Sheelagh

Doing the All Access Pass to Stonehenge from Astral Tours. Any Feedback?....What's up with Avebury. Looking forward to it.<BR>Cheers

Michael

This tour is the one to do! Especially with the movie Signs out with the crop circles and things that go on. Worth it....Do it.<BR><BR>Michael

frank

Please rememember that Stonehenge is not totally genuine - the stones were raised up and "repositioned" ages ago by some daft professor who worked out that they used to be like that.Also last time I was there you weren't allowed to touch the stones!(has this changed?)Avebury (nearby)is much more interesting...2 huge circles containing a village.Best I've seen is Callinish (Isle of Lewis).(but I haven't been to Orkney...yet!)

Suzy

Frank, I think you're confusing Stonehenge and Avebury. Perhaps one or two of the Stonehenge stones have been raised, after falling over, in place. It's Avebury that has been largely reconstructed after being disassembled by the locals, there's a museum on the grounds that shows the archaeological work at Avebury from decades ago.<BR><BR>When I took the Inner Circle tour with Astral last year, we were instructed very firmly not ot touch the stones, but I have read in one traveler's report this summer that this is no longer the case. The Astral web site does indeed say "touch the stones" so perhaps they've decided that those lichens aren't so vital after all. It would be easy enough to check directly with Astral or British Heritage, which runs the site.

Patti

HI Sheelagh,<BR><BR>I took this tour in June, definitely worth it. We were allowed to touch the stones at Stonehenge. I think if you started scratching at the lichens with your fingernail or a key or something you might have a problem but when I went it was OK to place a hand on them. The Avebury stone circle is much bigger, encompassing the whole town of Avebury, but while I liked the town very much, I just didn't get the same thrill seeing it as I got at Stonehenge. Our guide was also on the lookout for crop circles--I guess they pop up all the time, but there weren't any when I was there. This is the time of the year for them, though, so you may get lucky. <BR><BR>I'm sure you'll enjoy the tour!<BR><BR>Patti

david west

I have no experience of this tour but I am old enough to have had unfettered access to the stones (the fence is quite a recent addition).<BR><BR>I feel that one only gets a feeling for how immense the stones are when one is next to them. As they are on a featureless plain (which is to be upgraded to get rid of the road and give it some dignity back) there is no real sense of scale until one is next to them.<BR><BR>If you want information on megaliths etc look here:<BR><BR>www.themodernantiquarian.com<BR><BR>