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!
