Stonehenge
Travel Advice for Seniors: Stonehenge
Stonehenge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a great day trip from London as it’s only about two hours west. I first visited Stonehenge long ago when it was in the middle of a field on Salisbury Plain with a small gravel parking and a makeshift marker sign. You could walk right up to any of the monoliths and touch them (we didn’t) and walk completely around and through them.
As with so many popular tourist sights, the access is no longer free and proximity to the stones is very limited. Concern about erosion of the from heavy foot traffic as well as protection from graffiti (heavy sigh of disgust), has led to the development of a more formal center, to preserve it for generations to come.
There is an entire visitor center and snack bar in addition to the circular henge viewing walkway. The nearest rock formation is probably at least 50’ away from the roped-off visitor walking area and most of the walkway is much further away from the stones. Plan on spending about 2-3 hours depending on your level of interest. The site is predominantly accessible with a shuttle, accessible restrooms and a relatively flat pebbled walk way. Some of the outer edges of the walkways and grounds are uneven and grassy.
The parking is a few miles away from the visitor center and there is a shuttle bus that provides transport if you don’t want to walk it. It is nice that it is out of view when you are looking at the stones. The Visitor Center has about 250 or so objects that came from the area of the henge, a 360 degree virtual display and a nice history of the site.
The henge itself is truly something to see and you can’t help but be impressed and be overcome by the mystery of it all. It wasn’t too crowded the day we visited, so you could well imagine yourself coming upon it in olden days and being very much in awe.
There are also faithfully reproduced neolithic houses a little further out from the stones bulit by volunteers from local materials and copied from houses at another nearby site. The white chalk and thatched roof houses give an idea of what the local housing around the henge may have looked like in 2500 BC.
What was the purpose of Stonehenge? No one really knows is the correct answer. Theories abound, the most popular being that it was a sacred location used for rituals around the Summer and Winter Solstices. Other theories include a prehistoric burial site, astronomical calendar and healing center. And let’s not leave out use as an extra-terrestial landing site!
Construction began roughly 3100 BC and continued until 1600 BC. The sarsen stones were brought from about 50 miles away, but the bluestones were transported over 150 miles. The method of relocation remains another part of the mystery. Theories range from being hauled overland using rudimentary wheels and ropes to the ancient magician Merlin magically transporting them from Ireland. A mortise and tenon type of construction was used, that was also unique in prehistoric architecture.
It was a pretty day and it was nice to slowly stroll through the visitor center and around the monument. We didn’t go further into the fields to look at some of the burial sites, etc, but it was available. Do take enough time to think about how the site may have been used in ancient times when you walk around and ponder the many mysteries that is Stonehenge.
Stonehenge should be on your itinerary if you find yourself with a little extra time in London. The site is fascinating and worth a look mostly because of the many mysteries surrounding how it was built and what it was used for. Worth a few minutes of pondering over a cup of tea and some “rock” cake at the Stonehenge cafe!
Where we stayed: Mercure Earls Court. Comfortable, easy access to Tube stop, breakfast included. Centrally located. Fully accessible.
How we got there: Bus day trip out of London in combination with a stop in Oxford This was a pre-trip before commencing a 15-day small group tour through Scotland and Ireland.
General Accessibility Information: See specific site accessibility information above. Call in advance to verify and make specialty arrangements. See our sections on specialty apps and accessible travel for more on accessibility assistance.
