I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Stonehenge three times in my life. Each visit was memorable. The sight of this ancient collection of stones sitting on Salisbury plain is evocative. Why are they there? What do they mean? Obviously, the site is important as it took tremendous effort to erect Stonehenge—all the more so when you find out that some of the stones originated in Wales, some 150 miles away. It was probably of religious significance, perhaps a burial site, but no one really knows exactly why it’s standing there.
The point of this post is not to philosophize about the nature of Stonehenge. If you want a scholarly presentation I suggest reading this link. We’ve previously published several posts on Stonehenge at Travelgumbo. I’d recommend looking at Kirsten Hines’ visit, and Mac’s fun post on visiting Stonehenge during the summer solstice.
While most things at Stonehenge hadn’t changed from my prior visit some 20 years ago, there was an interesting newish Visitor Center at this UNESCO World Heritage site which provided historic information about the site, including its use during the summer and winter solstice.
Not far from the visitor center is this mockup of an historic village, of the type that might have existed on Salisbury plain when Stonehenge was erected thousands of years ago.
(model of system probably used to move large rocks to Stonehenge)
As you enter the site of the stone monument, one of the first stones you encounter (the heel stone) was used as last weekend’s One Clue Mystery photo. Congratulations to George G, whose ability to solve travel problems never ceases to amaze me!
(The heel stone is on the far right in this photo, nearly 80 meters from the center of the stone circle)
Most of what follows is a collection of photos taken from my last visit, a gallery of the stone monument from different angles and perspectives. There is a circular path around the monument that lets you study the layout in detail. Entering Stonehenge’s circle is forbidden (except in specially approved circumstances).
You probably won’t be alone at Stonehenge. Around 1,000,000 people visit the site each year….
(tourists on the pedestrian path around the stone circle)
To me Stonehenge remains awe-inspiring! I’m especially amazed at the placement of the top (horizontal oriented) stones. It must have been extremely difficult to do.
We visited Stonehenge shortly before dusk and the softening light made photography fun. I hope you like these images.
I’m not sure when I’ll visit England again, but when I do I’ll be sure to include another visit to this unique place. It’s worth revisiting!
My first visit was in 1985. By then you needed to stick on a trail around the stones and couldn’t get close to them. I would have liked to have some freedom to move around, for different perspectives on all of the stones.
I first visited Stonehenge in 1973. You could wander around them and touch then!