine Stonhenge with a 1/2 or whole day tour, usually including the cathedral mentioned above (which is also worth visiting). Just search on google for "inner circle" tour.

The Inner Circle tour offered by Astral Travels does not include Salisbury but rather focuses on assorted other Neolotihic attractions, including the circle at Avebury, and whenever possible a swing past current crop circles.

Unlike flanner, I preferred Stonehenge and found Avebury very much a non-event (though the two associated museums were delightful), and unlike Andrea my tour didn't include champagne!

Er, I DO know how to spell "Neolithic".

Don?t expect to actually touch any of the stones unless you get on a special access tour, such as one offered by Astral travels http://www.astraltravels.co.uk/index.htm .

In general, if you go on a tour, expect to pay the £42 (GBP) that the tours charge (the special access fee costs an additional £15, making the total cost a whopping £57), it might be worth avoiding the hassles if you are not good at navigating.

Otherwise, you can save a lot of money by taking the train from London?s Waterloo station to Salisbury (about 1 1/2 hours) and then catch a bus out to Stonehenge (40 minute ride on the Wilts and Dorset bus #3).

The buses run regularly from the Salisbury station. I think that a return train ticket from London to Salisbury costs about £20, and a return ticket on bus from Salisbury to Stonehenge costs £5.25, and admission to Stonehenge £5. To be honest, I don?t know if touching the stones is worth the extra money that a tour would cost. Besides, you can get quite close to the stones just by paying the normal entrance fee of £5 (and you can touch the stones by walking over a rope and risk getting yelled at). So, by doing it my way you will spend £30 instead of £57.

As snorkelman explained, you can see Stonehenge on your own for cheaper than the Inner Circle access tours. You can even do your own Inner Circle visit by contacting British Heritage directly, though I'm not sure the public bus runs during the off-hours.

But if you join the tours, you get much more than Stonehenge, as I described above. You also get driven on the entire excursion in a 20-person van with an amusing, informative narrative rather than dealing with public transport vehicles, ticketing, and schedules.

Lots of options, something to suit everyone.