Mystery of Stonehenge

I have always been fascinated by Stonehenge, the mystery that surround this thousands year old monument situated in Wiltshire, England and about 2 miles west of Amesbury or 8 miles north of Salisbury.  There were countless movies, stories and even television shows that were inspired by the mystery of this prehistoric monument; and also a cooking show that was filmed on this site.

Origin of Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument with huge circle of megalithic pillars, the bluestones boulders were moved many miles to this site (many believed from Southern Wales).  The origin of Stonehenge remain a mystery today; as archaeologists continuously uncovered remains on this site that lead to new development and findings.  

Stonehenge was originally believed to be a monument to the dead due to the discovery of human cremation burials around the brooding stones. It was used as a cemetery in 3000 BC.  Read more on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge

Road Trip

Driving there is pretty easy with a rented car from the edge of London in order to avoid the congestion charge. Our journey began early on a cold Tuesday morning in mid January 2013; packed with sufficient snacks, lunch and a hot flask of coffee for the road-trip.

Most of the route on the motorways, especially the M3 is a breeze to drive on. Our first stop is the Windsor Castle; and we arrived just in time to see the Changing of Guards at the castle.  After a quick tour inside the castle; we left for Stonehenge.

We arrived at Stonehenge in about 1 ½ hours; you can see the massive structure from the main road.  The good thing about traveling in winter is the roads are not congested and arriving at about 12 noon; we have avoid the big crowd of tourist buses for the morning visits. But the downside is the bitter cold and gloomy weather which we may encounter. But fortunately for us, on this day it was sunny blue skies.

Visitor Centre

Stonehenge visitor center was situated just across the site. The car park was quite empty so we quickly parked the car and walked to get our ticket into the site. Today, there is a new visitor’s center that is located a distance away where a shuttle bus ferried visitors to site.  The reviews were not very positive due to delays because of the massive crowd; hopefully they can resolve this problem quickly.

Once inside the site, you can do a full circular walk-about tour around the Stonehenge. Your entrance ticket comes with an audio guide.  The only barrier between you and the stones is a short rope barrier. 

We were not expecting to stay on longer than an hour but ended staying closer to 2 hours; just to catch the glimpse of the setting sun. Well, I can say that the spectacular views were truly worth the wait.

Sunset at Stonehenge

Its winter so the day is shorter, which we know but just fail to register in our heads. That was until we saw the setting sun at Stonehenge. It was truly a mesmerizing sight; with golden hues as the shadow falls longer creating the dramatic effect on the mysterious Stonehenge.

We were lucky to experience Stonehenge in midday with blue sunny skies filled and to catch the golden setting sun too!