I fell asleep during the drive from Warwick to Salisbury Plains (where Stonehenge is located) and when I finally opened my eyes, I woke up with a start. For there, finally, before me, was the world-famous formation of ancient boulders.

I’ve just always assumed Stonehenge to be HUGE and towering and imposing and awe-inspiring. Just like all classic desktop wallpapers and photos that we see of it everywhere…but it turned out to be waaaay smaller than I’ve always imagined it to be. I never thought of googling up some background information before going; somehow I just assumed.  In reality, it was disappointingly only about twice the height of an average man’s height. Just take a look at this pic of Stonehenge with two members of the staff standing right next to it.

Visitors are not even allowed get close to the rocks — they are roped off from the general public, a good 10 metres or so away. Only people who sign up for those expensive exclusive sunrise or sunset tours — ranging from £79 to £92 per person (adult price) — get to go inside the inner circle and see the rocks up close.

This pic should give you an idea of how far away we were from the famous circle of boulders:-

The black ‘line’ behind the baby stroller is the rope that cordons off the stone formation.

Take a closer look at the first photo that I posted at the beginning of this blog post and try to look for the people standing behind Stonehenge:-

The reason why these people look so tiny is because of their distance from the rocks and not so much from the actual height of the rocks.

We arrived in Stonehenge quite late — some 15 minutes before the 8pm closing time — but they allowed us to enter anyway even if it meant forgoing the complimentary audio guide. After all, we rationalized, it would be such a waste to drive all the way and not see the rocks as close as possible…and take proper pics of them, as well. The downside was that we had very little time to spend there — and get the most out of the £7.50 ticket fee! — but the plus side was that there were very few people around, allowing us to take pics without any unwanted stranger wandering into the frame.

Stonehenge is located in a grassy plain in Wiltshire near Salisbury, just a short drive away from Bath, hence it’s quite common for tour operators to offer both locations in the same tour.

It’s easily accessible by car — some 1 1/2 hours from London — and can also be reached by train (to Salisbury) then by bus. Mind you, train fares in the UK can be very expensive so if you plan to go by train, it’s best to book your tickets way in advance.

Stonehenge is in a vast, grassy plain surrounded by a perimeter of wire fence. So if you don’t feel like paying for the entrance ticket, you can gawk at the rocks from a distance through the chain link fence.

Stonehenge Visitor’s Info

Ticket Prices:
Members Free
Adult £7.50
Child £4.50
Concession £6.80
Family Ticket £19.50

Directions
Address:  Off A344 Road, Amesbury, Wiltshire – SP4 7DE
Bus Access: The Stonehenge Tour Bus is the public bus departing from Salisbury rail and bus stations. See www.thestonehengetour.info.
Road Access: 2 miles W of Amesbury on junction of A303 and A344/A360
Train Access: Salisbury 9 1/2 miles

Click here for more detailed information about opening times throughout the year.

If your trip to the UK allows you some time to visit other English Heritage properties, it would be definitely worth your while to invest £46 for an annual English Heritage membership, which would give you free access to all of their properties – castles, Roman sites, monuments and ruins — all over the UK.